Lyndon, KY — If your lawn suddenly looks like a road map of raised tunnels, blame the rain. The recent downpours in Louisville have saturated the soil, bringing earthworms and grubs closer to the surface for air.

Moles, which feed almost exclusively on worms and grubs, are following their food source right up to the grass roots. This results in the visible surface tunneling that ruins the aesthetic of lawns in Lyndon, St. Matthews, and Hurstbourne.

Understanding Mole Behavior

Moles are not rodents; they are insectivores. They are digging machines that can tunnel up to 18 feet in a single hour.

• Surface Tunnels: These are the raised ridges you see. They are feeding tunnels used to hunt worms near the surface, especially after rain.
• Deep Tunnels: These are permanent highways located 6-12 inches underground. They connect the feeding tunnels to the nesting chambers.
• Molehills: Volcano-shaped mounds of dirt pushed up from the deep tunnels.

Why Poisons and Home Remedies Fail

Homeowners often try to treat moles with “grub control” poisons, juicy fruit gum, or castor oil sprays. These rarely work.

1. Grub Control: Moles eat earthworms more than grubs. Killing the grubs won’t remove the earthworms, so the moles stay.
2. Gum/Poison Peanuts: Moles are insectivores. They are not attracted to grain-based baits or gum.
3. Sonic Spikes: Moles quickly get used to the vibration and ignore it.

The Only Effective Solution: Trapping

Trapping is the only reliable way to control a mole population. We use specialized scissor traps or harpoon traps placed directly into the active tunnels.

The Process:

1. Identify Active Tunnels: We step down a section of the tunnel. If it is pushed back up within 24 hours, we know it is an active travel route.
2. Set Traps: We carefully excavate a small section and place the trap underground.
3. Monitor: We check traps regularly until the activity stops.

While moles are beneficial for soil aeration, they can destroy a manicured lawn in days. If you are tired of tripping over tunnels, contact Critter Removal of Louisville for a professional trapping program.