Get rid of voles How to exterminate voles

Review by Geoffrey Klos:

Hallelujah!!! The wicked mole is dead.

For 2 years I have hunted this critter. I have read the entire internet. 2 years of research led me here.

For those of you with mole problems, let me save you some time. Forget everything you think you know. The only way to deal with moles is to kill them. The only way to kill them is to trap them. Baits don't work. Treating for grubs don't work. Moles primarily feed on worms, not grubs. Sonic vibration thingys don't work. These traps work.

BUT...

Don't follow the directions on the package. I will do my best to explain how to employ this product.

First of all, if you have to, stamp down all mole runs in your yard. Ordinarily, you don't want to do this, because it just encourages the mole to dig new runs, thus doing more damage. But you need a current picture of where the mole is active in your yard.

The next day after you have stamped down all the runs, observe any new runs. You are looking for long straight runs. Long straight runs are like mole highways. The curvy short runs are hunting roads. The curvy runs are less traveled. Hunt the highways.

Open the trap and set the safety catch. Set the trap down next to the run where you want to place it. Take your foot, and stamp down the mole run just where you want to place the trap. Should only be about your foot's width. Don't push down hard. You want the ground you stamp down to be level with the rest of the yard.

Now take a straight blade shovel and create a notch on either side where the trap blades will go. You don't have to go real deep. Just a couple inches. Wiggle the shovel if you have to, to create those "pockets" for the blades of the trap to go into.

Carefully place the trap into the notches or pockets you just created until the trigger of the trap is level to the ground.

Unhook the safety.

It took me 3 days to catch my mole once I set my trap this way. I moved it once after the first day because I wasn't happy about the run I had originally placed it. If you don't catch your mole after 3 days, then look for a better spot.

Warning!! If you go out to check your trap, bring a shovel and wear shoes. When I got mine, he wasn't dead. The trap had just got him in the back and he wasn't going anywhere, but he was alive. So when you pull up your trap, go slow and be gentle. You don't want to accidentally release him. Be ready to whack him with the shovel.

For 2 years this mole has terrorized my yard. I was at my wits end. My yard is destroyed. Let the healing begin thanks to this product. Now kill some moles!!

EDIT 3-24-09: I just wanted to give everyone an update. I got my third mole last night using these traps. Add that to the 3 my parents have killed, our family alone is responsible for killing at least a basketball team of moles. If anyone has any questions about how to kill moles, post or email me, and I am positive we can kill your mole too.

EDIT 3-16-10: I've been reading some other reviews here and I wanted to clear up some misconceptions and misunderstandings.

First, if it looks like the moles are going around your trap, the mostly likely cause is that the trap is set too deep. That ties to another reviewer who said they set the trap with the trigger at grass level. That would be too shallow. Before you set the trap, tamp down the run to GROUND level (not grass level). When you cut the notches for the trap blades, and place the trap in the ground, the trigger should lay even with the rest of the ground.

Second, while true that moles will eat grubs, their primary food source are worms. Worms are usually more plentiful, and they move through the ground, thus making them easier to find for a hungry mole. Grubs are more stationary. A mole will eat them, but it requires more luck to find them.

Third, if you don't get a mole in the first day, don't panic. Give it a few days. Remember, the best place to put the traps are in the long straight runs. Those are the mole highways. Just because it's a highway though, doesn't mean your mole will use that highway every day. Give it some time. It's not necessary to move your traps too often. Even if your mole seems to be active in another area of your yard, if you picked a good spot to place your trap, he will come back and use his highway again.

Fourth, moles are territorial. There may be some overlap, but it's minimal. HOWEVER, keep this in mind. Just like you, moles prefer to travel along pre-dug roads. You don't build a new road every time you want to go to the grocery store. Moles don't like to either. So, even if you kill your mole, it is VERY likely that another mole will move into your yard. Keep in mind also, that the runs you see at ground level, are only a fraction of the amount of tunnels that might be running through your yard. Moles don't hibernate. They follow the worms in the winter, and worms dig in deeper during the winter. For a mole to survive the winter, that mole has a whole labyrinth of tunnels deep under ground. Easy pickings for another mole looking to move into your yard.

Edit 4-29-10: Taught my boss how to use these traps and he got his first mole this weekend. The moles in St. Louis are having a bad day!

Review by Irish Lace:

This type of trap is highly effective IF you do NOT follow the directions about how to place it. If you bury it (which the directions will tell you to do) it will simply NOT work. If your "out o sight" trap is out of sight it is TOO DEEP and all you will get is holes in your yard and perhaps an annoyed mole.

When the very expensive exterminator (who we now refer to as "Mark the Mole Man") came to our house, I showed him our "out of sight" mole trap. He tried to be respectful but finally just said, "Ma'am, that's too deep. Ain't gonna kill nothin'." As it turns out, this is exactly the same type of trap he uses. He just knows how to use it correctly.

He pulled it up and knocked the dirt off and walked around the yard for a while telling me stuff about moles. He clearly took great pride in his mole murdering skills (please don't give PETA my address.) Finally he stopped, stood silently for a moment, then he stepped his boot gently on a run until the soil was level with the surrounding soil. Next he took his special tool for making the slits that the previous reviewer described making with a shovel, and he made his two slits in the run for the blades to fit into.

Then, artist that he was, Mark the Mole Man pressed the trap blades slowly into the slits he had made until the flat trigger was sitting gently on the soil. Released the safety and - Done. He placed three more in the back yard (BIG yard) and 24 hours later we had a dead mole.

It was a wonderful (and for us expensive) experience. Go get your nasty little critter with this trap, but don't follow their directions. Listen to reviewer Geoffrey Klos.

Review by Tony P. Trus:

Normally I don't waste my time writing reviews since others have far more time on their hands. This little miracle gadget deserves a great deal of praise.

I bought two of these items with the hope that doubling down on the traps would mean faster eradication but little did I know that my mole problem would be solved in 4 days time. On day 1, I set out both traps randomly in different areas of the yard. About 4 hours later I caught my first one and wasn't sure if it was beginners luck or if the trap was just that good. I emptied the trap out (very easy) and reset it elsewhere in the yard and went back inside. Before bed, I went outside just out of curiosity to see if I got a 2nd one but no such luck. The disappointment of two kills in such a short amount of time would not last long because when I woke up the following morning, I had caught another mole!

I reset the traps and left them in the yard but for the next 3 days I didn't catch a thing. Perhaps this was because there wasn't any new mole tunnels that emerged (I stomped down all the mole tunnels after the first two so I would know where new moles were burrowing). On day 4, I noticed two small tunnels reappear from where I had previously smashed the soil down and immediately I removed the two traps and placed them near to eachother in the new section where I knew a mole to be. 6 hours later I am about to get into my car to get my son from day care and I noticed that one of the traps popped up and was ecstatic. The mole must have literally just set the trap off because when I pulled it out of the ground, the mole was still squirming. I immediately got a shovel and put it out of its misery but needless to say the trap worked.

For those that have the money to throw at this, I suggest getting two of these so you can boobytrap the yard at different sections. It will certainly work fine with one but may take a few more days but the sweet smell of success knowing that there are no more of these critters tearing up your lawn is nothing short of SWEET.

For those that don't already know this:

1) spend on a box of disposable rubber gloves to handle the trap(s). They have great smell and you don't want the oil of your hand on any part of a mole trap or they will avoid it like the plague. If you do touch it, throw it in a big pot and boil it in mild soapy water for 3-4 minutes and the smell will be gone

2) Waiting until late spring/summer means you will have to kill more moles because they give birth around April.

3) In the summertime moles will be much further underground for most of their life. They follow where the grubs and earthworms are and when the top of the soil is dry, they know not to be digging shallowly. If you plan to kill them when its dry out, wait until theres going to be a big storm and the ground gets nice and wet. The moles will come back to the surface and it will be your time to get them

4) Moles are territorial. There may be 3-7 moles in a quarter acre lot but each one of them have their own region of the lawn. Once a mole has claimed a region, it will ignore those "sonic" or "ultrasonic" stakes that they sell at the hardware store because they were there first and will fight if needed to keep their land. Once a mole is gone, the stakes may be helpful to keep new moles looking for territory away.

5) Mole sprays actually do work well on existing mole infestations and are a more humane way of dealing with them. They work by changing the flavor of the insects in the ground via active ingredients like "castor oil" and "capsicum". These ingredients give the insects a spicy putrid flavor which encourages a mole to search for food in another lawn. If you use this spray, you likely may turn your mole problem into your neighbor's mole problem!

One final note:

For the folks that read the review of the one user who claimed that he/she caught nothing with it and then switched to the Macabee trap and has been successful, keep in mind that this logic really doesn't make much sense. The Macabee trap is nothing short of AWESOME but it is for GOPHERS and really not ideal for moles. They are also a total pain in the rear to set up and require staking to the ground via a chain so the gopher doesn't run off with the trap. The point is, if you are going after MOLES, this is the device you want!

Review by DavidG:

Four years ago I started to have a mole problem. I tried the Victor Plunger type and the Victor "out of site". I had little success with either. The plunger type was sprung quite often but only chalked up on kill. Then next year I tried the "out of site" because my children were now waking around the yard and I didn't want them messing with the traps. To be honest I gave up on the Victor "out of site" rather quickly because I found it difficult to set and check. I let them take over the next two years but I did manage one kill with a shovel.

This summer my neighbors had their lawn re sodded and the varmints immediately started tearing it up. Critter Control showed up an set up these easy-set's which I had never seen before. They caught quite a few but the neighbors decided they didn't want to pay the a kill any more.

I found these traps on Amazon and order 2. As claimed they are very easy to set. First kill was within 5 hours of arrival. I let them set a few day and but no more releases so I pulled them and stomped down all the trails in my yard. A few days later I saw some activity so I set both of them again. I looked out the window a hour later and one was sprung. I figured it was a false release but to my surprise I had another one.

I've had no false releases with these traps. Follow the instructions. If you don't get something in 24 hours move them. Set them wherever you see activity. Don't just leave them in some old run. Good Luck.

Review by J. Ingraldi:

I've had this trap for 6 weeks plus and it's activated no less than 6 times. Quite simple it is junk, a flawed designed that cannot be improved. Every time it has activated it pushes itself out of the ground. With no penetration of the spikes in to the ground it lays lopsided...no affect on the mole. I have moved it around the yard (grass, dirt, and sand), tried deeper sets, and making a depression underneath the activation plate. But out of all the activations there is nothing to show for it. Absolutely buy something else, anything else.

Review by P. Mueller:

I have tried poisons for the past 2 years with no luck (except a dead rabbit which I wish was avoided). I bought two traps and got a mole in less than 24 hours. These are easy to set and very effective - you just have to have some idea of how to set these before you go out in your yard. I watched some videos on youtube which were quite helpful. I definitely recommend this product.

Review by Jack L. Rose:

I bought four of these traps. They wwork great. The only problem is the spikes are starting to rust. They must be made of steel. They are a little more heavy duty than the Sweeney's 9011 mole traps but the Sweeney's mole traps have stainless steel spikes that won't rust.

Review by Coprophagia:

I have a 1 acre lot with mole infestations in 3 areas.

1st. I tried the "noise emiting stakes" to be a little humane. Essentially they worked as an inviting drum beat to entertain and attract the moles.

2nd. I tried the traps that are "underground" so I could mow over them. An engineer was required to dig the required perfectly shaped hole, then only a stampede of horses would set them off.

3rd. The 490 Mechanical Plunger Mole Trap. I got 8 of them. I don't have time to figure out which tunnels are "active" so I bought a bunch and put them on every tunnel I see. I had 1 mole on the first day. I have had a few of them go off but I never found a carcass. I have new thick sod so its hard to pull the mole to the surface.

I think new traps need to be "broken in" to make them a little more sensative.

I'll try to update again in the spring when the moles are active again. (Indiana)

Review by Cory Schaffhausen:

These are very well made and durable, but did not suite my needs.

I got these traps based on some online comments describing wild success. However, I did not fully understand how they work when I ordered them. They work by cutting two slots in the tunnel from above. You lower the trap into the slots and it rests on top of the tunnel. The trap has two wire loops that are supposed to reach to the bottom of the tunnel and a trigger that rests on top of a section of the tunnel that you collapse.

Unfortunately in my yard the tunnels are not visible, only the hills. Also the critter needs to actively digging to set off the trigger (reopening the tunnel that was collapsed). I tried this trap, but I had to dig holes to find the tunnel. I put the trap in the hole in line with the tunnel, but had no success.

I ordered a "cinch trap" from Gophers limited instead. These work by putting the trap into the tunnel opening at the hill. Then the critter sets it off just by hitting it, no digging required.

Depends on your situation, make sure you understand how they work first.

Review by Tony Todd:

I had previously bought 3 Victor plunger type traps.I had no luck with them. I bought the Nash choker loop and have trapped 2 in approximately one month.

Review by P. Trepanier:

I have a large yard with several moles. I called a mole/pest removal company. I hired them and paid 200.00 to have about a dozen traps set (yes, they used these exact traps which is why I ordered some for myself).

Anyway, they had 30 days to trap moles in my yard. They also charged 69.00 for each mole they caught. They got 5 moles in that time.

That may not seem like many, but if you read about moles, you'll find out they are not like mice or rats. They breed slowly and live alone. They reproduce once per year and maybe have 2-4 offspring of which maybe half will live in natural conditions. When you see an area or network of mole tunnels (your grass pushed up), that's just one mole... If you study the tunnels, you'll usually see it comes in from the edge of your yard where there may be more moisture (forest or wild area).

You just need to look at the branching of the tunnels and find a few areas where you can guess the mole may be re-using that section to go back and forth.

Once you locate a good spot, gently push the grass down to collapse the tunnel, and set the trap. Be sure to set the trap so the spikes that go in the ground (not the spikes that kill the mole) are not right in the middle of the mole tunnel. The idea (obviously) is to set the trap in an area the mole will try to use again. When the mole tries to fix the tunnel, bam!

I just trapped my first mole today. I saw the spring of the trap was down, took the trap up, and the mole was dead underneath.

This trap does work to kill the mole. YOu just need to put it in the right place and set it correctly.

The guy who worked for the pest control company told me most of this and it really makes a difference.

I'm here to buy a few more traps. I would suggest getting two traps for each distinct area you think there may be a mole. I plan to just keep rotating 4-6 traps until all the moles are gone.

Review by Brickbat70:

I tried everything to get my mole to leave peacefully. I sprayed castor oil, used mole repellent pellets, etc. He might leave for a week or two, but then he would be back.

I purchased the Victor Mole Trap, read the instructions, studied a bit on the web, and rid my yard of moles in three days. GREAT product.

The previous reviewers don't understand that you're not really trying to "trap" the mole with the spikes. In all likelihood you will maim the mole and he will go off to die. You won't really know whether you got him until you notice that no new tunnels are being built. And you do need to pay attention to your yard before setting the trap. Figure out where the mole likes to travel by flattening his tunnels and watching where they reappear. Try to think like the mole and you'll get him.

Review by Sunset Slacker:

I had struggled with gas bombs, flooding & metal traps. These work....in time. I'm far too impatient & frustated by seeing my yard destroyed while gophers out smart the above methods. The Victor black box has been great! I have a 100% kill rate for the last 2 weeks and generally get my gopher within 4 hrs of placing the trap. Also, you can see if the trap has been tripped without disturbing the trap. Unlike the metal jaw style trap, where I had to trip it when pulling it out of the hole (because most of the time I had nothing.) I put a little bit of carrot in the bait hole in the back of the box & so far, I'm very happy.

This trap appears more humane in terms of a rapid kill (snaps the spine) & it less messy as the gopher doesn't have any wounds to deal with. It's worth the money. There is no way you are going to lose this thing underground either.

Review by Cheyenne:

Excellent product, really easy to use. First, you have to locate the main gopher tunnel which is probably the hardest part of the process. Then, you clear out a space from the tunnel, set the trap, and butt it up against the tunnel opening. Make sure to cover the hole with some plywood or something opaque to block any light from entering the tunnel. I caught a gopher within hours and I just reset the trap. Highly recommended.

Review by Dallas Willett:

after over a month of using the molechaser, I still have dirt piles popping up all over my yard. Some of these are only 6 feet away from where I placed the device.I followed the instructions, shelled out money for 4 D-cell batteries, and still no luck. I think one of the neighborhood cats got to one of the moles -- my dog carried it to the back door like it was some sort of prize that she wanted to share with me. Alas, the dirt piles still dot the landscape of my mole infested lawn.My advice would be to save your money and buy a couple gallons of milk instead -- to entice your neighborhood cats to patrol your lawn and garden.

Review by Charles Alimonda:

The product documentation claims it takes several days for the sound emitted from the Mole Chaser to chase the buggers away....well 21 days and counting and Mr. Mole is still dinimg on my garden. Take my advise, buy the poison and save yourself from wasting money on the Molechaser!