Spring Means Mole Problems – Are you Ready?

During winter in the St. Louis area, many homeowners who have moles in their yard notice a decline in the number of visible tunnels the animals create just beneath the lawn surface. The reason why is simple: Like so many animals and insects, moles have a lower activity level in cold weather. But when warm weather returns, they often seem to make up for lost time and create tunnel after ugly tunnel that makes a yard look more like an excavation site than a lawn.

Solving Mole Problems: What Works?

Because moles are such common pests, numerous strategies have been developed to keep them out of yards, and some of the tactics work better than others. Today, the most commonly used strategies for eliminating mole problems are: mole poison, grub killer, and kill traps for moles. Knowing which options work and which ones don’t is the first step toward being prepared to deal with spring mole problems, as it will help you avoid treatments that simply don’t work.

1. Mole Poison

Applying mole poison in the quantity that the manufacturer recommends may help you kill some moles, but it probably won’t eliminate all of them. The reason why is that pellets of mole poison are typically grain-based, and grain isn’t a part of a mole’s natural diet. Moles have exceptionally sensitive noses, and they can easily tell that poison pellets aren’t a part of their regular diet.

2. Grub Killer

Because grub worms are a part of a mole’s natural diet, the reasoning goes that, if you kill off the grubs in your lawn, you’ll also kill off the moles by starving them. The idea seems great at first glance, but it ignores an important fact: Moles receive most of their sustenance from eating earthworms and not grubs. So, killing grub worms in your lawn does not equate to killing moles.

3. Kill Traps

Kill traps are exactly what they sound like: Mechanical traps that instantly kill a mole when the creature travels under the device and triggers the release of its spring-loaded spikes. Kill traps may seem archaic; however, because they have nearly a 100 percent success rate, they are the best strategy for fighting mole problems. When a kill trap eliminates a mole, it both prevents the animal from making more tunnels and producing offspring that would also make more tunnels.

Schedule a Free Lawn Inspection

Now that you know the best strategy for nipping spring mole problems in the bud, it’s time to schedule a free inspection of your lawn with a pest control company that uses kill traps, such as Holper’s Pest & Animal Solutions. We have many years of experience treating mole problems and have seen firsthand that kill traps are the fastest, most efficacious, most economical way to eliminate moles, regardless of how extensively the varmints have invaded a yard.

To schedule a free inspection of your lawn and learn the specifics of our mole elimination strategy, please call us today at (314) 732-1413, or email us at We look forward to helping you beautify your yard for spring and summer!