Mole Trapping Questions, Answered

Every yard is different, so your price comes after a free inspection. How it works never changes: you get one flat price for a 6-week trapping program, and you pay once, when the traps go in. Every weekly check after that is included. There’s no charge per visit and no charge per mole, so the price covers the whole program whether we catch one mole or five.

We haven’t seen your yard yet. The size of the property, the number of active runs, and the soil all change the job. We’d rather walk it and give you a real number than guess on the phone and surprise you later. The inspection is free and there’s no obligation.

Jeff walks your whole property, including the parts you haven’t noticed yet. He finds the runs that are actually active, separates fresh damage from old, and checks for anything that affects trapping, like a dog that likes to dig. You get an honest read on what’s going on, and if trapping makes sense, a proposal for your yard follows by email. Sometimes the honest answer is that you don’t need us yet, and we’ll tell you that too.

Inspections are usually within a few days of your call. Once you sign the proposal, traps typically go in within a day or so, and the weekly checks start from there.

We’re based in Loveland and work across greater Cincinnati, including Cincinnati, Mason, Milford, Lebanon, Batavia, Anderson, and the surrounding communities. See all the areas we serve, or call and ask if you’re not sure.

We focus on homes. Every program we run is built around a residential yard.

Moles leave raised ridges where they tunnel just under the grass, plus volcano-shaped mounds of loose dirt. Voles leave open trails on the surface and chew on plants. Our guide to signs of moles in your yard shows what to look for, and moles vs. voles covers the difference.

You can, but one mole can dig around 18 feet of tunnel an hour and stays active all year. Moles also live 3 to 6 years, so waiting rarely ends with it packing up and leaving. More on that in How Long Do Moles Live?

Yes. We use mechanical traps set below ground inside active tunnels, and we never use poison, bait, or chemicals. The one thing to watch is a dog that likes to dig, because it can find a fresh set. If you have one, Jeff will spot it at the inspection and plan the trap locations around it. Wondering whether the moles themselves are a risk? See Do Moles Carry Diseases?

It happens now and then. Jeff has been known to pull a mole out of a fresh run in the middle of an inspection. We can’t promise it, though, so plan on a full trapping program.

Each trap sits inside an active tunnel, below the surface. When the mole travels the run, the trap catches it. Because we check every week, you get proof you can see. More on our approach on the mole trapping page.

Finding the right run is most of the job. Moles dig shallow feeding tunnels plus deeper main runs they use every day, and a trap only works in a run that’s still active. We test runs before we set anything. Where to Place Mole Traps goes into how we pick them.

Every 5 to 7 days for the length of the program. We check every trap, reset or move them based on fresh activity, and look for new runs. The visits run week after week without a gap, which is a big part of why trapping works.

After every visit you get a report with photos showing what we checked, what we caught, and what’s next. You always know where things stand without having to be there.

No. We just need access to the yard. Tell us about gates, dogs, or sprinkler schedules and we’ll work around them.

Never. Poison baits put pets and kids at risk, and they leave you guessing whether the mole is gone. We trap, every time. Here’s why mole poison usually fails.

Most yards are on a 6-week program with weekly visits. Some clear up sooner. Big or wooded properties can take longer, because moles from neighboring land move into empty tunnels. We’ll tell you what we’re seeing at every visit.

Call us. We’ll come back and check the activity first, and sometimes that’s all it takes, because old tunnels can look fresh. If a new mole has moved in, we’ll talk through your options, including ongoing maintenance for properties that keep attracting new ones.

Usually fewer than you’d think. Moles live alone, and most yards hold one to three. Damage spreading across the lawn is often one mole extending its tunnel network. Read more about ground moles.

Moles stay active all winter. They just move deeper, below the frost line. Whether trapping makes sense depends on the ground and the activity, so call us and we’ll tell you straight. Do Moles Hibernate in Winter? explains what’s happening down there.

Our job is getting the moles out. Once the activity stops, most lawns recover with some leveling and fresh seed, and our lawn repair guide walks you through it.

You can, and plenty of our customers tried that first. Store-bought traps only catch moles when they’re set in the right run, which is the hard part. Repellents and spikes rarely work at all. DIY Mole Traps covers what works if you want to try it yourself.

Not for long. At best, smell-based treatments push a mole to another part of the yard for a while. The tunnels stay, and so does the mole. Natural Mole Repellents goes through the popular ones.

Soil soaks up the vibration, and moles get used to it quickly. More in Ultrasonic Mole Repellents.

Earthworms make up most of a mole’s diet, so grub control leaves the main food source in place. You end up paying for insecticide and still have the ridges. See What Do Moles Eat?

Moles can swim, so flooding usually just moves them along, and a soaked yard is even easier to dig through. Why Every Mole Deterrent Fails explains why the shortcuts don’t hold up.