When is it okay to trap mom or kittens?

I have 2 separate situations in 2 different cities but in both cases there are older kittens that are eating kibble but still nursing on mom. I am afraid to set my traps with the fear that  if I catch mom, the kittens will be defenseless but I would LOVE to catch the kittens to try to tame and rehome. They are gorgeous and our area is SO overpopulated with ferals already. Has anyone been in a similar situation? What did you do? ANY and all advice is welcome! TIA!

So I've been searching and reading old posts. It seems like people use mom to bait the kittens? I would age these guys at 5 or 6 weeks. Is that too old? Will they just dart off once mom is trapped and be "on their own" or will they stick around?  I'm so new to this so please have patience with all my questions  

Five weeks is still pretty young. They should be easy to trap, whether you get mom first or not. I once trapped some kittens that young with a dog crate. I tied a length of twine to the door top and then looped it through the top of the crate and walked away with the other end in my hand.

I put stinky wet food in the crate and pretty soon, all four kittens were eating. I was able to pull the twine and gently close the door as I approached the crate and then secured the door. They were so busy eating, they barely realized what was happening,

I had already trapped mom but she was so feral, I decided not to reunite them and was able to socialize the kittens and find them homes. I think that's a good idea here, too, if mom is feral. You can trap, spay and then release her.

Thank you so much for helping them all. Their lives will be greatly improved because of you!

Oh my goodness, thank you SO much for responding! That is such a fantastic idea!!! Mom is definitely going to be TNRed. This is her second litter this year and she is terribly mean if you get too close. Did the kittens know to come back to eat there? I guess that's what I'm worried about. If I catch mom I worry the kittens wont find their way back so I can trap them. 

When I trapped mom, I did not know she had kittens. I realized it after I heard rustling in the bushes near where she was trapped. Poor babies had been on their own for two days, so they were hungry!

Like mine, the kittens should not stray too far from their nest area, at least for a bit. Try to get them as soon after trapping mom as you can.

Good luck!

Thank you so much! I will let you know how it goes