How to Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard
One of the worst feelings is getting up in the morning to find your beautiful lawn disfigured by several tunnels and mounds made by moles. These small rodents are merciless diggers and will make it difficult for you to maintain an aesthetic landscape.
So, can you take back your yard from these nuisance invaders? In this post, we share some of the ways to get rid of moles in your yard.
But first, why exactly do you have moles in your yard?
Moles spend most of their lives in the complex underground tunnels they build. Hence, they are most likely to select areas that can provide them with all they need for survival. Here are of what attract moles:
Moles are primarily insectivores. Their diet consists of white grubs, earthworms, larvae, and beetles. And they eat lots of bugs. How much? Up to their body’s weight of bugs every single day!
- Cool temperature and moisture
Contrary to what you might think, moles are neither blind nor nocturnal. That means they need to regulate their body temperature during the day. And cool, moist soil certainly helps with that. What’s more, moist soil attracts grubs and worms, which are their delicacies.
- Good landscaping features
Believe it not, moles love to construct their runways along human-made borders like fences. They also burrow under trees and shrubs to locate insects in the root system.
Getting Rid of Moles
At Nuisance Wildlife Pros, we have helped thousands of clients permanently retake their yards from moles. Here are some of the most effective ways for getting rid of these nasty invaders:
- Eliminate food sources and hiding spots
You now know that moles love soil-dwelling insects, especially grubs. It stands to reason that if you eliminate these food sources, you remove the incentive for them to remain.
A less intrusive approach is to introduce beneficial nematodes and milky spores to help reduce the grub population. A more aggressive approach is to use an insecticide to kill them.
What’s more, avoid over-watering your lawn and garden, as this attracts earthworms.
Also, trim down your lawn and shrubs regularly and keep your yard tidy. Removing hiding spots from the land surface will make your yard less attractive to moles.
While there are several kinds of repellents (like mothballs, cayenne pepper, and tea tree oil), most are ineffective. However, castor oil has shown mild success. To make this repellent, mix three parts of castor oil with one part of dish soap. Then mix four tablespoons of this mixture into a gallon of water. Apply the resulting solution to the entrances of the mole.
Note that castor oil will not kill the moles. However, it will upset the digestive tracts of moles that come in contact with it. Within a few weeks, the mole will be forced to leave.
If you’d like to get rid of moles from your garden, try planting certain crops. Moles detest the smell from plants like marigolds, daffodils, and other plants from the allium family.
Another effective means of getting rid of moles is erecting an underground boundary around your lawn, garden, yard, or any other area you’d like to protect. This underground boundary serves as a barrier, making it impossible for moles to burrow through.
Here’s how to make that barrier. Dig a trench that’s at least 2 feet deep and 6 inches wide around the area you’d like to protect. Thereafter, line the trench with hardware cloth or wire mesh, or you can choose to fill the trench with rocks.
Note that this process is labor-intensive and time-consuming, but it is an effective long-term solution.
If you’re dealing with a persistent mole that remains regardless of what you do, then it’s time to consider trapping. Use a humane trap, and release the mole to at least 10 miles from your property.
If it is allowed in your district, you can also use lethal traps to kill these nuisance pests. There are also mole poisons, but you should avoid them because they are inhumane, and they also pose a risk to pets and children.
Conclusion
Handling a mole infestation problem can be challenging because of their vast underground network of tunnels that you cannot see. That’s why bringing in a professional will take that burden off your shoulders. You can always trust us at Nuisance Wildlife Pros to promptly and effectively get rid of that mole in your yard.
