How To Get Rid Of Moles In Your Yard: A Complete Guide

How can such a cute looking creature cause such much trouble?

How can they destroy months of hard work in a matter of hours?

If you want to know how to get rid of moles in your yard humanely read on – as I am going to tell you how to put a stop to your frustrations.


You know the story:

You toil endlessly in your yard. only to see your beautiful lawn or garden  destroyed by uninvited guests – moles!

These creatures leave ugly mounds of dirt pushed up from the lower layers of the yard as evidence of their presence.

It stands to reason:

If you a gardening enthusiast faced by such a threat, you are likely look for ways on how to get rid of moles in your yard.

However, before delving into the techniques of eliminating these pesky creatures, it is important to demystify them.


So, What Are Moles?


In short they are a nuisance!

In more detail moles are small carnivores that eat insects and live underground. Though they do not eat plants, their underground tunnels ruin lawns and gardens.

In addition, the tunnels they dig make it easy for other rodents to access plant roots.

If you don’t have time to read my entire article the video below gives a quick overview of how to get rid of moles from your yard.


Signs Of Moles In Your Yard – How To Spot Them


It is simple:

To detect whether you have moles in your garden look for the presence of small mounds of raised dirt.

These animals are constantly on the move and can dig up to a hundred feet of new tunnels in a day.

As they excavate, they push up the dirt and create mounds of identifiable seams of dirt.

What’s more:

Though moles spend most of their time underground, you may come across mole droppings near their surface runways.

These pellet-like, brown-in-color droppings are usually near dead strips of grass resulting from mole activity underground.


Why Get Rid of Moles?


The presence of moles in your yard is annoying to say the least. But they also present a number of deeper problems.

Buckle your seat belt and find out more:

First of all, the tunnels created by these uninvited guests in the garden are close to the surface which pose a health hazard.

An unsuspecting person walking or running in the yard can get their ankle sprained when they step on top of the tunnel.

In addition to that:

Secondly, the mounds and tunnels created by moles make the yard or garden unsightly. In addition, moles feed on all insects including beneficial organisms such as earthworms.

Most importantly:

Lastly, mole tunnels provide pathways for other pest and parasites to reach the roots of your plants.


How To Get Rid Of Moles In Your Yard


Since moles can be highly destructive, how do you get rid of moles in the garden humanely?

Let’s dive in:

Install Vibrating Devices

Moles do not like to live in places where they are constantly harassed or disturbed especially by unfamiliar noises.

The answer?

To get rid of these carnivores, install several vibrating spinners along the areas they dig.

You can buy battery or wind operated spinners and use them to chase the uninvited guests out of the yard.

Plant Marigold And Daffodil

Planting marigold and daffodils (pictured below) is a perfect solution for the mole problem.

Think I am exaggerating?

There are certain smells to get rid of moles. Moles are known to dislike the smell of marigold and daffodil which make these flowering herbs ideal for chasing moles out of the garden.

A word of warning:

The only problem with this approach is that moles will only keep off the area near these herbs.

This means that you may not entirely get rid of moles from your yard.

Use daffodils to get rid of moles

Use Castor Oil

Moles dislike the smell of castor oil, so you should consider using the oil to repel them in your yard.

Here’s how to get rid of moles in your yard with castor oil:

To make the mole-repelling cocktail, mix two tablespoons of soap with six ounces of castor oil and spray the concentrate using a spray bottle.

Alternatively, you can mix the concentrate with the water you use on your plants.

For effectiveness, mix one ounce of the castor oil concentrate with one gallon of water.

Remember:

Since the smell of castor oil only lingers in your garden for a couple of days, you need to reapply this repellant every two days.

Use Live Traps

Live traps are great for capturing the uninvited guests burrowing your yard.

Once the moles are captured, they can be relocated to a safe place where they will not be perceived as a nuisance.

The secret is:

To know where to place the trap, look for tunnels that moles have been using recently and flatten the soil pushed up by the rodents.

Check next day to see if the soil has been pushed up again. If the soil has been pushed up again, this is an indication that the tunnel is active.

Now you are ready:

Place the trap in the entrance of the tunnel and cover it with something solid.

Once a mole gets into the live trap, it will not be able to get out and can be easily relocated.

Install A Barrier Around The Garden Or Lawn

If you would rather not trap the moles, installing a barrier around the garden to keep them out is a more permanent solution to the problem.

This involves:

Digging a two feet deep trench around the yard and placing a barrier such as a mesh filled with clay or gravel.

To make it effective, the barrier should be 8-12 inches wide.

How to Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard

Put Cat Litter Inside Mole Holes

If you have been thinking of how to get rid of moles in your yard fast, the answer is closer to home than you might think.

It’s a no-brainer:

All you need is to dump a generous amount of cat litter into mole holes!

I know what you are thinking, what is the logic behind this?

You won’t believe it:

For years cats have been predators of moles.

This means that over time moles have developed a warning system which kicks in when they detect the presence of their predators.

Here is how ridiculously easy it is:

Once you dump cat litter into their tunnels, these creatures will literally run out of their holes as soon as they detect the presence of cats nearby.

Reduce The Moisture In Your Garden

Naturally, moles make tunnels in the lawn or garden as they pursue insects under the soil.

Believe it or not:

If you water your yard frequently, the resulting moisture is likely to make the insects rise to the surface of the moist dirt.

An abundance of delicious insects is an open invitation to moles to invade and destroy your garden.

My point is this:

To stop insects appearing near the surface of your yard and to deter moles reduce the amount of water in your lawn by watering it every 2 or 3 days.
So there you have it – seven practical and effective ways of eliminating moles from the garden. You can opt to pick one method or combine several methods to get the moles out of the yard.

At the end of the day, what matters is that you will have managed to eliminate the intruders and reclaimed your garden.

Good luck!


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6 thoughts on “How To Get Rid Of Moles In Your Yard: A Complete Guide”

  1. Hi Steve,

    Great tips!

    I have a big garden, and recently I discovered two holes in my garden. I didn’t see any moles, but now that I read your article, I am almost persuaded that have some new friends in my garden. Since I am rushed, I don’t have the time to plant new plants or prepare the oil portion every two days. What I think I will do is put a live trap as you suggested. Just a question. What sorts of food should I place inside the trap? I’ve heard that they love tomatoes. Is that will be OK?

    Thank you very much for this excellent post!

    Reply
    • You are welcome Daniella. Glad you found it useful. Moles love earthworms, so you can either buy some from a fishing or animal supply store and use them as bait, but I have also head peanut butter is a good way to lure moles in! Either of those should work.

      Good luck!

      Reply
  2. This is a great post now that spring is here (well it’s trying to get here but Snow is still a problem where I live). We bet moles in our yard every so often and it is good to know that cat litter can be effective. We don’t have cats but I would buy cat litter for sure.

    I don’t know if I would want to bother with live traps as I would have no idea where to take the moles once they are caught.

    It is also good to know that too much moisture is a big cause for having moles in the lawn. I will have to pay attention the next time I see mole evidence in my yard. It’s nice to know that I don’t have to get my lawn treated with chemicals to get rid of moles as that’s what the lawn guys always try to tell me.

    Reply
    • Hi Donna, hopefully one of these methods will help solve your problem, so you must let me know how you get on.

      Keep an eye on the moisture in your lawn and it could be a quick and easy way to solve the problem. Failing that the cat litter, should do the trick! 

      Good luck! 

      Steve

      Reply
  3. I live in the southwest(Tucson) I have moles in my back yard, no grass just small stones, noticed lately mounds in the area, is there any difference between lawn or stones in using chemicals
    what would you suggest

    Reply
    • Hi Bill, thanks for your message. I must be honest and say I have never thought about how to deal with moles in a yard that doesn’t have grass!

      I would always much rather use a trap to catch a mole than chemicals – but the principle of using chemicals should be the same whether your backyard is grass or stoney. Just remember chmeicals can kill off beneficial insects like earthworms.

      Reply

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