Ultimate Ways To Get Rid of Moles in The Yard in 2023

Moles, despite their small size, can cause significant damage, making them a formidable pest. Homeowners with lawns and gardens often seek ways to control these creatures and ponder on how best to eliminate them from their yards.

The initial crucial step is acquiring knowledge about moles – their characteristics and dietary habits. Armed with this information, one can determine the most efficient methods to eradicate these pests from their agricultural landscape.

Here you will learn everything about on how to get rid of moles in the yard. Let’s get started.

What Are Moles?

Moles belong to the mammal group Insectivora, and thus they are more related to shrews. Moles usually have pointed snouts, enlarged rounded front feet, stout claws, small eyes and ears, a nearly naked tail. They are typically gray or silvery-gray, 5-8 inches long, and have velvety fur.

Commonly troublesome moles are Townsend’s mole (Scapanus Townsendii) and broad-footed mole (Scapanus Latimanus). Other species of moles are of no pest significance.

Moles produce ridges and mounds, disfiguring lawns, dislodging plants, or injuring plant roots/weed seeds during burrowing activities.

You might also see these posts: Garden Pest Control: Organic or Insecticide?

What Do Moles Eat?

Moles burrow in lawns and gardens. The fact they leave molehills behind is nothing in comparison with the second one – they make dreadful tunnels, which are pretty dangerous to walk on.

The tunneling reduces the yield and size of crops and works to promote weed growth.

That would be wrong to underestimate these animals because of their size. Eight inches long and five ounces of weight make a pretty strong body for tunnel diggers. 18 feet in an hour is their average distance to pass.

Plus, one should consider that moles have up to 6 babies a year. So, how to get rid of lawn moles should be your primer concern.

Moles never eat plants, regardless of what you’ve heard. They feast on earthworms and grub worms, small mice, etc. Sometimes it really looks like they eat plants, but they do not; only their tunnels damage them.

Why Are Moles in my Yard?

Most moles feed on earthworms. Moles are in the yard because of grubs. Even in grub-free yards and lawns, moles keep surviving due to the ever-present earthworm diet.

When the ground either dries out in summer or freezes in winter, soil-dwelling insects stay more profound in the ground, as well as moles. That is why no one can be certain whether moles are genuinely eliminated, even if they make no surface runs.

Moles are no way rodents, like mice or rats. They don’t feed on seeds or any other typical bait sold to ‘kill rodents.’ People should also beware of false claims about ‘schemes to drive moles away.’

Many books on gardening and landscaping advertise bizarre strategies of how to deter moles and to control moles, too. Remember: these just do not work in reality.

5 Important Facts to Know About Moles Before Getting Rid of Them

There are various species of moles worldwide. Scopus Aguaticus or the Eastern mole is either numerously widespread or responsible for most lawn and garden complaints.

1. Moles are really destructive pests in gardens, lawns, parks, nurseries, golf courses, and cemeteries. Moles feed on ants, earthworms, beetle grubs, various seeds, etc., but they usually do not eat roots or bulbs of garden plants.
2. Moles are active all day and night throughout the whole year, but they are primarily active in spring-fall on damp and rainy days. In winter-summer, moles use deeper burrows.
3. Young moles mature quickly and act like adults even though they are just a month old. At the age of six months, young moles develop their tunnel system and territory.
4. 2 types of tunnels (runways) are produced by moles: deep and sub-surfaced. They are used as major or additional traveling lanes for several moles in the area. They are capable of extending these runways at 100 feet rate per day.
5. In general, one acre of land may sustain up to three moles at a time. Yards bordered by vast expanses of forested-weedy regions, on the other hand, may be vulnerable to ongoing mole infestations.

Well, once you have planted a beautiful lawn, you will notice mole grass and dirt trails pushed up into mounds. And that is of no picturesque setting.

A few moles may benefit your grass since they can aerate the soil and remain in one spot for a short period. Excessive moles, on the other hand, may uproot plants and disrupt irrigation systems.

Top 6 Popular Ways To Keep Lawns Free From Moles

1. Strict Diet

Getting rid of the food and food sources that moles eat is the 1st way of the whole procedure called “How do I get rid of moles.” Keeping the soil free from worms moles eat, you can stop worrying about your lawns.

2. Ultrasonic devices

They work creating a high-pitched sound which makes this animal think there’s another mole within the area. As they are somewhat territorial creatures, they will leave if there’s someone else around. This way of getting rid of the lawn enemy is pretty expensive but effective.

3. Mole Repellent

Many lawn owners choose to spray the ground. The chosen repellent granules change the taste of grubs, making moles go on moving in search of much tastier yards.

4. Poison

Poison is to be applied to the mole tunnels. When you notice a mole carcass, place it in a plastic bag and then throw it away.

5. Traps, as the most effective strategy.

They say that mole trapping remains the most effective option of how to get rid of moles regardless of new inventions. The drawback is that you cannot use gopher traps. The equipment is to be proper. It costs about $10. Multiple traps cause minimal lawn damage.

6. Natural removal

There is always a possibility to make a homemade mole-destroying solution. Mix a cup of oil soap and an ounce of castor oil, then add ¼ of cayenne pepper. These ingredients should be mixed with water. Use a sprayer and spray the area where moles usually travel.

There are numerous ways of killing pests and insects. The choice of a method depends on several things. The territory and budget are the most significant ones. Many options are always available in the home remedies sections of many local supermarkets.

You might want to see that: Beginner Guide | How to Start a Vegetable Garden From Scratch

Eliminating Moles With The Trapping Method

For great garden and flowers admirers, poisons are not the way out as they may damage many beautiful plants. Traps are pretty effective in this and many other cases. So, what should you do? How do you place a trap and catch a mole?

1. Identify a tunnel. Stomp around areas and wait. When the stamped place has been repaired, a tunnel is active.
2. Place a trap inside a tunnel. You should excavate a hole from the bottom of a tunnel and insert a can in it. Cover the upper part so that a mole can pass without any suspicions.
3. Many owners decide to get rid of animals right away. They choose to flood. Flood a tunnel with a garden hose and wait until moles come out.
4. Barriers are one more way out. It isn’t a lethal one. You can redirect moles to some other areas, putting various obstacles. These can be gravel or mash, which direct a path away from your areas. This can be pretty effective. Be careful while choosing the area you’d like to lead moles to.
5. Using Coffee Grounds to Repel Moles. Many homeowners claim that coffee grounds work as a natural mole repellent. The scent of coffee will irritate your yard-destroying varmints if you just sprinkle old coffee grinds over their burrows and cover them with dirt. Unlike other natural techniques, such as putting old fish into their openings, coffee grounds have a pleasant odor.

While coping with moles, be careful and choose the method considered effective for your place. Remember about safety measures while working with sprays and poisons.

How to Kill Moles in Your Yard:

But if you are determined to do something finally positive for mole control, then proven “grandfather’s” method will really surprise you.

There are more moles trashing yards, lawns, and gardens for years. One can see torn-up flower beds and mounds of dirt everywhere until he starts using the method perfected over the past 27 years by farmers. They believe that dead moles will not lie.

Ultimate Advices on How to Kill and Get Rid of Moles in your lawn

If you have ever had mole neighborhood, never start buying nearly every “remedy” and try every half-baked idea like:

People, who have tried them, will tell you that none of these things has ever worked and will never do. 

The next day moles will come back with more mounds and damage. It’s a vicious cycle, so don’t waste your money and time over the years.

1.Trapping is the only accurate, reliable and safe way to getting rid of moles.

The stuff learned from old farmers is a simple process proven adequate time after time. One thing is for sure that if somebody can do it, you will surely be able to.

2. If these methods are not for you, hiring a mole trapping professional service may be the best solution.

Practice, patience, and persistence are the primary keys to success. Moles are incredibly able to detect and spring improperly set traps, but correctly and carefully placed traps will often produce results within one day.

Generally, trapping is very effective in early spring and fall, when mole activity is at its peak. Once mole activity is noticed, a person should begin to control it as quickly as possible. Besides, spring trapping helps to eliminate pregnant female moles.

3. It is essential to locate main runways first. So to identify them in your yard, look for those which:

• follow borders: fence rows, concrete paths, yard woody perimeters, straight courses;
• Appear to connect two runway systems / two mounds.
• Border trapping at places where runways enter the yard, garden, field, and mole nests are typically located at protected spots along the edge of hedgerows/fencerows.
• 3-5 traps per acre should be commonly used unless mole activity is exceptionally light.

Anyway, to sum it all up, let’s start with annoying critters to make them bother you no more. 

However, you have to know that you are never able to stop mole invasion totally because they always keep coming year after year and digging 100-feet of tunnels under your yard in a single day. 

Unfortunately, you can do nothing about it, but now you know how to get rid of moles, take control, and get rid of little varmints by trapping them yourself.

6 Mole Tips to know before you start hunting

• Noon is the best time to scan a yard.
• Moles usually make more than 1 trail to hide the actual working area.
• Moles feed on your yard from late autumn to late spring.
• Keep your grass always cut as it is difficult to see where and when moles are working.
• Walk silently, and the mole will never be alerted to escape down its trail.
• Install a wire mesh in the dirt before planting your garden to prevent moles from damaging it at all. Moles won’t gain access to your plants, but the plants’ roots will extend through the ground.

2 Last Warnings

• If moles have moved back into their trail, you will unlikely be able to catch any of them.
• To avoid hurting yourself in the mole removing process, always use swift strokes away from you.