9 Best Humane Ways To Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard

If you are a gardener or value your lawn, you should have realized how annoying moles are.

They may look cute, but the damage they cause to your yard can be unsightly and unrepairable. As a result, homeowners are looking for ways to get rid of them.

Moles build a network of underground tunnels that crisscrosses in your lawn. They sometimes bring fresh soil to the surface.

All of these have adverse effects on your grass and other garden plants. They will literally ruin the aesthetics of your lawn.

The best way to get rid of a mole is by not attracting them to your homestead. It can be easy for them to get into the lawn but getting rid of them can be a daunting task.

Read on to find the most humane ways to get rid of moles in your yard.

Moles & Signs That You’ve Got a Mole in Your Yard

Moles are small cute burrowing animals that are closely related to mice, rats, and squirrels. They may look quite similar, but the reality is that they are different animals. Mice are rodents, while moles are mammals.

Moles also look like voles. Even from the names, you can suggest that these two pests are closely related.

Voles are rodents and herbivores that forage on plants. Moles are mammals and carnivores that hunt insects, worms, or grubs. The similarity is that they both cause collateral damage to plants.

Moles are efficient diggers. A few of them may not be damaging. Instead, they aerate the soil for soil microorganisms.

How To Identify Mole Infestation

Mole damage and vole damage may also look alike. However, there are unique signs to look for.

The first sign is the dead grass on your lawn. As moles create tunnels under the ground, they interfere with the root systems of plants, leaving them dead.

Check for molehills. If you see fresh soil on your lawn every morning, it can be due to mole activities.

As they dig their tunnels, they move all the soil particles onto the surface. The molehills indicate the beginning of the tunnel, but you may not find the end.

Mole infestations may also be identified by mounds that are about 6 feet apart. And the last sign is the lumps of soil in the molehills.  

9 Humane Ways To Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard

Once your lawn is infested by moles, you will not like the damage they cause. So, the next step is to get rid of them.

How do you do that? There’re many ways of eliminating moles from your property. Some are more humane than others. And in this section, we will focus on 9 most humane methods of getting rid of moles:

• Natural repellents for moles.
• Commercial mole repellents.
• Stop these pests from digging by putting physical barriers.
• Ultrasonic and vibration devices.
• Starving them by getting rid of their food source.
• attract other predators to hunt the moles.
• live mole traps and transport to another area.
• Call a pest control professional.
• Mechanical mole traps.

Using mechanical traps may not seem humane, but still effective if all others fail. Let’s dive into the details of each method.

Natural Repellents for Moles

The first method we will discuss is using natural repellents to get rid of moles from your lawn.

It’s the most humane as there is no harm caused to the animal. Moles will just leave at the scent of the repellents without you fighting them. Use any or a combination of the following:

Cat Litter

Once you have identified where moles have created their hills, just put cat litter there. Dump cat litter into the hole to deter them.

How does that work? Moles are extremely afraid of cats because cats hunt them. Cat litter is a sign of their presence, which will scare away the mole.

Dog poop

Moles have poor eyesight. They compensate for the same with a sharp sense of smell and touch. As a result, they can detect an awful smell from several feet away.

And since they hate such odor, they will keep off the area. That’s how dog poop works. Just place it at the hole entrance, and the mole will flee in the opposite direction.

Blood Meal

A blood meal is effective in repelling pests such as moles, mice, and squirrels. Identify the mole hole entrance in your lawn and sprinkle it around the hole.

These stubborn creatures will flee to another location to start a new home, leaving your garden or lawn peaceful.

Castor Oil

Castor oil is another effective mole repellent you can consider. Mix three parts of 100% castor oil with one part dish soap.

Once done, put 4 tablespoonfuls of the mixture and put in one gallon of water. Mix the solution properly and spray on your lawn. You may need to re-spray after the rains.

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper is a spicy pepper that can deter many animal species without harming them.

If your lawn is infested by rodents and moles, this is the natural remedy to help you get rid of them. You can sprinkle the powder into the active mole hole or mix it with water and spray it on your lawn.

Garlic or eucalyptus or mint essential oil

Using essential oils such as eucalyptus or mint can deter moles. Soak cotton balls in the oil and put them in the active holes of the moles.

Moles hate the scent and will simply move out of your lawn. You may also consider coffee grounds. Burry them the coffee in the moles’ tunnels to send them scurrying.

Commercial Mole Repellents

Apart from the natural repellents, you can also consider commercial products to be used. The principle remains the same, only that you buy them from a manufacturer.

Here are some of the commercial mole repellents to consider:

Mole and Gopher Repellent

Victor M7002-2 Mole & Gopher Repellent, Yellow

This product can effectively repel moles, gophers, voles, armadillos, and other burrowing animals from your yard. It works by releasing unpleasant smell and taste that drives away mole.

The product is non-toxic and can be used around children. Put it in the moles’ tunnel and leave it to do the magic.

Lawn Mole Castor Oil

Natural Elements Mole and Vole Repellent

If you are looking for a very effective way of eliminating moles, voles, and gophers from your lawn, then this product is all you need.

It’s all-natural and non-toxic yet remains effective for up to 60 days after the application. The product is essentially a castor oil and works the same.

Gas bombs

Gas bombs are also effective but can be considered less humane. They are placed at the tunnel entrances, where they release poisonous gases to kill the moles.

Similarly, you can use smoke bombs to force smoke throughout the entire tunnel network. However, its effect lasts just a few hours.

Stop These Pests From Digging With Putting Physical Barriers

Physical barriers prevent access to your lawn or home. When moles have no means of getting in, they will not be there to destroy your garden. What types of barriers are effective?

Gravel Fence

Moles are efficient diggers, but they cannot make it through gravel. Gravels are just too hard for their claws.

Dig a tunnel one foot deep or more around your property and fill it with gravel. Moles cannot go deeper than that and will find somewhere else to look for food.

Trenches

Trenches alone may not deter moles. If you want to effectively create a barrier, dig a trench about 3 feet deep and fill it with gravel or any kind of screening.

Moles will be stopped when they get to the barrier, and your lawn should be safe. The trench should be dug around the perimeter of the area to be protected.

Wire Screening Meshing

This is the same as the gravel fence or gopher fence. You need to dig a trench as described earlier and put a screening material.

That can be wire mesh or gravel. The idea is to create a barrier that mole cannot go through.

Plants With Strong Smells

This method doesn’t involve creating a barrier but using the strong scent from some plants to deter mole.

Moles hate the smell from marigolds, daffodils, or any other plant from the allium family. Plant them around your garden or home to keep moles and other pests at bay.

Ultrasonic and Vibration Devices

Mole Deterrent Device (2 Pack)

There’re many ultrasonic and vibration devices in the market that you can use to deter moles.

They produce a disturbing noise that cannot be heard by the human ear, making them safe for use within the residential areas.

This particular device can protect moles effectively over an area of 7,500 square feet.

However, it may not take effect immediately. Many manufacturers give a time frame during which you should monitor the activities of moles and other garden invaders.

Expect results after one or more weeks of the device installation.

Starving Them By Getting Rid Of Their Food Source

Moles are invading residential areas to find food. If the food is scarce not there totally, they will simply move to a new location. However, this is a daunting task since it’s not easy to eliminate their foods.

As mentioned, moles are omnivores that feed on worms, grubs, and insects. Their main diet consists of the following:

• Grub worm
• Earthworm
• Snails
• Slugs
• Spiders
• Centipedes
• Millipedes
• Bug larvae
• Small animals

You may need to kill these animals using other predators and insecticides. At the same time, you need them to aerate the soil, decompose waste, and aid in pollination.

It’s a double-edged sword that we don’t recommend. Also, the moles may resort to alternative food sources.

You Can Attract Other Predators To Hunt The Moles

Moles avoid predators and will live far away from them. As a natural way of controlling these burrowers from your garden, you can attract predators or use predators’ copycats to keep them at bay.

Many homeowners have effectively used vibratory snake toys to keep their homes mole-free.

The real-world animal predators to consider attracting to your home include snakes, coyotes, weasels, owls, hawks, blue herons, etc. However, these predators can also be problematic.

Snakes, for instance, aren’t the best predator on your property because of their venomous nature.

Live Mole Traps And Transport To Another Area

Relocating the moles from your property to another suitable area is the best method. Trapping may be time-consuming, but it’s something you can do if you dedicate your time. How can you go about it?

Live Mole Trap

Relaxdays Catch and Release Live Mole Trap

You can buy a live mole trap that allows you to catch them without harming the animals and releasing them into the wilderness.

These gadgets are very efficient in deterring moles and can be adjusted to suit the working situation.

A bucket

You can trap moles in a bucket and transport them to another location. Setting up the bucket trap may not be easy, but with experience, you will manage it. Just learn how to do it right.

Flooding

Flooding mole tunnels will not kill them, but it will make them feel uncomfortable. When that happens, they will simply migrate to a new location where the conditions are conducive.

Just flood a single mole tunnel to a distance of about 2 meters or until the entrance becomes muddy.

Call A Pest Control Professional

If you’re not a DIYer, then you can consider a professional mole control team. These experts use special tools and methods that will effectively get rid of the moles.

That’s necessary in cases of a severe mole infestation. 

Mechanical Mole Traps

If eliminating the moles humanely is not that important, using mechanical traps can be suitable. There are different traps you can use, and these include:

Spring-loaded traps

These are commercial mole traps that are designed for use in ranches, nurseries, and organic farms.

They may cost you a little bit more, but they are worth it. With spring-loaded traps, you can safely control the mole population on your property.

Spike traps

Spike traps will kill moles when the trigger is activated, which happens when a mole steps on the trigger. The method reduces the mole population to a less damaging level.

Tomcat Mole Trap

Tomcat mole trap also kills moles, but it does so without spilling the blood. It’s easy to set up and safer to use than traditional mole traps. This device also works when the trigger is activated by a mole.

Nash 100 Choker Loop Mole Trap

The trap is made of galvanized spring and cast-iron base. It’s easy to set up and operate and safe near children and pets. It also kills moles, and that’s why we said using mechanical mole traps is inhumane.

Talpirid Mole Bait Worms

This particular bait will kill the mole within 24 hours. That means the mole will eventually die after eating the bait designed to mimic the moles’ natural food.

Conclusion

Moles are destructive borrowers that can cause significant damages to your lawn. Fortunately, there’re many ways of controlling them.

You can use natural repellents and methods described in this article or choose mechanical traps. Alternatively, you can use barriers to keep them at bay.

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