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Moles tunnel under your lawn, leaving behind ugly ridges and dirt piles that make your yard look like a minefield. They’re after grubs and earthworms, not your plants, but that doesn’t make the damage any less annoying. Here’s how to evict them.
1. Flood Them Out
Find an active mole hill (fresh dirt, not collapsed). Stick your garden hose in it and turn the water on full blast for 15-20 minutes. The moles either evacuate or drown. Brutal but effective.
2. Mole-Catchers
Traps work if you place them correctly. Some kill, some just capture. Look for scissor-jaw traps or harpoon traps at Home Depot or any hardware store. Set them in active tunnels (the raised ridges that spring back when you press them down). Check daily and relocate or dispose of catches.
3. Poison
Fast and permanent. Mole bait comes in worm-shaped pellets that mimic their food. Drop them into active tunnels. Follow the label directions because this stuff will kill other wildlife too if they get into it.
4. Homemade Mole Repellent
Mix 1 cup warm water, 2 tablespoons dish soap, and 8 tablespoons castor oil. Spray it on and around active mole hills. The castor oil tastes terrible to moles and they’ll move on. Reapply after rain.
5. Ultrasonic Solar-Powered Repellent
Stake-mounted solar units emit vibrations and ultrasonic pulses every 20-30 seconds that irritate moles underground. Each stake covers about 6,500 square feet. Space them 80 feet apart in a grid pattern across your lawn. They take 2-4 weeks to show results as moles gradually relocate. Skip these if you have a small yard – the coverage math doesn’t work out and you’ll waste money. Best for lawns over half an acre where trapping isn’t practical.
6. Plants Moles Hate
Plant daffodils, alliums, marigolds, or fritillaries around your garden perimeter. Moles avoid areas where these bulbs grow because the smell and taste repel them. This works as a barrier, not a cure – existing moles won’t leave, but new ones won’t move in. Plant bulbs 4-6 inches deep in fall for spring blooms. Space daffodils 6 inches apart, alliums 8-10 inches apart. You’ll need at least 50 bulbs to create an effective barrier around a typical suburban backyard. Takes a full season to establish but lasts for years.
Want to stop them before they start? Bury wire mesh fencing 12 inches deep around garden beds. Moles won’t dig through metal.