Mole Damage
- Homemade Mole Control
- How to Stop Moles From My Yard
- How to Treat & Repair a Mole-Damaged Lawn
- How to Get Rid of Moles in a Flower Bed
- How to Get Rid of Moles in Your Lawn.
- How Do I Prepare My Garden to Keep Out Moles & Voles?
- Natural Way to Get Rid of Moles Digging Up Yard
- How to Kill Moles in Your Lawn
- Controlling Moles
- How to Get Rid of Moles Using Red Pepper Seeds
homemade-mole-control">Homemade Mole Control
Moles can be a real pest when it comes to maintaining lawns and gardens. They make underground tunnels to feed on earthworms, grubs and insects, causing unsightly havoc in residential areas. There are many chemicals to try to rid your landscape of moles, but they can be harmful to children, pets and other animals. There are also some homemade, non-toxic mole remedies to try.
Recipe For Garden Sprayer
Add 6 ounces of castor oil to a garden sprayer container. You may adjust the amount according to the size of the area you need to treat. One ounce of oil will provide coverage for 1,000 square feet of a garden or yard.
- Moles can be a real pest when it comes to maintaining lawns and gardens.
- There are many chemicals to try to rid your landscape of moles, but they can be harmful to children, pets and other animals.
Add 2 tablespoons of liquid dish detergent to the garden sprayer container. The detergent helps the mixture spray more evenly.
Add 2 gallons of water to the garden sprayer container.
Shake container to mix.
Spray evenly over garden, lawn or other surfaces you want to protect from moles.
Repeat about every six months.
Recipe For 1-Quart Spray Bottle
Mix 1 cup of Murphy's oil with 1 ounce of castor oil in a 1-quart spray bottle.
- Add 2 tablespoons of liquid dish detergent to the garden sprayer container.
- Add 2 gallons of water to the garden sprayer container.
Add 1/4 cup of cayenne pepper.
Add enough water to fill the spray bottle.
Shake to mix.
Spray mixture on mole mounds and tunnels.
Do-It-Yourself Trap
Dig a hole into the mole tunnel. It should be deep enough so the top of a coffee can rest at the bottom of the tunnel.
Cover the top of the hole, above ground, with a board so the mole cannot get out.
- Add 1/4 cup of cayenne pepper.
- Dig a hole into the mole tunnel.
Wait for the mole to fall into the trap.
Remove the coffee can and relocate mole elsewhere or dispose of it in another way.
Stomp on several tunnels in your yard and wait until the next morning. Look for the tunnels that have been rebuilt to find the moles' active tunnels.
Put on gloves and rub the end of your shovel with some dirt to remove your scent.
Dig into the top of an active tunnel and dig down into the bottom, deep enough for your jar.
Fill the jar halfway full of water. Tie a string around your piece of candy and tape the string onto the side of the jar so that the candy sits just above the water.
- Wait for the mole to fall into the trap.
- Put on gloves and rub the end of your shovel with some dirt to remove your scent.
Rub dirt along the top of the jar to remove your scent and fit the jar down into the bottom of the tunnel.
Check the trap in the morning for a mole. If not dead, move the moles a few hundred feet away.
Prevent the moles from returning by adding a product that controls grub population in the lawn. Moles, according to the Scots fertilizer website, are generally attracted to edible insects. Consistent trapping and insect control will make your yard undesirable to moles.
Inspect your property carefully, making note of the location of tunnels.
- Rub dirt along the top of the jar to remove your scent and fit the jar down into the bottom of the tunnel.
- Prevent the moles from returning by adding a product that controls grub population in the lawn.
Purchase mole traps from a garden center or home improvement store. Traps can either catch them alive or kill the moles.
Place the traps in the hole and check daily.
Remove traps that have moles and dispose as recommended by your county extension service.
Use a lawn roller to push down the hills of dirt caused by the mole tunnels.
Replace grass on bare areas damaged by tunneling.
Purchase unrefined Castor oil from your local pharmacy. Pour in a blender. Add dish-washing liquid to the oil. Plug in and turn on the blender. Blend on high speed for 2 minutes.
- Purchase mole traps from a garden center or home improvement store.
- Remove traps that have moles and dispose as recommended by your county extension service.
Turn off blender. Add 6 tablespoons of water to blender. Turn blender back on. Blend on high speed for 2 minutes.
Fill a sprayer with one gallon of water. Add 2 tablespoons of the mixture from the blender. Stir well.
- Add 6 tablespoons of water to blender.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the mixture from the blender.
Spray the soil of the flower bed with the mixture (from step 3) until the ground is moist. Repeat until entire flower bed surface is covered. Repeat weekly until the moles leave the flower bed area.
Reapply the mixture monthly to prevent moles from returning to the flower bed.
Tip
Mixture will cover 300 square feet of soil.
Warning
Sound devices, flooding, baits and traps often fail to control moles because of their extensive tunneling system in your yard.
Dig a trench around the perimeter of your garden bed using a flat shovel. Make the trench about 9 inches deep and 9 inches wide.
Slide the hardware cloth into the trench so that it lines the entire perimeter of your garden with no gaps. Lay half of the hardware cloth along the bottom of the trench, extending outward from your garden perimeter.
- Spray the soil of the flower bed with the mixture (from step 3) until the ground is moist.
- Slide the hardware cloth into the trench so that it lines the entire perimeter of your garden with no gaps.
Curve the other half of the hardware cloth up so it lines the trench vertically and extends about 3 inches above the ground.
Refill the trench with the displaced soil. Use your feet to pack down the soil and secure the hardware cloth in the trench.
Tip
Instead of hardware cloth, you can use ¼-inch wire mesh or chicken wire fencing inserted at least 9 inches underground and protruding about 1 foot aboveground around the garden perimeter.
You can also keep out moles and voles by taking away their food source in your garden. Rid your garden of grubs, earthworms and beetles by applying an approved insecticide.
Warning
Some states consider moles and voles to be “wild, non-game” animals and do not allow you to hunt or trap them. Check your state’s laws and regulations concerning moles and voles before killing them.
Avoid over-watering your garden plants. Over-watering is not only bad for your plants, but it also attracts moles.
Stomp down on several mole tunnels during the evening time to determine which ones are active. Moles will re-build active tunnels during the night.
Purchase a trap for capturing moles. Among the most popular traps on the market include scissor traps and harpoon traps.
- Curve the other half of the hardware cloth up so it lines the trench vertically and extends about 3 inches above the ground.
- Refill the trench with the displaced soil.
Excavate the area around an active tunnel to set a scissor-type trap. Pack soil into an obstruction that is as high as the trap’s trigger. For a harpoon tunnel, crush the tunnel to block it completely.
Arm the scissor trap and place it into the tunnel over the obstruction. For a harpoon trap, arm the trap and insert it into the ground over the obstruction.
Backfill around the scissor trap with soil.
Place a bucket over each trap to reduce air circulation around the scissor trap, which can scare away moles. A bucket over a harpoon trap will keep children and pests away.
- Excavate the area around an active tunnel to set a scissor-type trap.
- For a harpoon trap, arm the trap and insert it into the ground over the obstruction.
Instructions
Detect where the mole lives by following the tunnels until the curved section is located. Moles live in the curved part of the shape and use the straight lines as tunnels.
Use a rod, handle of a hoe or rake to poke a hole in the curved area. The open area under the ground where the mole lives will be detected as the rod or handle suddenly encounters an open space.
Remove the rod or handle and pour 12-15 pieces of dry, long-grain rice into the hole. Replace the soil loosely back over the hole.
Continue to the next tunnel and repeat until all the tunnels are treated. The moles will eat the rice but they will not be able to digest it. The rice swells and prevents the mole from defecating. After two to three days, the moles will die.
- Detect where the mole lives by following the tunnels until the curved section is located.
- The open area under the ground where the mole lives will be detected as the rod or handle suddenly encounters an open space.
Avoid any moles that seem to be aggressive. This may indicate rabies, in which case a professional pest exterminator needs to be consulted.
Identification of a Problem
Ground with holes, soft patches that cave in and unexplained ridges appearing in random patterns through the lawn are all good indicators of a mole. Nests and main tunnels can be found under sidewalks, near exposed tree roots, and around protective areas like fence posts and outbuildings.
What Attracts Moles?
Some people believe that a mole in your yard indicates a grub infestation, but, truth is, moles eat a variety of bugs and earthworms as well as grubs. Moles do not eat plants or their roots.
Removal Options
Set traps in surface burrows that run in straight lines, especially along sidewalks, buildings or fences, as these are the animal’s main routes of transportation. Flatten a section of the burrow to test if it is a main route—a mole will quickly repair any damage.
- Avoid any moles that seem to be aggressive.
- Some people believe that a mole in your yard indicates a grub infestation, but, truth is, moles eat a variety of bugs and earthworms as well as grubs.
Products Available
General insecticides can be used to kill off the mole’s food supply, but be prepared for more damage to your lawn before it leaves. The mole will frantically look for food, leaving more random burrows than before. A solution of castor oil and water sprayed over your lawn will also help repel moles.
Professional Help
Any pest control company in your area can be helpful in eliminating moles.
Cut open a red pepper. Scoop out and separate the seeds. You can also use dried cayenne pepper if desired.
- General insecticides can be used to kill off the mole’s food supply, but be prepared for more damage to your lawn before it leaves.
- A solution of castor oil and water sprayed over your lawn will also help repel moles.
Place the seeds in a small clear bag or container so you don’t lose them.
Locate the mole’s tunnel entrances. Follow the humps in your yard until you discover an entrance or two.
Sprinkle the red pepper seeds down the holes. Repeat weekly as needed.
