Guide to Mole Control: How to Prevent Moles in a Lawn or Yard

A mole is a small burrowing mammal that lives underground. You can easily identify moles by their short black or dark brown hair, snout nose, and large digging claws that look too big for their bodies. The animals are insectivores (they feed on insects like earthworms and grubs) and eat nearly their body weight in food every day. In the process of searching for food, moles spend most of their time tunneling underground. In one day, they can dig nearly 150 feet of tunnels in your yard or flower bed.

People sometimes confuse moles and voles, but the two creatures differ greatly. Voles, which resemble field mice, are small rodents. Voles also dig holes, but they are not as deep as mole tunnels. Unlike moles, voles are vegetarians and will eat plant roots and stems, resulting in damage to your plants.

Most mole problems are cosmetic, with signs of mole activity including molehills (domed-shaped piles of soil at mole tunnel entrances) and raised ridges of dirt zigzagging across a lawn or yard.

Despite the aesthetic issues their tunneling can cause, moles can benefit your lawn and garden. Moles eat unwanted grubs, beetle larvae, and other insects that can harm your flower beds or garden. Mole tunnels—although they disrupt the soil and create unsightly molehills—can help aerate the soil, which fosters root growth. Generally, mole activity does not negatively impact a plant’s root system or kill plants.

The best methods of mole control are preventative, helping to inhibit a mole infestation before the animals even begin to overtake your garden. Here are some home remedies and commercial pest control solutions to discourage the critters from making tunnels across your landscaping:

1. 1. Remove food sources. Moles feed on grubs and insects. If you take steps to eliminate grubs, the moles will look for food elsewhere. Options for killing grubs include beneficial nematodes and milky spore (a bacteria). Keep in mind it might take several seasons for the milky spore to take effect. You can also apply insecticide to kill grubs—apply it in early spring for the best results. Removing grubs and other lawn pests will also help with general lawn care.
2. 2. Use nontoxic mole repellent. Spray your lawn and mole tunnel entrances with a homemade mixture of three parts castor oil and one part dish soap. Mix the DIY concentrate with water before application. Castor oil won’t kill moles, but it will upset their digestion, encouraging them to find food sources elsewhere.
3. 3. Plant a barrier garden. Moles avoid the smell of marigolds, daffodils, or anything in the allium family, which are types of plants that repel pests naturally. Adding these to your garden will discourage mole activity in the immediate area and potentially repel other garden pests.
4. 4. Use ultrasonic repellents. Moles dislike sound disturbances. Look for sonic spikes designed for mole and gopher control. The devices, which you stick into the ground, create electronic pulses that drive the vermin away.
5. 5. Dig a trench. If you want to keep moles out of a specific area, like a garden bed, create a trench around the perimeter. Dig a trench about three feet deep and fill it with rocks or wire mesh extending to the bottom of the trench.
6. 6. Use repellent granules. You can find commercially made mole and gopher control granules that release castor oil into the soil. Sprinkle the nontoxic granules over your lawn or garden to help prevent moles.

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