How to Get Rid of Moles

Moles are common pests in regions like Alaska, Canada, and the Eastern United States. They live in burrows 0.6 to 1.5 meters deep underground and can extend up to 10 meters horizontally. Gardens become ideal spots for moles due to abundant food sources, less predator activity, and soft soil that's easy to tunnel through. Their burrows can cause significant damage to the foundations of buildings. The good news is, there are various ways to remove moles: for example, you can trap them humanely, repel them with natural methods, or eradicate them without smoke. You can also redesign your garden and backyard to make it less attractive to moles.

Conduct a survey. Before trapping moles and relocating them, it's important to check with your local wildlife agency regarding regulations on relocating trapped animals, as different areas have varying rules.

Wear gloves when using the trap to avoid leaving your scent on it. Place the trap directly in front of the burrow entrance. Camouflaging the trap by spraying it with paint or covering it in mud is considered an effective method.

Use fruits and vegetables as bait. Yellow-fleshed melon is a mole's favorite treat, but if you notice that something is disappearing quickly from your garden, you can use that as bait. The bait should be placed as deep inside the trap as possible to ensure the mole enters and comes into contact with the bait. Placing a brick on top of the trap will help prevent the mole from rolling around once caught.

Camouflage the mole trap. Cover the trap with sticks, mud, and leaves, then set the trap. Depending on the type of trap you purchase, the mechanism may vary slightly. It’s best to carefully follow the instructions on the packaging.

Check the trap regularly. A mole caught in a trap is an unfortunate one, and the longer it stays in the trap, the more likely it is to harm itself due to exhaustion. Once you’ve trapped a mole, always handle the trap with thick gloves and keep it away from your body.

Release the mole. Take the mole to a more attractive area at least 8 kilometers away from your home. Moles are usually not very aggressive, but it’s best to stand back when the mole exits the trap.

Carefully consider your options. Using poison is not always the best solution. Poisoning moles is controversial for various reasons. Before resorting to this method, it’s wise to consult an expert to assess the situation.

• Animals killed by poison often suffer immensely. Moles may slowly die over several hours or days due to internal bleeding, suffocation, or other painful causes.
• Poison’s effectiveness is limited. Most legally available poisons are designed to target rodents like rats or mice, not moles.
• Poison can also harm humans and other animals. Pets are frequently poisoned, and human health may be at risk too.
• The unpleasant prospect is having to clean up the carcasses of poisoned animals, which can decay on your lawn. As they decompose underground, the bodies can emit a terrible odor and may attract other pests.
• The cleanup process can be time-consuming and toxic.

Choose the right timing. Moles typically enter hibernation around late September or early October, and their burrows are usually well-hidden, making it difficult to smoke them out after this period.

Identify the burrow entrances. Place a pre-cut patch of grass next to each burrow entrance.

Read the instructions carefully. The process of burning and setting up the smoke box may vary depending on the brand you choose.

Ignite the smoke box. Place the smoke box deep into the tunnel, as far as possible without throwing it in. You can use the shovel's handle to push the box further in.

Insert pre-cut grass into the tunnel hole. Compress the grass down to seal the hole. Wait for about five minutes, then observe to see if any other tunnels are leaking smoke. If so, you need to block them with more grass. Repeat this process until all the entrances are sealed.

Use a lethal trap. This is typically an inhumane solution, as these traps don't always kill the animal immediately. Identifying tunnel entrances can be difficult to determine where to place the traps, and they can pose significant danger to children and pets. Depending on the type of trap you buy, there will be different installation methods, so be sure to follow the instructions closely.

Poison the moles. This method also presents risks similar to traps and smoke: the poison is hazardous to pets and humans, and disposing of dead animals can be challenging if they die underground. However, if you choose this option, the process is relatively simple: just place the poison in areas where moles frequent in your garden.

Shooting moles. This method is usually only chosen when you live in a remote area and are a skilled marksman. A mole that is shot but not immediately killed can become more dangerous and aggressive, posing a real threat to children and pets if it escapes. Therefore, this is not a recommended approach for dealing with moles.

Make your garden less appealing to moles. The best way to deal with moles is to take a proactive approach and prevent them from creating burrows in your garden in the first place. If you've had issues with moles before, return to this area once you've removed them and keep your garden free of moles.

• Harvest vegetables as soon as possible.
• Clear dense bushes and remove piles of dirt and stones to keep the area open, while trimming overly thick foliage. As prey, moles feel most secure when they can easily escape predators.
• Remove stems that moles might use to gnaw their teeth.
• Fill mole tunnels with stones or gravel.

Install a fence around your garden. While they may not resemble squirrels, moles are surprisingly good climbers. To more effectively prevent moles, you should build a wire mesh fence with openings no wider than 7.5 cm. The fence should be about 1 to 1.2 meters high above ground and at least 0.6 meters deep underground. The top of the fence should be bent to make climbing more difficult. If possible, create an L-shape below the ground for maximum effectiveness.

Sprinkle Epsom salt on your garden plants. Salt will make plants less attractive to moles. However, rainwater will wash away the salt, so you will need to reapply it.

Drive them away. If moles believe that your garden is frequently visited by predators, they will be less likely to burrow there. If you have a cat, scatter some used cat litter around the yard. If you don't own a cat, you can use rags soaked in ammonia to achieve a similar effect (moles will mistake the ammonia scent for urine). Ammonia can damage your grass, so consider placing the rags on stones or wooden pieces. You can also purchase chemical pesticides for this purpose, though there is some debate about how effective this method actually is.