How Can You Rid Your Yard of Moles?

When I Googled, “How to rid your yard…”, the first automated response was “…of moles”. This makes me feel a tiny bit better that I’m not the only person with this problem. In fact, they have taken over my yard and appear to have moved down the block. It’s as if the moles actually have their own little underground neighborhood. Which sounds adorable, but moles are not cute. At all. And, they can tear up your lawn and garden.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, moles "are small, burrowing mammals. Their eyes are poorly developed, but what they lack in sight, they make up for in their sense of touch. All moles have very sensitive snouts and long, clawed digits that they use to dig tunnels."

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They dig and dig, leaving mounds of dirt throughout your yard along with a maze of squishy tunnels. They love grubs and insects, which they find underground. When they dig, they can disrupt your yard and uproot your plants. They aren’t all bad, in that they help aerate your soil and some of the bugs they eat can be damaging to your lawn. But, still…

How do you get rid of moles?

Better Homes and Gardens says, “Repellants, poisons, and fumigants are all options but should be avoided if you have pets or children that may get exposed. You may have heard of home remedies like putting moth balls in the tunnels or spraying castor oil over the area, but none are effective.

The only sure way to eliminate a mole is to use a mole-specific trap that will kill the animal. You can find below- and above-ground traps to do the job. Follow the package directions for correct placement, and move the tunnel traps daily while you're still noticing activity to increase your chances of eliminating the mole.

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Spring and fall, when the ground is not frozen, are the best times of the year for getting rid of moles because that's when they're most active. Usually, you'll only have one or maybe two moles to trap to solve the problem because they don't live in groups.”

I’ve tried the traps. So far, nothing. My neighbor put a trap in his yard and got a mole within the first hour! I’m hoping that does the job, but I just saw what appeared to be a freshly dug hole today…

I’ve heard that ‘wind spinner’ lawn decorations can help prevent moles from wanting to spend time in your yard due to the vibrations of the spinner when the wind blows. I’m willing to give this a try. At least something in my yard will look good…