Here are the best ways to get rid of moles in your garden or yard completely.

Moles are creatures whose activities are mainly restricted underneath the ground. Although they help rid your yard of insects, there is a downside to their activities.

If you keep a garden or lawn, then you should be concerned about these pest animals.

We will discuss how to get rid of moles with a special focus on garden and lawn owners. We believe that you will find this article invaluable in your quest to rid your surroundings of these pests.

Signs of Mole Activity

Like most types of pests, moles leave signs of their destructive activity in their wake.

To identify mole activity signifying its presence, take a walk around your garden or lawn, you are likely to notice many mounds and tunnels scattered around. This can be heartbreaking as you may have invested time, energy, and resources to ensure your lawn looks neatly manicured.

It becomes necessary to fight back in getting rid of them. The “how” of eliminating moles is the focus of this article.

How to Identify a Mole

Knowledge of what you are dealing with is a necessary step in knowing the treatment to apply. Moles are easily identified through common physical characteristics.

Such include their fur color which varies from black to dark grey. Their eyes and ears are covered by these furs.

Others include long claws used to burrow through the ground, webbed feet, and a length that varies from 6 to 10 inches at maturity.

Is There a Difference Between Moles and Voles?

Sometimes the names are mistakenly used interchangeably. The fact is that the two are different in their look, feeding behavior as well as lifestyle.

FACT: Are Moles Rodents?

Moles, unlike Voles, aren’t social creatures. Hence they live in isolation. Moles mostly feed on insects. This distinguishes them from Voles who feed on vegetation.

While Moles tunnel upward from beneath the ground, Voles, on the other hand, are found mainly on the surface. They create tunnels that crisscross your garden or lawn.

Do Moles Pose Health Risks to Humans?

Rabies is a disease that can easily be spread by moles. Apart from this, there is also the likelihood of fleas and ticks being transmitted to humans through pets.

To avoid this, you will need to limit the exposure of your pets to possible infection from moles. This should last pending a comprehensive treatment to rid your yard and garden of moles.

You also need to be careful by lessening the likelihood of your contact with these pests.

Here are the average charges of exterminators when it comes to handling these animals.

Best Ways to Get Rid of Moles in the Yard Permanently

In the buildup to this point, we have provided useful information that will help the reader identify and tackle mole issues. To get rid of moles, several methods can be deployed.

This section will provide some of the most effective ways which include active treatments as well as preventive measures. For a long-lasting solution, it is necessary to adopt the two strategies.

  • Controlling Soil Moisture

Soil moisture plays a crucial role in a mole activity. Moist soil is known to provide the best conditions for moles to thrive. This poses a challenge for most people as they find it difficult to regulate soil moisture.

If you are faced with similar circumstances, you don’t need to worry as you can solve the problem by improving soil drainage.

  • Sand Application

This is one of the easiest ways to improve soil drainage in your garden or lawn. Sand helps in loosening the soil thereby allowing for easier flow of water. This is one of the natural ways to get rid of moles without having to spend much.

Several other ways of controlling soil moisture include creating a drainage creek, mulching, and soil treatment, etc.

  • The Use of Mole Traps

Mole traps are effective ways you can use to rid your garden or lawns of moles. Several such traps can be used depending on your choice. One common thing with these traps is that moles are eliminated.

Some of the best moles trap to use include;

  • Black Box Trap

The Black Box Trap sells for $25.73 on Amazon. It is widely used as an effective mole extermination mechanism. You don’t need to be worried about the weather condition as it is weather-resistant and works in all soil types.

  • The Victor Plunger Mole Trap

Starting at $47.97, this mole trap will help you effectively rid your garden and lawns of moles. Victor Plunger Mole Trap comes in a pack of three and as the name suggests, part of the trap is buried beneath the soil along noticeable mole mounds.

For best results, it is necessary to follow detailed information regarding its usage as provided on the instructions for use.

  • Victor Out O Sight Mole Trap

This is another type of trap you can use in your yard/lawn. Without following its instructions for use, you may end up not getting the desired result. In many cases, moles have been noticed to completely avoid traps that are not set appropriately.

There is a long list of other equally useful traps that can be used as well.  These include humane mole traps for those who prefer humane methods of mole removal.

  • Mole Bait

Mole baits are excellent ways to get rid of moles from your yard. Such baits are specially designed to look and feel like natural food sources for moles. When consumed by moles, it has a lethal effect on moles that poisons them.

The effects of mole bait are remarkably noticeable within a short time. Such baits are applied to surface tunnels as well as deep tunnels. These are accompanied by detailed instructions.

  • Shooting

This method of mole elimination is most common in rural areas. Here, a shotgun (usually 12 gauge) is used by farmers. To achieve desired results, you first need to identify mounds created by the burrowing activity of moles. Flatten such mounds and wait.

By flattening the mounds, moles will want to conduct some maintenance of their vents.

During the inspection, you should be on the lookout for moving earth and aim the shotgun at close range. A well-aimed shot will kill the mole. This is another cost-effective way you can get rid of moles from your yard.

  • Use of Gas Bombs

Gas bombs have proven to be quite effective in eliminating moles, though not in all conditions/situations. These poison gases are driven into tunnels through the mounds. Gas bombs are most effective in tunnels that are not extensive.

In a situation where moles have burrowed an extensive tunnel system, they can block off certain sections of the tunnel to escape a perceived threat.

For the best results, you will need to determine how elaborate the tunnel system is. This allows you to apply gas bombs to all openings for maximum effect.

  • Flooding

One of the ways to get rid of moles is by flooding. However, this method is not as popular and effective as the other methods.

To get rid of moles by flooding, you will need to identify all mounds leading to a particular tunnel. As the name suggests, flooding should be done rapidly and equally across all tunnel openings (all openings leading to a single tunnel).

Anything short of this will not be effective in ridding moles from your yard.

  • Ground Glass

Like thorny bushes, ground glass is effective against mole activity. A lot of care is required when doing this as it could lead to injury.

After grounding the glass, it is shoved into the tunnel. When doing so, you should also ensure that it is carefully applied or poured into the tunnel. Consider that your kids, pets, and you will relax on such a lawn.

Hence it should be applied in such a way that it stays at the surface as it could lead to injury.

  • Use of Pesticides

There are appropriate pesticides that can be used in eliminating moles around your home. One of the most effective mole pesticides includes Zinc phosphide.

Like all pesticides, this comes with specified directions for use. When applying any type of pesticide on moles, you should ensure that you use appropriate protective gear.

Having an understanding of the behavior of moles is also an advantage.

Such experience coupled with the right pesticide will give the best results. While eliminating moles with pesticides, you need to ensure that such pesticides are not harmful to beneficial organisms such as earthworms.

You should find out as much information on pesticides as necessary. An alternative is to cultivate mole-repellent plants in your garden.

  • Regulating Water Application on Lawns

This is a preventive measure that enables you to get rid of moles from your lawn or garden.  Because moles thrive in moist soil, you can regulate how much water is applied to your lawns especially when the rains are gone. Your lawns will thrive with water applied once a week.

By so doing, you would have succeeded in creating an unfavorable condition for moles to thrive.

If you have read to this point, you would have learned how to get rid of moles using the most effective strategies. In addition to treating existing problems, preventive measures are some of the most effective ways of keeping moles at bay.

With these, you will have no cause for concern about the condition of your yard, garden, or lawn.

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