Ultrasonic and sonic mole repellers have mixed results. While some users find the ground vibrations successfully deter moles by mimicking earth movements, scientific consensus is lacking, and many pest control professionals consider them unreliable. Moles may also get used to the static noise over time.
We recommend that if you treat moles on your own using any of these methods, that you also stomp down the mole tunnels and hills after a few days to target any new activity and track progress in that way. Will moles go away on their own? No, they need to be treated or removed from your yard.
The fastest and most effective way to eliminate moles in your yard is by targeting their main, active tunnels with bait worms (e.g., Talpirid) or mechanical traps (e.g., scissor or spring-loaded traps). Castor oil repellents and removing food sources (grubs) can help deter them, but physical removal yields immediate results.
Golf courses keep moles away by eliminating their primary food sources (grubs and earthworms) with targeted insecticides, modifying soil conditions to be less hospitable, and using specialized, eco-friendly repellents. When these methods fail, superintendents physically manage pests using baiting or trapping in active tunnels.
While some gardeners report that the strong scent of coffee temporarily irritates moles, coffee grounds are largely ineffective at truly getting rid of them. Moles tunnel to hunt for grubs and earthworms. Because grounds do not eliminate these food sources, the moles are highly likely to simply dig around or rebuild elsewhere in your yard.
Yes, Dawn dish soap is highly effective for getting rid of yard moles, but it must be combined with castor oil. Dawn acts as a surfactant (emulsifier) to help the castor oil mix with water, which upsets the moles' digestion and makes your lawn an unpleasant place to live.
CO2 laser (often written “co2 laser”) precisely vaporizes superficial tissue by targeting water in the skin, making it popular in Korea for small, benign, and raised moles where histology has been addressed or is not required.
Moles hate castor oil, strong odors like coffee grounds and chili peppers, and underground vibrations. Most of all, they hate environments where their food source—like grubs and earthworms—is eliminated, or where their deep tunnels are disrupted.
To locate the main mole tunnel, look for long, straight surface ridges (runways) or areas near permanent borders like fences, sidewalks, or foundations. Use a slender metal rod, like a tent stake or gopher probe, to gently pierce the ground a few inches away from fresh dirt mounds until you feel the rod drop into an empty space.
Take Back Your Lawn
Mole tunnels vary depending on their purpose, generally ranging from just 1 to 4 inches below the surface for shallow feeding tunnels, and 6 to 20+ inches deep for permanent travel runways and nesting chambers.
Managing mole activity in a lawn often involves understanding the various baiting and deterrent options available. Mole baits are generally designed to mimic the natural food sources of moles, such as earthworms or grubs.
While they do eat grubs, it's an old wives tale that grubs are the reason that moles are in a lawn. Therefore using grub control products as a method of controlling moles will not be effective. Even in grub free lawns, moles continue to survive, because the majority of their diet consists of the ever-present earthworm.
Since moles have extensive tunneling systems, flooding their tunnels or holes will not kill them. Instead, they will tunnel further down and block off the flooded holes in a matter of seconds. As such, trapping them is the only way to get rid of moles.
The most effective time to control mole numbers is from October to April, when they are most actively digging new tunnels and before the breeding season.
Mole traps are the most effective way to get rid of moles, but by law, the traps must be installed correctly and checked daily to ensure that the moles are killed instantly and don't suffer. If you decide to use mole traps, it's best to install them with a pest control professional. Use sonic mole-repellent devices.
Usually, only one to two moles live in a standard residential yard at a time. Because they are solitary, highly territorial creatures that aggressively defend their burrows, a single mole or a breeding pair covers a large territory ranging from half an acre to over two acres.
Moles are primarily preyed upon by birds of prey, small mammalian carnivores, and domestic pets. Because they spend most of their lives underground, they are generally hunted when they surface at night or are dug out of their shallow tunnels.
To create a castor oil-based mole repellant, it's suggested to mix three parts castor oil with one part dish soap. Then, add four tablespoons of the mix to a gallon of water. Pouring the mix into the entrance of the moles' tunnels will encourage them to leave, since they can't stand the castor oil.
Coffee grounds are generally ineffective at repelling moles. While the strong scent might serve as a temporary irritant, it does not stop moles from digging for their primary food source, which includes earthworms and grubs.
Dawn dish soap alone will not get rid of moles, but mixing it with castor oil creates a highly effective, cruelty-free repellent. The soap acts as an emulsifier to help the castor oil penetrate the soil, while the castor oil coats their food sources and tastes unpleasant, encouraging them to relocate.
Moles are active 24/7, operating on alternating 3 to 4-hour cycles of digging and resting. However, surface digging and pushing up new molehills peak in the early morning and late evening when the ground is cool, moist, and less disturbed by human activity.
Tying a string around a mole cuts off its blood supply, causing the tissue to die and eventually fall off. However, this is extremely dangerous and highly advised against by medical professionals.
During adulthood, moles often lose their pigmentation, and they may even seem to disappear in old age.
Risk factors that increase one's tendency to developing moles include: Caucasian race, fair skin, family history, hormones, and sun exposure. African-Americans and Asians are more likely than Caucasians to develop moles on the palms, soles and nail beds (i.e. Acral nevi).