Maintaining a yard can be a rewarding experience, but warding off moles is often a painstaking task. Digging up the soil, moles destroy plant roots and paralyze earthworms that help replenish the earth. For these reasons, keeping moles away from one’s yard is essential. Fortunately, many natural ways, such as using castor oil, flooding tunnels, planting daffodils or marigolds, etc., can help remove ground moles and nurse one’s yard back to health.
1. Prepare a tabasco sauce solution
Capsaicin is a well-known irritant for pests, so spraying a tabasco pepper sauce solution on plants can help get rid of moles in one’s yard. To prepare this solution, mix tabasco sauce with water and some dish soap and spray it across the yard. It also helps to dab cotton balls in the tabasco sauce solution and scatter them through the garden.
2. Install wind chimes
Since moles are sensitive to loud noises, anything noisy in the yard will likely startle and unsettle them. Wind chimes are great for such loud noise and require practically no human interference to operate. So, installing a couple of wind chimes around one’s yard is a good idea to get rid of ground moles.
3. Spray castor oil
Gardeners and landscapers commonly use castor oil to keep moles away from yards. This is because ingesting castor oil causes diarrhea among these creatures, so they usually desert such places. Spraying a castor oil solution prepared by mixing castor oil, water, and dishwashing liquid can help reduce mole infestation.
4. Scatter mothballs
Moles are repelled by the strong odor of mothballs, so they usually flee places lined with them. This is why it helps to scatter mothballs at the gateways of yards. But this method may not work when the infestation is very severe.
5. Lay traps meant to capture moles
One of the best ways to permanently get rid of moles in one’s yard is to lay traps. These are easily available online, but one may also find them at a nearby store. One may go for rodent traps, loop-choking-style traps, or lure traps. It’s also a good idea to lay a bait in the trap for the mole. But if the mole infestation is way too high, traps may not work. A more aggressive method might be required in such cases, or one may have to lay multiple traps throughout the yard.
6. Fill up mole tunnels with rocks
Since moles find it highly inconvenient to dig through rocks, they might have a good reason to abandon a yard if their tunnels are filled with rocks. One can try stuffing mole tunnels with as many pebbles and rocks as possible so that they flee the garden.
7. Plant daffodils, alliums, or marigolds
Moles dislike the sharp smells of daffodils, alliums, and marigolds. So, growing such flowering plants in one’s garden can not only enhance its appeal but also help drive away moles.
8. Scatter coffee grounds
Coffee grounds are not only mole repellents but also natural fertilizers. Scattering them on soil is an easy home remedy for getting rid of ground moles and preventing new ones from entering. Of course, it’s also a great way to recycle coffee grounds and utilize environment-friendly gardening practices.
9. Rid the lawn of earthworms and grubworms
Tiny worms in soil are major food sources for ground moles. Getting rid of these insects can help reduce mole infestation because the moles are likely to begin looking for places where such insects dwell. So, one should find ways to get rid of worms and insects in their yard when trying to drive away moles.
10. Sprinkle cayenne pepper
The sharp smell of cayenne pepper is sure to repel moles and drive them away. So, an easy home remedy to get rid of ground moles is to sprinkle cayenne pepper across the yard. One may either directly sprinkle it or mix it with water and spray it, particularly on mole-infested areas.
While home remedies often help drive moles away, they may not always work, especially if the mole population becomes unmanageable. In such cases, it’s best to call for professional help to permanently get rid of moles and prevent them from re-entering the yard. A wildlife control professional might be able to help drive these rodents away or trap them.
It’s advisable to consult one’s neighbors, friends, etc., to get references of professionals experienced in getting rid of moles in yards. Also, since moles become particularly active during spring and fall, one should take preventative measures before the start of these seasons.
