Controlling moles is difficult once you have mole problems in your garden. A ready-made tunnel system from a previous mole makes your garden especially attractive to moles. When you kill the mole, its place is soon taken again by a conspecific looking for a new territory. This new mole adapts the burrow system a bit more so that new mole burrows are created. Prevention is therefore better than cure. We would like to explain what you can do to get and keep moles out of your garden. We also explain how, by living peacefully together with the mole, you can stop him from digging new burrows.
Who is the mole?
The mole is a useful animal. In fact, moles are true soil improvers. Unfortunately, at certain times of the year, they create piles of dug-up soil (molehills) and long upright tunnels just under the grass (mole rides) which is inconvenient when mowing the lawn, and looks unsightly. Although we understand that the mole is not welcome in your garden, we would like to mention that moles not only aerate the soil by digging under it, but also improve the drainage of your garden. Moles are harmless animals and a part of nature. Once their territory is finished, they are not likely to create more molehills. Therefore, we also explain at the end of this article how you can choose to live peacefully with the mole.
Chasing moles instead of killing them
Chasing moles is better than killing them. They are solitary animals. So they live alone rather than in groups and have their own territory. Moles are found wherever the ground is suitable enough for them to dig. When you kill a mole, its territory will simply be taken over by another mole, which will add some more burrows and molehills. So it only makes sense to kill a mole if at the same time you make your garden inaccessible or unattractive to the mole.
Note: Moles are good at swimming and climbing.
Fighting moles
If you want to control moles by killing them, you must proceed quietly. Do not demolish his corridors and molehills while he is alive, so he will continue to use the corridors. You will then know where he is and where to place the clamps or traps.
Mole Clamp
To kill a mole, you can place one or more mole clamps. A mole clamp can be placed under tension in a mole hole and clamps the mole to death as it passes. The mole passes through its active hunting corridors as many as four times a day.
Catching moles with a mole tube
You can also catch the mole by using a mole tube, which is a type of mole trap shaped like a tube. A special valve allows the mole to get in, but not out again.
Scoop
Another way is to have a shovel within easy reach and look carefully in your yard. When you see a molehill moving you have to be quick. You stick the shovel into the moving ground and wiggle the mole out along with a pile of earth and then give it a few effective blows with the shovel. This is how mole catchers used to do it.
Gassing moles
When you hire a company, they may use mole-killing gas. When all the molehills of a burrow system are properly sealed and covered, gas can then be injected. All moles in the burrow will quickly die.
How do I chase away a mole?
If you do not want to kill the mole, but only chase it away, you can use the following chasing techniques:
Chasing moles with carbide
Carbide is a material that when it comes into contact with water turns into gas. This acetylene gas has a strong smell that the mole does not like. You can dig open any molehills in the garden and add some small chunks of carbide to it. When the soil is moist, gas will be formed immediately, a dash of water may also be needed. After this, cover all the molehills with, for example, a paving stone or a piece of tarp with stones on it. When the gas does its job the mole flees to another place.
Vibrations and sounds
There are several devices for sale that you can stick in the ground. They emit a vibration or sound every so often that means danger to the mole. Moles will avoid these places.
Stench
Besides carbide, there are other smells that the mole does not like. You can buy special anti mole balls for this or anti mole granules. You can also read tips on forums about home, garden and kitchen remedies worth trying.
Note: Moles dig deep and shallow tunnels up to 1 meter deep. Shallow tunnels can be dug by a mole as fast as 15 meters per hour. The total length of tunnels can reach 60 meters. The tunnel system is also the mole’s territory. Species mates are not welcome here.
How do I make my garden unattractive to a mole?
After you have driven out moles, you do not want a new mole to return. Therefore, push away and close all remaining holes and molehills as much as possible. You can make your garden unattractive to the mole by putting in plants that give off an odor that the mole doesn’t like. Emperor’s crown and goose-leaf spurge are a few well-known examples.
You can simply leave the devices that emit vibrations and sounds in place, and the anti-mole stench can continue to be used throughout the year. If you want to take a drastic approach, it is best to install a mole net under your lawn.
Note: The size of a territory is about 2500 m2. Therefore, most gardens will not have more than 1 mole.
How do I make my garden inaccessible to a mole?
Mole net/mole wire:If you install a mole net or mole wire (which is the same thing) a few inches under the turf when you are laying a lawn, moles will not be able to come up to make mole burrows. If a mole has ruined your lawn, you may want to consider reseeding your lawn with such a net or mesh.
Coexistence with the mole
When a mole’s burrow is finished, new mole burrows will not appear throughout the year. This only happens during drought, wetness or when some other reason disrupts the territory and requires new burrows. You can therefore also choose to jettison all anti-mole remedies and live peacefully with the mole. New molehills are raked out over the grass as quickly as possible so that the entrance remains intact and the mole does not have to dig any more. You also leave the corridors alone so the mole can live its mole life. When the mole’s territory is ready, it can find enough food in its hunting burrows and will stop digging.
