Are you bothered by moles and don’t know how to get rid of them? We have prepared a comprehensive article for you, in which we describe in detail how to get rid of moles in the garden without having to kill them. Do not forget that moles are generally protected and their elimination or extermination is prohibited by law. Get rid of moles, but let them live, they are useful.
The common mole and its life in a nutshell
The European mole, Talpa europaea in Latin, belongs to the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata and class Mammalia. It is a small black insectivore, about 12 cm in size, occupying not only fields and meadows, but also gardens, which it is very good at boring and creating earthen mounds, so-called molehills, on the surface.
The mole lives several tens of centimeters underground, where it builds residential and circular tunnels in which it hunts. Its main food includes invertebrates – insects including insect larvae, beetles, frogs, mice, lizards or earthworms. Every day it can eat as much food as it weighs itself.
After a forty-day pregnancy, the female gives birth to about three to seven young, always in the spring around March to April. The young are born hairless and blind. After about three weeks, they begin to see. They are mammals, so they drink their mother’s milk. After about three weeks, the young hunt for food on their own. An adult individual emerges from the mole about in the second half of the first year of life, and usually begins to reproduce the very next year.
Mole elimination is prohibited! It is protected by law
If you want to get rid of a mole that has settled in your garden, you should know that it is protected by law and its elimination or any method of extermination is strictly prohibited. It is a mammal, so it is protected by Act No. 246/1992 Coll. Act of the Czech National Council for the Protection of Animals against Cruelty. If you still decide to kill the mole, you risk a fine of up to 50 thousand crowns from the veterinary administration.
Tip: Killing a mole is completely unnecessary, it is actually useful. It feeds on insects and can therefore pleasantly reduce your garden of them. In addition, it loosens the soil and the molehills it creates can be used as a great substrate for pre-growing seedlings, or directly into the flower bed. The soil from molehills is very loose and almost free of weed germs.
Preventive measures against moles settling in the garden
Prevention is one of the most effective ways to get rid of moles in your garden. We recommend implementing the following preventive measures in your garden:
- mow the grass regularly, as moles like unkempt terrain and do not like noise,
- Also mow the grass at the edge of the property by the fence,
- Remove fallen fruit from fruit trees or orchards so as not to unnecessarily prepare a sweet feast for moles,
- Do not provide shelter for rodents and do not leave several years of unmaintained compost in the garden.
5 proven tips on how to get rid of moles in the garden
There is no 100% protection against moles. They are very smart and adaptable. However, there are several tips and advice that are proven and really work. It is ideal to combine all of these methods. Here they are:
- Chemical repellents – naphthalene and gasoline
- Traps that won’t kill moles
- Scaring away moles
- Natural predator of mole – cat or dog
- Natural ecological mole repellents
1. Chemical repellents – naphthalene and gasoline
Among the most effective chemical mole repellents are naphthalene and gasoline. It was also used against moths in the past. It’s not exactly an environmentally friendly way to get rid of a mole, but if you get it into its burrow, it will be so unbearable that it will move away.
Place a rag or newspaper soaked in mothballs or gasoline in its tunnels, but be careful not to start a fire nearby. You can buy mothballs at a drugstore. Alternatively, you can use a sulfur wick. The smell will permeate the entire underground system and the mole will pack up its bags.
2. Traps that won’t kill moles
Traps are one of the most common and most effective ways to get rid of moles in the garden. If you decide to use a trap, make sure to get one that will not kill the mole. Such a trap is a tube that you place in the mole’s tunnel. As soon as the mole enters it, the door will close behind it. However, it is necessary to check the trap at least once a day to avoid mistreating it. We also recommend installing the trap with gloves so that the mole does not smell human.
Tip: If you keep destroying moles’ tunnels and dug mounds, you will make their stay in your garden very unpleasant. However, moles maintain their territory and will repair everything that is damaged. However, you can take advantage of this, catch them while they are repairing, and catch them. Moles often dig in the morning and early afternoon. At this time, dig up and tamp down the mounds they have created and wait for them to appear. It won’t take long. As soon as you see them digging to the surface again, carefully dig them up with a hoe or pick them up with a spade, put them in a bucket and take them far away from the garden.
3. Scaring away moles
Moles don’t like noise, so you can get rid of them in one of these ways:
- by regularly mowing the grass with a lawnmower,
- regular activity in the garden – for example, children running around or a dog,
- using sound scarecrows – windmills, iron pipes, electronic ultrasonic scarecrows (solar or battery-powered),
- using a vibrating device that you install in the mole hole,
- using a homemade scarecrow made from a PET bottle (a pinwheel that makes noise and transmits vibrations to the ground).
4. Natural predator of mole – cat or dog
If you have a cat or dog, this can be another very effective way to get rid of moles in your garden. Cats in particular are natural predators of moles. If they have good hunting skills, they will definitely be able to handle them. However, keep in mind that if you have a neutered cat, they will hunt much less often.
5. Natural, eco-friendly mole repellents
Moles have a very good sense of smell and not everything smells good to them. If you want to be eco-friendly and not use any chemicals, poisons, etc., try using nature. There are a number of plants that moles do not like and if they smell them, they will migrate elsewhere. Unfortunately, this is only a temporary solution, because these plants only work in the summer. If you want to get rid of moles in your garden, plant these plants in it: