Home Remedies And Commercial Products
In an attempt to drive these pests away, many home remedies have surfaced. The success rate of most of these products will vary greatly. Most home remedies were created out of desperation and do not actually work at all.
Some home remedies include placing objects in the tunnel such as chewing gum, mothballs, red pepper, cat hair, human hair, etc. Chewing gum is supposed to clog their intestines after it is eaten, thus killing the animal. The others are various types of repellents. There is no evidence that any of these work.
Most people dont realize that lawn moles will not stay in one location for longer than a week or two before moving on. Since these animals live underground, it is difficult to prove their disappearance was not a result of anything the homeowner tried. This is one reason why the home remedies have been around for so long.
The exception is in trapping. With trapping, you have a mole body to prove the lawn mole is actually dead. However, while trapping works, it takes skill and the animals will avoid an ill-placed and obvious trap.
Stomping Tunnels
Flooding Tunnels
Flooding tunnels can work if you are lucky enough to trap them between the water and a surface hole. Tunnels can be quite extensive allowing several avenues of escape. It also depends on the type of soil you have. Sandy soil can absorb the water as quickly as you put it in. Clay soils will work much better.
Vibration and Noise Devices
Professional Baits
Mole Traps
Trapping Tips And Secrets
Lawn moles and voles are difficult to get rid of. Commonly, when one animal leaves or is caught, another arrives to take its place. Others are more fortunate. After catching one or two, the problem seems to go away. Complete lawn mole extermination may not be possible, especially if other people around you are also experiencing a mole problem. But, it always pays to try.
Importance of Finding the Active Tunnels
The first thing you must do is to find a primary tunnel the animals are actively using. Look for the longer, raised tunnels that may possibly be used to travel from the nest to the feeding grounds, etc. Do not worry too much about the short, windy tunnels. They are most like feeding tunnels and are not used often.
Methods of Locating the Active Tunnels
First method: Use your heel to crush a small section of raised tunnel. It shouldnt be more than a few inches wide. Mark the spot with a landscape flag or by placing a rock in the grass next to the spot you crushed. Do this on different tunnels that look promising spaced no closer than ten feet apart. Do not crush the whole tunnel or it may dig a new one. If it is an active tunnel, the area will be repaired within 12 to 48 hours.
Second method: Carefully make a small hole in the top of the raised tunnel the size of a quarter or slightly larger. Mark the area beside it with a landscape flag. Lawn moles do not like any light coming in and will seal the hole. If it is an inactive tunnel, it will be left alone.
Learning The Necessary Steps To Get Rid Of Moles
Effective mole control begins with understanding the correct steps to identify and eliminate these garden pests. It is also critical to decide whether you want to kill ground moles in the garden or scare them away.
No matter what mole removal process you want to implement, we show you how to get rid of moles causing destruction in your lawn. Additionally, we provide homeowners with ways to kill moles with mole bait.
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How To Get Rid Of Voles In Your Yard And Garden
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Voles: theyre a tiny animal that can drive homeowners and gardeners crazy! Known for creating networks of deep, crisscrossing tunnels, voles can wreak havoc on a lawn or garden. If youve ever wondered how to get rid of voles, youre not alone.
Here at Smiths Pest Management, our team specializes in helping clients in and around the San Francisco Bay area identify the best way to get rid of voles in their yard, so we know a thing or two about the process.
In this post, well share our top tips and tricks to help you become a vole extermination master.
Lets dive in.
Mole Myth #: Trapping Moles Is The Best Way To Get Rid Of Moles In Your Yard
MYTH BUSTED: While there are a variety of mole traps on the market that function to either kill the mole or actually trap it to be released off your property, trapping is only about 13 percent effective for reducing your mole population. If you do try to set a trap, you have to first find the main tunnel. Then, be sure you dont try to place your bait in mole mounds. The mound will be too deep to effectively trap the mole.
Once the trap has been sprung, dont just pull the trap out of the ground. The dead mole will not come out of the ground like a shish kabob, it will be stuck in the tunnel. This is fine if you dont want to have to dispose of the critter, but without inspection of the tunnel, you wont know if you killed the mole or if the trap had a misfire. Many homeowners have trapped a mole and not even realized it. One yard can have enough worms and insects to support several moles. Trapping moles can be effective, but if your yard is adjacent to a forested or wild area, complete mole control may be difficult.
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How To Kill Moles In Lawn And Yard With Traps
If you prefer a more humane way of getting moles out of your yard or to get rid of chipmunks in your yard, try using traps as a form of control rather than a homemade mole killer for lawns. Using a trap makes it convenient for you to move them safely to another location.
Mole Traps
There are various mole traps on the market, so read the instructions for your particular type for proper directions for catching moles. First, locate the most traveled tunnels and dig around the hole to make it large enough to accommodate the traps size.
Insert the trap accordingly and check it frequently for activity. After the mole is trapped, remove it carefully and drive the mole, still in the trap, roughly five miles from your home before releasing it.
Of course, there are also traps that kill moles in your lawn rather than holding them until you can move them.
Invite Natural Predators In
Both the mole and gopher have numerous natural predators including foxes, weasels, coyotes, barn owls, hawks, badgers, and snakes. If you provide these animals with sufficient shelter, a balance will gradually be achieved and the mole will disappear all by itself. You can offer shelter in the form of piles of wood, leaves, and stones. For birds of prey, perches and free branches are ideal.
Tip: If you cant seem to get rid of moles and gophers from your yard with these home remedies, take a closer look at the mounds. In some cases, they are not moles at all, but voles. These critters are far less sensitive and are not as easy to drive away as a mole or gopher.
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How To Get Rid Of Moles And Voles
Find out the difference between moles and voles and learn how to get rid of moles and voles so these burrowing varmints don’t turn your lawn or garden into their playpen.
Mounds of soil, raised tunnels and soft spots in your yard are common signs of moles. In general, only two or three of these solitary animals will inhabit an acre of land.
Shutterstock/Ondrej Prosicky
Mounds of soil, raised tunnels and soft spots in your yard are common signs of moles. In general, only two or three of these solitary animals will inhabit an acre of land.
You’re strolling across your beautiful lawn when you notice something isn’t right. Strange, raised trails zigzag across the grass, and with your next step, your foot sinks into the ground. You may have moles, little animals that live underground and feast on grubs, earthworms and insects. Unless you learn how to get rid of them, they can destroy your well-maintained lawn.
Moles aren’t the only troublesome garden pests. Voles can devour your flower bulbs, munch on the roots of your carrots, potatoes and other root vegetables, damage your trees and shrubs, eat your grass and leave well-worn paths through your yard. Learn how to get rid of of moles and voles before they ruin your landscape.
Be aware of the damage these small and large animals could do to your garden.
How Long Does It Take To Get Rid Of Voles
The answer to this question depends on which method you use. If youve chosen to set live traps, for example, you can expect to spend about 3-4 weeks whittling down your vole population.
If you prefer to hire a professional pest control service for vole control, youll see much faster results. Companies like Smiths Pest Management provide prompt removal services that will help you reclaim your property quickly.
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Use Poison Or Gas Their Tunnels
This is a lethal solution, but one that can be effective given the proper circumstances, or if your issue is persistent enough. Make sure before use that you can keep poison away from pets or children.
You can purchase poison mole bait at any hardware store or .
The standard poison baits are Zinc Phosphide. You could also use Talpirid Mole Bait. This product mimics a worm in size and texture. The mole will think the bait is food, then will be poisoned after it eats it.
You can also use carbon monoxide gas from a small engine or your car. Youll need to use a hose and cap the exhaust on either a car or a lawn mower. Then lead the hose into one of the mole hills. Block off or plug the other holes.
This technique will only be effective if the mole tunnels are sealed. Otherwise all of the gas will escape quickly and the gas will be ineffective.
Using pesticides as a means of killing insects will deter moles by cutting down on their food supply, and I recommend treating for grubs at the same time that you remove the moles so that the problem does not reoccur.
How To Eliminate Moles
Unfortunately, moles arent easily dealt with. Unless your yard is really showing damage, the best approach is to leave moles alone. Theyll usually move on once theyve eliminated their food source. You can keep your lawn in shape by flattening the runways with your feet or a lawn roller, or by raking out the tunnels.
If you do have damage from moles, here are some tips on mole control:
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Does Chewing Gum Kill Moles
Chewing gum is a highly considered method of eliminating moles by many gardeners. The idea behind feeding the moles on gum is to have them eat it and then have it gum up in their stomachs causing them to die of digestive problems.
Gardeners are advised to cut the gum into tiny pieces, and then stuck them in the mound through digging holes and being sure not to collapse the tunnel. It is believed that the moles are attracted to the sweet smell of the gum.
How To Get Rid Of Moles With Companion Planting
The concept of companion planting uses plants natural properties to support the gardens health and minimize dependence on insecticides and pesticides.
One of the main functions of companion plants is to act as a natural repellent for pests, whether theyre insects or animals. Numerous plants effectively repel moles and other pests.
Employ your flower bed as your first line of defense against problematic critters. Here are a few mole plants that repel the animals and many other pests effectively.
- Caper spurge
- Castor bean
The best solution for your mole problem is to keep them away for good by creating an environment they dont like.
Planting these mole repellent flowers throughout your garden, especially around the borders, will drive moles away naturally without using harmful chemicals.
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How To Trap Moles In Your Lawn
Before trapping them, you need to figure out where the active run is.
The active run is the tunnel that leads from the moles nest underground. Moles live entirely underground and only come out to mate.
How to Find the Active Mole Run
To determine the active run, flatten the mole tunnels and mark them. Check your lawn periodically throughout the day. A raised run is the active one and where youll set the trap.
Once youve found the active mole run, insert a trap into the active run. Moles become active in early spring, and its best to set the traps then, once you notice the tunnels starting to form. You can either use a humane trap to release them elsewhere, or a kill trap to get rid of them altogether.
If you decide on a humane trap, youll need to release the mole after catching it. Take it at least 5 miles from your home before setting it free. Let it out in a rural area, where the mole can thrive without causing damage.
Ive tried using a humane mole trap, but its frustrating and much more difficult than using a good kill trap like the one I mention below. Kill traps can be purchased at any hardware store, but some traps are safer than others .
How To Get Rid Of Moles In Your Yard: 5 Home Remedies
Well look at five different home remedies to get rid of moles and gophers in your yard without using poisons or pesticides. But before driving them away, you should take a moment to consider: Moles and gophers can be very useful for your garden.
The good news is that if you have a mole or gopher in your garden, you can consider yourself lucky. Molehills and gopher holes indicate good soil quality, which means your garden has everything it needs to thrive. Before you look for home remedies to get rid of moles in your yard, consider the benefits of keeping them around:
- They eat pests like insects, grubs and earthworms.
- The strenuous digging uses up a lot of energy, so moles consume a good half of their body weight in insects per day.
- Both animals loosen your soil while building their tunnels and increase soil fertility.
- If you still want to get rid of them, please do not use poison or other deadly measures!
Live traps should also be avoided at all costs. The mole has a rapid metabolism and will starve to death within a few hours without food supply. If the animal in the live trap is not noticed in time, it will die.
If youre not sure whether your unwanted garden tenant is a mole or a gopher, you can check out the National Wildlife Federations guide to moles and gophers to identify it. Then you can better decide how to send it on its way.
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This Is The Easiest Way To Get Rid Of The Moles In Your Yard
Are parts of your yard sinking due to what look like shallow tunnels? Have you spotted circular piles of dirt sprouting up on your otherwise flawless lawn? You might have moles, making those mounds molehills. But before you start thinking about how you’re going to eject those dastardly critters that have been burrowing through your backyard, you might want to be sure they’re actually moles.
Will Lime Get Rid Of Ground Moles
Lime has been a proven deterrent against moles. You can buy hydrated lime at most nursery or hardware stores.
Buy a container and make sure its just pure lime. After you buy it, take the container and read the directions. Use as directed.
Some wont specify if youre using this for pest control or not. But in this case, you are. So adhere to all warnings before you start using it.
How lime helps get rid of moles
The trick behind is that if you use lime on your soil, youll raise the alkalinity of it. The pH goes crazy and thus makes grubs not able to live on your lawn.
Without grubs to eat, moles will then starve and also leave. This is a safe and humane way to get rid of moles. And its easy to do as long as youre careful.
Lime can harm plants
Note that this can harm your lawn, plants, and other foliage if youre not careful.
So always be sure to read the directions and buy a good pH meter. Youll have to monitor and be meticulous during the process.
Wear protective garden gloves and start spanking the lime around where you think the moles are. Youll want to distribute the lime evenly.
Be very careful to always measure the pH of your lawn and never overdo it, because itll damage your lawn and kill plants.
The trick is to use enough lime to drive the grubs and worms away, but not enough to damage your plants and lawn permanently.
Start small
Start with smaller amounts and raise the pH just a tad.
But here are some target ranges you should be aiming for:
6.2-6.5 pH.
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