Do Coffee Grounds Repel Moles
Coffee grounds, as we know it, arent that pleasant to sniff .
Because of the strong odor they give off, moles will avoid it because they despise the smell. You can buy a can of coffee grounds and literally just sprinkle them around the yard.
Toss them in key areas such as:
- On soft soil
- Directly into mole tunnels
- Around the perimeter of your garden
Some plants may react to coffee grounds, so youll want to be careful to make sure youre not harming your plants.
Use the grounds on just a few plants first. You can use used coffee grounds from your morning brew.
Just throw them directly where you suspect ground moles to be present. They act as a natural repellent thats safe for most plants and your family.
Dealing With Moles In The San Francisco Bay Area Were Here To Help
Smiths Pest Management helps residential and commercial properties in Northern California reduce, control, or eliminate their mole problems. Smiths Pest Management also works with parks and large facilities to eradicate moles in an eco-conscious way.;
Learn more about our services or book your mole control service by requesting your free consultation today.
Should You Get Rid Of Grubs To Get Rid Of Moles
Its often recommended that gardeners attempt to get rid of any grubs feeding on their lawn as a first step in figuring out how to get rid of moles in yard and gardens. Yes, moles eat grubs; in fact, theyre great at helping to manage Japanese and oriental beetle populations. But, getting rid of grubs wont necessarily get rid of moles. Instead, wiping out the grubs may force the moles to create more tunnels to find food. They may also turn to eating more earthworms and other soil-dwelling insects, something that may prove more harmful than beneficial. Grub management is not an effective solution for mole control.
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Planting And Using Barriers To Deter Moles Or Gophers
Certain kinds of plants in your yard can help deter moles. Moles dislike the smells from plants like daffodils, marigolds and anything from the allium family. This kind of plant barrier is typically safe for children and pets, plus it makes a lovely colorful addition to your yard.
To deter gophers, plant in raised beds. You can also make gopher baskets from netted material and put bulbs or young plants in them. This will allow the bulbs and plants to grow while keeping the gophers out.;
Ready-made gopher and mole barriers are also available in the form of baskets that can be placed around plants to protect them from being eaten.
Are Yard Moles Dangerous
Theyre usually harmless towards humans and would rather run away than bite. But that doesnt mean they cant bite. They definitely will when threatened.
The biggest threat from moles comes from the extensive damage theyll do to your lawn and plants. They can easily destroy your lawn by digging up your dirt and creating mounds of debris.
They can also brush up against plant roots and kill the plant by doing so. Moles can be a major threat to your plants by killing them from damaging the roots.
Their tunnel systems may also pose a danger to your lawn as you can fall through into the dirt. When the soil gets wet, this may make your lawn easy to collapse into a mole tunnel system.
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Get Rid Of Their Food
Moles love insects. Things like grubs are delicious treats for them. If youre getting moles, theres a likelihood you have a healthy grub population too.
Taking measures to get grubs out of your yard with yearly grub treatments, youll make your lawn less attractive to moles. If they dont find enough food, theyll leave sooner or later.
However, this is only partially effective, as they may stay and feed on other insects, like worms. This mole prevention strategy is good, but its not usually an effective mole removal strategy.
Fastest Way To Get Rid Of Moles
One of the worst feelings is getting up in the morning to find that your beautifully maintained garden has been made unsightly by various tunnels and mounds made by moles. These small animals mercilessly dig up the garden making it hard for you to maintain its beauty.
Moles are notorious not just for harming your gardens, lawns, and plants but also for raising several health concerns. Moles can bite you and cause infections including rabies. This is especially possible when the bite was unprovoked. Moreover, moles can spread several parasites that can harm humans and animals. These parasites include fleas, mites, and ticks that can cause various diseases to you or your pets. Because these wild animals stay underground, it can be difficult to get rid of them. You can take help from professionals who deal with pest control to get rid of them quickly and effectively.
Some of the tips that can help you get rid of moles include:
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Get Professional Mole Reduction Services From Ryan Lawn & Tree
Not up for finding tunnels and setting traps to get ground moles out of your yard? Thats when you need to pick up the phone and call 855.216.2293. The Pros at Ryan Lawn & Tree spend most of their time making your yard look the best on the block with our lawn fertilization, tree removal, landscaping, irrigation and other lawn care services. So, we are here for you when we need to protect that lawn from ground moles. Well be as anxious as you are to get rid of the critters destroying your lawn. Reach out to one of our five Midwest locations in Kansas City, St. Louis, Wichita, Springfield or Tulsa area offices and well be happy to answer any questions you may have about mole reduction or any of our lawn and tree care services. You can also always use our Ask a Pro feature to ask any questions you may have. We look forward to serving you soon!
Some Of These May Surprise You
One natural method to fighting gophers is to create noise in your yard
As it turns out, moles and gophers are sensitive to noises, especially loud noises.;
So adding some natural noisemakers such as wind chimes in your yard is a good natural way to annoy these critters enough to leave your lawn. Whats more you can take this method;a step further;and introduce a radio into your yard.. But more on that later.
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How Do I Kill Moles
You can kill moles with traps and as they do not live in communities, once youve captured one or two, its likely your messy garden will be messy no more. If youre unsure about getting rid of moles, always contact the professionals who can do it discreetly and effectively, so theres no need for you to get your hands dirty.
Why Are Moles A Pest
If moles happen to find themselves in your garden or golf course, this can be incredibly annoying and messy. They can dig up to 4 metres an hour, which means they can create a complex tunnelling system that leads to their den in no time at all. The problem with moles is that they like to reside in dry, dark environments underground but hunt where the soil is moist, full of worms and grubs, meaning that they disturb the surface, leaving mounds of soil dotted around a landscape. ;
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How To Control Moles In Your Yard
Moles, common in backyards throughout most of the United States, are a frequently cited problem in our Pest Patrol forum. The two most common mole varietiesstar-nosed and easternmeasure about 7 inches long from nose to tail. They have broad, outward-facing pads on their front feet, small and narrow hind feet, and tiny pinholes for eyes; their ears are not visible.
Moles are voracious, high-metabolism feeders who use their large front paws to tunnel through the ground searching for ants, earthworms, and grubs; some species consume more than their weight in food daily. “They are pretty well adapted to life underground,” says Craig Riekena, a compliance manager for Bell Laboratories, which makes the mole poison Talpirid. “Their fur lies and flexes against their skin in a way that lets them tunnel as if they’re swimming.”
You’ll know you have a mole problem if you spot visible trenches and dug-up soil in your lawn and garden. Look for the raised ridges that characterize mole feeding burrows, along with molehills, which look like miniature volcanoes with plugged holes in the center. These are often located close to the deep permanent burrows where moles nest and reproduce.
More lethal alternatives include trapping and killing moles, which, experts say, is the only way to be sure you’re rid of them, and using poison. Consumer Reports has not tested the traps or poisons cited below, and there are safety, health, and/or environmental issues with all of these methods.
Signs Of Moles In The Yard
Moles live underground, and the majority of their subterranean excavation typically goes unseen. But, as moles dig tunnels in their hunt for food, the soil they remove from the channels gets pushed out into surface piles. Signs of moles in the yard can also include slightly raised, underground ridges going from soil pile to soil pile.
Mole lawn damage is typically most evident in the spring and early summer, and then again in the fall. This is when the animals are closest to the surface. During the summer months, their excavation is often at a deeper level.
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Can Voles Transmit Diseases To People
Voles have been known to carry a variety of diseases like rabies, Hantavirus, and Korean hemorrhagic fever. This makes it especially important to keep a safe distance from them in your yard. Even their feces and urine can carry viruses, so be sure to wear closed-toe shoes and gloves if youre working near their runways.
When To Call A Professional
- You arent sure if youre experiencing a mole problem or if a similar type of critter has invaded your lawn.
- Youve used several DIY methods already, and nothing seems to be working.
- You can tell that there are multiple moles in your yard, so the problem will be too difficult to resolve on your own.
- The mole or moles have already caused extensive damage, so you want to prevent any more from happening.
- At any point, youve felt that your own or your familys safety has been compromised.
There are also certain instances when youre implementing preventative measures where it would be wise to contact a professional rather than attempting to do it on your own. This could include setting up physical barriers that reach the requirements necessary to keep out moles, or working on any landscaping in order to prevent the buildup of moisture in your yard.
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Dig A Trench Around Your Garden Or Flower Bed
One of the best ways to prevent a mole problem in the first place is to dig a trench around the vegetation. Cardinal Lawns recommends filling the trench with either rocks or wire mesh in order to prevent moles from burrowing and tunneling themselves into your garden. This barrier should keep moles out for good. To protect individual flowers and plants, you can also plant your bulbs in bulb cages. This will prevent moles from destroying the root system and damaging your plants.
Whats The Fastest Way To Get Rid Of Moles In Your Yard
The absolute fastest way? Probably by using a commercial mole spray or fogger. This will either kill or eliminate the mole entirely.
However, it can be dangerous for yourself, family, pets, and the environment. You should avoid this when possible and stick with a home remedy to get rid of them because there are plenty out there that are very effective.
Well cover some of these DIY techniques you can do at home to naturally get rid of moles. This way, you dont have to worry about doing any harm.
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How Do Professionals Get Rid Of Moles In Your Yard
If DIY is not your style, you may want to call in a professional mole control team. Thanks to their professional tools and tactics, these teams are better equipped to effectively deal with severe mole infestations.;
If getting rid of moles humanely is important to you, you can opt for no-kill methods that will drastically reduce your mole populations and restore your yard to its former glory. ;
Here are a few tactics our team here at Smiths Pest Management uses:
I Bet You Didnt Know Coffee Grounds Were A Natural Way To Fight The Battle Against Moles
Put another way … you can recycle those used;coffee grounds by scattering them;over the tunnels themselves. ;The best part…; the scent is annoying to these varmints just as much as;their tunnels in your yard annoy you. This method in conjunction with methods 6 , 3 , and 2 would be a good natural combo attack on these yard destroying varmints.;
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Make Your Yard Undesirable
To help prevent mole invasions from occurring in the first place, start by making your yard unappealing to them.;;Kill grubs and insects. The main reason that moles invade your yard is to search for food. Their primary food sources are earthworms, grubs, and lawn insects. If no food is available, they wont find your yard attractive. To help limit the moles food supply, use products labeled to control grubs, ants, mole crickets, and other lawn insects.;Dont water too much. Moles like soft, damp earth, so avoid over-watering your lawn and keep it on the dry side to limit mole and earthworm activity. Remember: Most lawns only need 1 inch of water per week from either an irrigation system or rain to stay healthy, and this will also help limit mole activity.;Apply repellents. You can also use mole repellents to make your yard undesirable to the furry, tunneling pests. Tomcat® Mole & Gopher Repellent Granules or Tomcat® Mole & Gopher Repellent Ready-To-Spray are a convenient, non-lethal way to remove moles from your yard. Moles despise the smell and taste of its active ingredient, castor oil, and will relocate elsewhere. Mole repellents should be reapplied to your yard monthly while moles are active in order to stop them from reinvading your yard.
Create An Unfriendly Environment
Moles dont like to live in disruptive areas. This is good news for you since it means getting rid of them can be as easy as creating an unpleasant environment.;
To do this, purchase a sonic spike from your local home and garden store and insert it into the ground in your garden. This spike will use electronic pulses to create irritating sounds that encourage the moles to go elsewhere. Dont worry, though – you wont be able to hear or feel the electronic pulses.;
Pros: Easy, affordable
Cons: May not be as effective as other solutions
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More Ways To Get Rid Of Moles And Gophers
If other methods fail, you may opt for the most aggressive approach. The most effective way to control moles and gophers is with traps or poisons that result in the death of the creatures. If you use poisons or chemicals, be sure to follow the product directions carefully and keep pets and children at a safe distance. Chemical repellents and poisons are hazardous to pets and children in and around the treated area.;
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What Is A Mole
You usually wouldnt see a mole scurrying about the yard as they are nocturnal and spend most of the time underground. If you do see holes around your yard, thats a pretty good sign of mole activity. These shy lawn pests are rarely seen, but youll know if its a mole when it has:
- Velvety fur
- Narrow nose, like a snout
- Tiny body, 4.4 to 6.25 inches in length
What moles eat: Moles are insectivores, feasting on grubs, insects, and earthworms .
Mole hills and tunnels
Mole hills look like little volcanoes. Mole hills, also called mole mounds, are a symmetrical and circular mound of dirt that leads to an underground network of tunnels.
Ever see the movie Tremors? Well, mole tunnels can make it seem as if you have some of those nasty monster worms roaming your yard. Their underground tunnels cause raised ridges on your lawn and serve a dual purpose: Tunnels are how moles hide from predators and how they hunt. There are two types of mole tunnels:
Surface runways, slightly raised and brown streaks that dont have grass, that indicate the tunnels just under the topsoil.
Deep tunnels, usually 3-feet underground, are like complex homes. These include a food storage area and bathroom areas. You can identify them by the mole tunnel entrance and exits.
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Recognizing And Preventing Mole Infestation
