Moles

1 Locate Existing Tunnels

If there are any moles currently living in your yard, the best way to repel them is to confront them directly where they burrow. Moles dig shallow tunnels when hunting for food and create deeper tunnels to travel to and from their dens. Causing discomfort in their homes and hunting grounds will drive them out.

Signs of mole tunnels include:

• mole runs: irregular trails/ridges of pushed-up soil about 3 inches wide
• molehills: cone-shaped mounds of soil about 6-24 inches in diameter and 2-8 inches high, generally found around the edges of fields and lawns

2 Choose Your Mole Repellent

The most effective mole repellents work by disturbing a mole's acute senses and making the underground environment uncomfortable for moles to live and feed in. Review the repelling options below to choose which option(s) are best for you.

Castor Oil Repellents

How They Work: Castor oil is an all-natural repellent that delivers a foul smell to a mole's tunnels and also coats earthworms to make them unpalatable. As a result, moles are forced to relocate from the protected area.

Castor oil repellents come in liquid and granular form, which are both equally as effective in repelling moles. The difference is in the modes of application:

• Ready-to-Spray Liquid: a concentrated castor oil solution mixes with the water from your hose, covering the affected lawn and garden and penetrating into the ground.
• Granules: biodegradable, castor oil-infused repellent granules spread across the affected ground and are activated by water from a hose, which sends the repellent deep into the soil.

Ultrasonic Mole Repellents

How They Work: Moles are nearly blind, so they rely heavily on their sensitive ears and sense of touch to navigate. Ultrasonic repellents press into the ground and release small vibrations and ultrasounds that irritate moles causing them to live elsewhere.

Ultrasonic mole repellents come in two varieties:

• Battery Operated: place anywhere; check and replace batteries as instructed.
• Solar Powered: place in sunlit areas; no batteries necessary.

3 Apply as Directed

To be certain that your repellents work as intended, you must carefully follow all of the instructions for use. Each step is critical to the functionality of the repellent. For example:

• In order to reach a mole's tunnels, castor-oil repellents must be watered into the ground for about 20 minutes immediately following application.
• After time, the repellency of castor oil will begin to fade. In order to maintain full repellency, the solution must be reapplied periodically.
• To prevent water from damaging your ultrasonic mole repellent, any battery compartment should be tightly sealed.
• A solar-powered ultrasonic mole repellent requires sunlight for the internal battery to remain charged. Place your repellent in an area that receives ample sunlight.

4 Reduce Attractants

Moles prefer moist and loamy soil, because it's easy to dig through and is abundant in worms and grubs. Making the soil in your yard less favorable will help drive them away faster, and keep others from wanting to take over.

• Use a lawn roller to pack down loose soil, making it less favorable to dig through.
• Reduce soil moisture by improving drainage systems.
• Avoid feeding cats or other wild animals on your property.
• Avoid over-watering your lawn to keep moisture levels down.