Moles can quickly turn a beautiful lawn or garden into a series of unsightly dirt mounds and twisted tunnels that make it nearly impossible to keep a healthy lawn. These small mammals dig elaborate tunnel systems beneath the surface, displacing soil and disturbing plant roots, often creating visible ridges and mounds across your yard. Their natural digging instincts may serve them well underground, but for homeowners, moles are more than just a minor nuisance. Our goal here is to explore how to keep moles out of your yard, help you understand why they show up in the first place and discuss both preventative strategies and solutions that can help restore peace to your carefully tended yard.

What Attracts Moles to Your Yard?

Knowing why moles are drawn to your yard is a helpful first step toward preventing them from invading. Moles are natural insectivores, and their primary food sources include earthworms, grubs and other invertebrates that live in the soil. If the soil in your yard has a lot of these creatures living in it, it’s a prime location for moles to settle. Here’s what attracts them the most:

• Abundant food sources. Moles thrive in environments where earthworms, beetle larvae, ants and grubs are plentiful. The richer your soil is in nutrients, the higher its insect population and the more attractive it is to moles.
• Moist soil. Moles prefer soft, moist soil that makes it easier to dig. Well-watered lawns or damp soil after a rainfall are particularly appealing to them.
• Low-traffic areas. Moles tend to avoid spaces with high human or pet activity. If there are quiet, undisturbed areas in your yard, moles may gravitate there.

Try to be conscious of these conditions on your property. It can help you keep moles away by minimizing their attractive features in your yard.

The Difference Between Moles and Voles

While moles and voles can both cause lawn damage, they are different animals with distinct behaviors. Mixing them up can lead to ineffective pest control efforts, so it’s helpful to know how to identify each of these problem animals.

• Moles: Moles have long, paddle-shaped front claws for digging, and their eyes and ears are often difficult to see. They create underground tunnels that lead to surface ridges and small molehills.
• Voles: Voles look more like small, chubby mice with short legs and a compact body. They don’t create underground tunnels like moles but prefer to create surface runways. Voles are more likely to chew on plants, roots, and vegetables, making them a bigger problem for gardens than for grass lawns.

If you’re noticing tunnels and surface ridges in your lawn without much plant damage, it’s likely a mole problem. For gardens with visible root and plant damage, voles might be the culprit.

Signs You Might Have Moles

Spotting the signs of a mole infestation early can help prevent more extensive lawn damage. Here are some telltale signs of mole activity:

• Surface ridges. Moles dig tunnels close to the surface, which creates raised ridges or lines across your lawn.
• Molehills. Moles push excess soil to the surface, forming small mounds or “molehills” often found near entry or exit points of their tunnel systems.
• Dead grass. Moles don’t feed on grass roots, but their tunnels disturb the soil around grass roots, which can cause patches of grass to die around their tracks.

Recognizing these signs in a timely way can help you begin mole-prevention strategies before they spread throughout your lawn.

Ways to Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard

If moles have already moved in, getting rid of them can require some persistence. Here are several effective methods to consider:

• Trapping. Using specially designed mole traps can be one of the most effective ways to get rid of moles. Place the traps at active tunnel sites to catch moles as they travel back and forth. Be sure to follow any local regulations regarding wildlife trapping.
• Repellents. Applying a mole repellent, often made with castor oil, can help drive moles away. Spread it across your lawn, especially in areas showing mole activity. The scent and taste are unpleasant to moles, encouraging them to leave.
• Home Remedies. There are several home remedies to get rid of moles in your yard, such as using coffee grounds or planting mole-repellent plants like marigolds and daffodils. These solutions can create an environment that’s less inviting for moles.
• Reduce Food Sources. Treating your lawn for grubs and other insects can decrease the food supply available for moles, making your yard less appealing.

Removing moles can require a combination of methods to address their persistence. Try out these solutions to see which work best in your yard.

How Can You Prevent Moles in Your Yard?

After taking steps to remove moles, the next step is preventing them from returning. Here’s how you can keep moles out of your yard:

• Apply regular repellents. Using castor oil-based repellents on a regular basis can help keep moles away, especially in high-risk seasons like spring and fall.
• Limit moisture. Because moles are attracted to moist soil, try to avoid overwatering your lawn. A dry lawn is less attractive to moles, and a consistent watering schedule can help prevent soil from becoming too soft.
• Install physical barriers. For garden areas, burying a wire mesh or hardware cloth a few inches into the soil can create a barrier that prevents moles from digging into these areas.
• Reduce insects in your yard. Lawn treatments that target grubs and other insects can reduce a mole’s food source, making your yard less appealing to them.

These mole-prevention yard tips can go a long way toward keeping moles out of the yard for good.

Home Remedies to Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard

Home remedies can provide a natural way to deter moles without harming your lawn or garden. Here are some commonly recommended options for keeping moles away:

• Coffee grounds. Spread used coffee grounds around areas with mole activity. The scent is believed to repel them, and it can be a good addition to your soil as well.
• Mole-repellent plants. Certain plants, such as marigolds, daffodils, and castor beans, are natural mole repellents. Planting them around your garden or lawn border can help keep moles at bay.
• Essential oils. Some people use essential oils like peppermint or eucalyptus mixed with water and sprayed around their lawns to create an unpleasant environment for moles.

These remedies are natural and easy to apply. They can also complement other strategies to keep moles out of your garden and yard.

Take Action Against Moles

Moles can wreak havoc on a lawn or garden, but there are many ways to manage and prevent these uninvited guests. From identifying mole activity early to applying the right repellents and implementing effective prevention strategies, you have options to protect your yard from mole damage. Lawn Doctor offers professional pest control services to keep your lawn healthy and beautiful and to protect your lawn from moles. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help with mole prevention and lawn care.