Moles vs Voles

Before we talk about how to get rid of garden moles from your yard and garden, let’s clarify the difference between these similar rodent-looking garden nemeses.

Since many people search online for how to get rid of skin moles, we need to specify that this article is about how to get rid of moles, the animal that can destroy lawns and gardens!

Voles and moles are often confused one for the other. Having similar sounding names, both are small gray furry rodent-looking critters. Moles and voles also both spend most of their lives unseen underground, so it’s no wonder there’s confusion between the two. Let’s begin with this distinction:

Voles are mostly vegetarian omnivore rodents; moles are insectivores.

What is a Mole?

Moles are insectivores. An insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. Moles are small mammals that live and burrow underground and eat insects along with earthworms and garden grubs.

An easy way to remember which critter eats what is to say that:
“Voles are mostly vegetarian omnivores, and moles are meat eaters, (grubs and insects).”

What is a Vole?

Voles are rodents. Rodents are mammals with a single pair of incisors in the upper and lower jaws that are continuously growing. Voles are sometimes called meadow mice or field mice and are actually in the subfamily Arvicolinae, along with lemmings and muskrats.^[1]https://icwdm.org/handbook/rodents/voles

Voles look like a cross between a mouse and a mole, as you can see in this picture of a mole, vole, mouse and shrew, shared from NorthernWoodlands.org, illustration by Adelaide Tyrol.^[2]https://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/shrew-or-mole-mouse-or-vole#prettyPhoto

What’s Eating My Garden?

The first thing to do is to try to identify what kind of pest is killing your plants or grass.

Get to know your furry intruder: What is it? If you don’t already know what kind of animal is disrupting your garden, finding out should be your first step. If you identify the creature you can learn more about their habits and behavior so that you can find the best solution to protect your garden.

Knowing what these creatures eat (insects, plants, worms, and such) can guide you to taking the more appropriate action. Both moles and voles may occupy tunnels but vary in their feeding habits. ^[3]https://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/wildlife/faqs/nuisance-damage/identifying-moles-voles-and-shrews

Photo Comparison Between Common Yard and Garden Pests

If you identify that your garden pest is a vole, you can find more on how to get rid of voles here.

YARD AND GARDEN MOLES

Do Moles Eat Plants?

No, moles are insectivores, not vegetarians, so moles don’t eat your plants. However, they can still demolish a crop overnight because they do dig tunnels that contribute to plant loss.

What do Moles Eat?

10 Common Mole Meals, listed alphabetically

1. beetles
2. centipedes
3. crickets
4. earthworms
5. insects
6. larvae
7. millipedes
8. snails
9. spiders
10. white grubs

Reportedly, moles favor earthworms above all other garden insects.

Okay, so we’ve already established that moles are insectivores, and that moles are not eating your plants, so how can they can destroy a crop overnight from the tunnels they burrow?

Have you ever found a garden plant shriveled up for no apparent reason? If you pressed upon the soil with your toe only to have the plant drop into a tunnel below, chances are it’s a mole tunnel. The effect is to leave plant roots dangling in the tunnel, dying as they starve for nutrients.

Anyone who’s ever lost a crop of lettuce or other garden veggies practically (or actually) overnight in this way will agree that these harmless appearing critters aren’t so harmless in your garden and yard, if you have a cultivated lawn.

Are Moles Bad for the Garden?

The good thing about insectivores is that they do help control unwanted insects.

The problem with moles is the collateral damage that occurs from their feasting. Moles are ravenous and undiscriminating prospectors. The garden is their perfect environment for the abundance of soil life and loose, moist, organically rich earth in which they can tunnel. and consume up to 70 to 100 percent of their body weight per day. Yep… per day!!!

Moles can range over an entire acre and consume an average 85% of their body weight per day.

“It has been demonstrated that if a mole was a 168 pound miner, he would be moving the equivalent of 12 tons of soil in one hour.”^[4]https://hartley-botanic.com/magazine/801409421-moles-can-benefit-gardeners/

Garden and yard moles are mostly solitary creatures who come together only to mate and (for females) to nurture their young in deeper burrows. Because of this high food intake, moles can range over an acre.^[5]https://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/wildlife/wildlife-nuisance-and-damage/small-mammals/wildlife-damage-control-5-moles So even one mole can do a lot of damage to your precious crops and grass.

Signs of Mole Damage

These peculiar mole traits give insight as to how to control moles in yards, gardens, and fields. Mole tunnels may — or may not — be visible, especially in rich garden soil.

Where we are in the woods with varied and sloping terrain and lots of leaf and wood chip mulch, a mole hole is easily camouflaged without close inspection with discerning eyes.

The follow drawing shows how moles dig their tunnels and nests. Some sections will have mounds, especially in lawns, and other areas will show evidence of surface tunnels.

Moles dig to eat and eat to dig.

Rows of Drooping Plants

Often, we find a drooping row of wilted plants and when probing beside them, we punch through into a tunnel. That’s a sure sign of a burrowing critter. If you pull up a plant and find the roots intact, then you have a mole instead of a vole.

Can You Restore a Crop After Mole Damage?

Sometimes, compressing the tunnels and applying water may resuscitate the plants but all too often the mole returns to feast on the AYCE (all you can eat) worm buffet. The battle for turf ensues!

As mentioned, crop damage due to moles is purely incidental to their voracious consumption of subterranean crawlers and creepers. Yet, in addition to the damage done directly, moles create perfect subways for rodents like voles, deer mice, and shrews–all of which do feed on vegetative material.

So, if you have a mole problem, you will likely have a rodent problem as a bonus. All the more reason to control moles from the get-go.

If you have a mole problem, rodent problems may soon follow.

Mole Killer or Humane Approach?

We love all creatures and prefer to employ humane methods whenever possible, such as catch and release traps (especially for mice) and deterrents and repellents, such as for moles, rodents, rabbits, and squirrels.

However, we get the INCREDIBLE FRUSTRATION of finding your hard-earned crops destroyed after all the time, effort and money resources you’ve poured into nurturing and cultivating your yard, garden and food crops. When your food supplies are tampered with, for many, it’s a time to wage war on the perpetrators.

We are here to share solutions, and while we prefer the no-kill options, we do not judge that as best for anyone else. Each must decide for themselves what’s needed most, all things considered in your circumstances.

So let’s begin with no-kill catch and release options, but first, a note about wildlife laws.

The Law on Mole Animal Control

In some areas, moles are protected by law and a permit may be required in order to use mole traps or other methods that dispose of them. Check with your local Ag. Extension agency or local wildlife office regarding restrictions, or search online, “are moles protected in [your state].”

Mole Traps… Do They Work?

Mole traps will often do the trick. It depends on the level of familiarity with the mole’s patterns and the how skillfully the trap is set. If the trap doesn’t do the job after two days, relocate to another tunnel.^[7]https://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/wildlife/wildlife-nuisance-and-damage/small-mammals/wildlife-damage-control-5-moles

If you have a mole infestation, you’ll want to set multiple traps and check them at least twice a day so that you can rest them to catch more.

Catch and Release Mole Traps

A more humane approach is to live trap the moles, using catch-and-release mole traps. Just be sure to check the traps at least twice daily, such as morning and evening, and preferably more if the trap are out in the heat, so the creature doesn’t die of heat stroke or dehydration.

Keep in mind that in order to be humane, the traps have to be checked often so as not to allow the creature to starve or suffer hypothermia. Also note, that once an animal is live trapped, there are likely legal restrictions, even permits, which may apply to your area as to how the animal is to be handled and released. A paper published by the Public Library of Science covers these aspects in detail. ^[8]https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=info%3Adoi/10.1371/journal.pone.0146298.s004&type=supplementary

Killer Mole Mole Traps

These devices look outright medieval in their design. They are basically spring-loaded impalers, chokers, or scissoring contraptions that are triggered by a pressure plate. As such, there are all kinds of warnings about handling and setting, so follow the instructions very carefully.

If you need a fast and final solution, we recommend searching for “quick kill mole traps“. Traps may be more complicated and hazardous to set up than some of the mole deterrent options, but desperate situations may call for more desperate measures when you’re at risk of losing your family’s food for the season.

Best Mole Traps Reviews

Best Catch and Release Mole Traps

Here are the two top rated catch and release traps on Amazon. We’ve used Hav-A-Heart traps for years, however, they are difficult to set because they’re too easy to trip. So we’ve used up our inventory of those and these will be our next catch and release traps to try as they have the greatest number of favorable reviews.

• CaptSure Original Humane Trap
• Kensizer Humane Live Animal Trap

Best Selling Kill Mole Traps

These are currently the best selling (based on reviews and ranking) killer mole traps on Amazon:

• Out O’ Sight™ mole trap
• Wire Tek 1001, Easy set Mole Eliminator trap

Mole Traps Reviewed by The University of Arkansa Extension Research

Here’s a quick rundown on the various types of mole traps and their pros and cons according to The University of Arkansas Research. Please note that several of them are considered dangerous and even excessively dangerous!😳

Home Remedies to Get Rid of Garden Moles

First and foremost, we gardeners tend to be practical. Whatever works works, right? In our research on how to deter moles from the yard and garden, we’ve come across many methods, both homespun and technical.

Some swear by these home remedies, along with a host of other remedies that folks say have helped them. According to some of the academic resources such as state university agricultural departments, many of these solutions are spotty at best.

However, a common theme in gardening solutions is that each situation is different. From how much is applied, how often and in what way, to the circumstance of the location and other available resources for critters.

Since what works for one, may not work for another, we’re including the list of things, many of which people in our community have shared as working for them.

Garden Lore for How to Get Rid of Yard and Garden Moles

• BB gun
• Bleach
• Broken glass
• Castor plants, AKA “mole bean” or “mole plant”, and castor oil products
• Chewing gum (especially Juicy Fruit)
• Coffee grounds – see also, using coffee grounds for plants
• Electronic sonic devices
• Engine exhaust
• Grubs – get rid of them
• Human hair
• Mole poison and bait
• Mothballs
• Owls – invite mole predators to your yard by installing owl houses. (Tip from Jenny Leigh)
• Predator pee
• Predators:
  • cats
  • chickens – Yes! Chickens will eat small rodents as well as ticks and other many other pests. (Tip from Faith McGrath).
  • dogs
  • good garden snakes
  • owls – invite mole predators to your yard by installing owl houses. (Tip from Jenny Leigh)
  • toads and frogs – (See also, what do toads eat)
• Sonic noise makers
• Straw bale gardening
• Traps
• Vibrating whirligigs
• Windmills – the vibration of these are said to deter moles.

REFERENCES:^[11]https://woodlandstewards.osu.edu/sites/woodlands/files/imce/0011.pdf ^[12]https://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/FSA-9095.pdf ^[13]https://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/wildlife/wildlife-nuisance-and-damage/small-mammals/wildlife-damage-control-5-moles

Sonic Noise Makers – Review by Late Bloom Farm Alabama

[The sonic noisemakers] have definitely helped. There are a couple of downsides [and upsides].

Cons of Sonic Noisemaker:

• you can hear them, and although I tune them out, they can be annoying
• you have to put them about every 6 feet for them to work, so my garden takes about 40 to be effective

Pros of Sonic Noisemakers:

• we have definitely seen a big difference in our mole population
• the spikes have lasted a long time for us despite being out in the weather all year

How to Make an Owl House – step-by-step instructions

But Do These Home Remedies Really Work to Get Rid of Garden Moles?

Chewing Gum – Not Proven, but Some Swear by It

Juicy Fruit is most commonly cited as being a mole favorite. My mother-in-law, would swear by the chewing gum, saying that after using it she didn’t see any more signs of moles.

Some say to place sticks of gum in the mole hole, others say to chew it and put the wads of chewed gum there, where the moles will eat to their demise, as they’re unable to digest it.

REFERENCES:
Scouring a number of extension service websites all say that chew gum is a myth because moles aren’t drawn to it.^[14]https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9440^[15]https://www.purdue.edu/uns/html4ever/1998/9805.Loven.moletraps.html

It makes sense that if moles are “meat eaters” (insectivores), that they wouldn’t be attracted to eat something fruity and sugary.

HOWEVER, some say that it has definitely worked for them. So just because something isn’t scientifically proven, doesn’t mean that it isn’t true!

Just because something isn’t scientifically proven doesn’t mean that it’s not true, unless it has been objectively studied and unproven. It could just be that it hasn’t been studied yet.

Castor Plants, Oil and Products

Last year, we used about 50 pounds of an “organic” mole repellent that had castor oil listed as its main ingredient. The instructions recommended a “thorough watering” after application. Sometimes, we got lucky and a hard rain came along. Other times, we set the sprinkler and let it run for a couple hours. We even punched holes in the tunnels neath our garden beds and poured pellets into the holes. We likely exceeded the recommended dosage each time.

And yet, while the mole activity abated, they kept coming back! Checking the Amazon ratings and reviews on this product, 25% of them are 3 stars and below. And one other consideration is that all the watering, especially the heavy rains, may have done more to curb the activity than any of the treatments.

How to Make Castor Oil Spray to Deter Moles

“Homemade spray- gallon sprayer of water, add 4 oz castor oil and 1 Tbsp dawn dish soap. I sprayed the perimeter of my garden and where I saw them. They don’t like castor oil.“
~Nancy Brandon, reader contributor

Castor plants are possible mole deterrent.

“Castor beans, also known as ‘mole beans’, are toxic to moles, which find them irresistible. Hence the plants are used to keep moles from damaging gardens.”

SOURCE: Library of Congress^[16]https://www.loc.gov/item/cmns001218/

Grubs for Getting Rid of Garden Moles

Most yards don’t have as many grubs as people think they do. Even if you did get rid of all the grubs, the moles will still be there because there will also still be plenty of earthworms for them to eat.

Putting down chemicals to kill the grubs also kills the earthworms which is something you don’t want to do. Mechanical traps seem to be the best way to get rid of them, aside from having a dog that will dig them up.
~Eric Pope

Mole Poison and Bait

Mole poison approach often combines the use of mole baits (like peanuts) laced with poison (like zinc phosphate). The effects of using a vegetative product which moles don’t consume doesn’t really make sense. However, certain poisons infused inside artificial worm and grub baits have been deemed effective by some users. ^[17]https://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/2014/09/getting-rid-of-moles-what-works-and-what-doesnt/

All poisons need care in handling and keeping away from pets, children, water supplies, etc. Also, state and local restrictions, even bans, may apply to your area.

Another type of mole poison is a gel injector syringe which places a glob of rat poison (Wafarin) into the tunnel. Theoretically, moles get it on their coat and being fastidious groomers, lick up the poison and die from an overdose of anticoagulant. We’ve seen some positive reviews and the product is available on-line.

There are also poisons and biocides which kill one of the mole’s food sources: grubs. These are pesticides and “organic” products like Dipel (Bacillus Thuringiensis) that do away with certain kinds of grubs. But some of the harsher treatments also kill earthworms and other helpful organisms that help gardens thrive. The effect of just getting rid of grubs could be the opposite of what you want. It can cause a feeding frenzy on earthworms and more tunneling into rich organic soil.

A reader shared that Tomcat Worms works for her. Apparently it’s a fake earthworm laced with the poison, Bromethalin, a neurotoxic rodenticide. It looks easy to apply and includes very clear instructions with photographs on the back of the box.

Unless you’re in NC, apparently. The front of the Tomcat Worms box includes a statement that it is not for use on the North Carolina Star-nosed mole.

Mole Barriers

We recently installed 3 galvanized metal garden beds, and according to a contributor, she’s not had any furry critters demolishing hers. It makes sense that while the moles (and voles, etc.), can climb a wooden raised bed, they cannot climb a smooth 17″ tall raised metal garden bed!

So we highly recommend metal garden beds.

However, if you have a small garden, particularly a raised bed, it’s possible that a physical barrier of 1/4 inch galvanized hardware cloth placed at the bottom will stop the mole and other rodents from entering the root zone. If there’s no frame, laying in L shaped lengths of the same 1/4 inch hardware cloth to run along the bottom and sides may work as well. We did this on a raised ‘lasagna bed” and it’s been effective so far.

You can see more photos of raised bed construction that includes mole barriers in our article on raised garden bed benefits.

Mole Control Naturally

Moles do serve a natural function in the ecosystem. Moles contribute positively to soil management and control of lawn-destroying grubs. They also control insects, aerate the soil, bringing organic humus down into lower levels while transferring subsoil closer to the surface where plants can more easily derive needed mineral nutrients. ^[19]https://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/wildlife/wildlife-nuisance-and-damage/small-mammals/wildlife-damage-control-5-moles

Natural mole predators include snakes, coyotes, foxes, weasels, and occasionally, birds of prey if they spy them above ground. Also, cats and dogs will go after moles as well. Mixed results can occur when Bowser starts digging channels and holes trying to locate one, and all the more disastrous if done in a garden bed.  When we spied several “good snakes” (non-poisonous) in the garden, we noted a definite drop in mole activity. Last year, the cat also nailed one, but seemed to think just a single trophy would be adequate for the entire year.

Get Rid of Garden Moles by Using Straw Bale Gardening – It Works!

We also adapted by using straw bale gardening in some sections. This obviously did away with any mole issues.

Straw bale gardening avoids plant loss from burrowing creatures like moles and voles!

Summary on How to Get Rid of Garden Moles

Before delving into any home-based or commercial tactics, check the facts and the ratings. We’ve seen many on-line recommendations for this and that. They especially crop up in the comment section. Hey, if they work, they work. Just be careful about wasting time and effort while the damage continues.

Some Work and Some Don’t

The bottom line is that what works for one, may not work for another. So of the options available, consider what makes the most sense to you and relative to how easy or difficult to apply it in your situation. For example, we wouldn’t want broken glass in our yard or garden soil lest it come back to “stab” us when gardening or walking outside barefoot.

Having surveyed our most reliable resources on the topic of moles, these are the main take-aways.

Summation on Best Ways to Get Rid of Garden Moles

If moles have come into your yard and garden, congratulations! It means you’ve done a swell job of enriching your soil so it can sustain them with juicy worms and luscious organic matter. However, if they destroy your crops, you’ll need to take action.

Favorite Ways to Get Rid of Moles

1. Cats
2. Dogs
3. Traps
   • Mole traps are the most direct and effective means of control.*
   • Mole poisoning can work but take all necessary precautions as directed.*

*Note: Legal restrictions may apply to these two methods.

• Physical barriers are the best mole deterrents if you are working a relatively small area like a raised bed.
• Predators (wild and domestic) can help with mole control, though there could be collateral damage.
• Beware of the home-spun remedies and gadgets that may actually delay taking effective action and allow more damage to occur, (and waste money).
• Repellents (like castor oil pellets) may prove effective but not reliably so.
• Co-existence is an option, and we can set boundaries and adapt how we garden.

Find more on how to get rid of voles here.

Once You’ve Get Rid of Garden Moles…

It’s a good idea to fill in any holes and trenches you see so as to discourage new critters from taking up residence, and also to help prevent tripping and ankle twisting!

What’s Working for You?

Please let us know your experiences with moles, in comments here or on the Gardens All Facebook page. Gardening like life, is an unending learning and growing process, so.

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY

Best Natural Ways to Get Rid of Garden Mole – Tips From Readers

Many folks weighed in with their favorite tips for how to get rid of garden moles from your yard and garden. It can be a passionate topic with people swearing by a remedy that another person says doesn’t work for them.

So as we said in the beginning, we’re sharing all of the options so that you can make the most informed choice based on what works best for your in your situation to get rid of garden moles and protect your precious plants!

Predators

• Cats
• Chickens – Chickens eat small rodents and many other pests. (Tip from Faith McGrath).
• Dogs
• Owls – invite mole predators to your yard by installing owl houses. (tip from Jenny Leigh)
• Kill Traps – see video below

Get a Cat

Get a cat. We had moles and voles destroying our yard. We got two cats. The female killed every thing. The male sat in a lounge chair on the patio and supervised.
~Linda Just Townzen

Dogs!

“My Siberian husky would lie next to their hole and grab them.”
~Jetrue Hudson

Juicy Fruit Works!

I’m in east Texas … I had them soooo bad last year, everywhere we walked you would sink! Honest, try original Juicy Fruit gum.

• Chew it (I don’t like gum! ).
• Locate the tunnels
• take a stick make a hole big enough for a 1/3 of the stick of gum.
• Take the gum roll it like a grub worm
• drop in the hole.

I started in one area working out ward. I will tell you it took about 3 big juicy fruit packs. It took about a month of mole hunting everyday monitoring the tunnels. However it worked!!!! Didn’t have to worry about poison with all my dogs and nature. This year, we’ve had a few, no big deal easily taken care of. Good luck!
~Patricia Schnelle

Mole Traps That Work!

When we asked Jenny Leigh if we could share her video of an effective mole trap, here’s what Jenny Leigh said: “Share away so others can learn. I wished I knew about this last year.”

My husband got a trap and I laughed but I have got so many the last couple of days and will be putting up owl boxes.

~Jenny Leigh, gardener, homesteader, in Valiant, OK

Video of a mole caught in a wooden gopher trap:

We hadn’t even thought of owl houses… what an excellent idea! So we’ve added that great tip to this article and have ordered some owl houses from Amazon. Or you can make them if you have the time, tools, and skills.

There are how-to videos on YouTube, plus we posted a how-to video earlier in this article, that was created by a crafty teen “engineer”. It’s under our list of mole riddance methods here.

Jenny said they got their mole trap, (AKA gopher trap) from Jailhouse Feed in Valliant, Oklahoma, but they don’t seem to have a website, so you can also get it from Amazon: It’s a DK 2 Go Getter Gopher box trap.

THANKS for these great tips and video, Jenny!  I don’t even know why we never thought of that!!! We got an owl decoy but the real thing is better!

If moles have come into your yard and garden, congratulations! It means you’ve done a swell job of enriching your soil so it can sustain them with juicy worms and luscious organic matter.

One Final Thought for How to Get Rid of Garden Moles

The final solution offered may not be seen as such: Just learn to live with them.

A number of people favor this approach, though their comments are often met with irate comments from frustrated gardeners who’ve suffered losses.

Many readers recommend dedicating a wildlife area away from your garden. However, the challenge we’ve had with this is that wildlife doesn’t understand and respond to such boundaries. They don’t understand “yours” and “mine”.

So there needs to be parameters to the “live and let live” relationships, that fosters a symbiotic coexistence toward an ideal biodynamic balance of pests to predators and beneficial.

In our garden, we made the moles and voles unwelcome by routinely crushing their tunnels within the garden perimeter. We allowed them to burrow under the worm-rich compost bins, but used a broom handle in our plant beds to poke holes into the tunnels and then drenched the area with water. By around June, we seemed to have achieved a truce.

Each year, it’s a new effort, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to be out in nature, gardening and growing our own food. The challenges are a part of life and we tackle them as they come.

Let’s keep on growing!