You have a beautiful lawn, then you notice mole trails of grass and dirt pushed up into mounds that start to ruin the picturesque setting. Although a few moles can be good for your lawn because they aerate the dirt and don’t stay in one place for too long, excessive moles can cause problems with irrigation and uprooting plants. If you have a problem with moles and must get rid of them here are a few helpful tips that are economical and humane as opposed to just killing them.

- Shovel blocking

Walk over the entire mole trail slowly, one step at a time. Take short steps and be careful to push the grass and dirt back into its original position. The lawn should be level when you are done. Moles are blind, but they have an extremely high sense of hearing and smell, so excessive movement can scare them away. Periodically scan the lawn for signs of the mole’s return (*Tip* Moles tend to eat during the morning, noon and evening). When you see an old trail being expanded or a new trail being formed, silently inspect the end of the trail for a slight movement of the grass as the mole works at the end of the trail. When you notice active movement in the dirt, enclose a section of the trail with two shovels. This should trap a live mole. Throw a trash can or large bucket over the trapped mole, scooping it up and transporting it away from your lawn.

- Natural repellent

Spraying a repellant solution throughout your lawn that will naturally incentivize moles to find a new home. Prepare a solution of castor oil, dishwashing soap, and cayenne pepper. Dilute it with warm water. Spray this mixture over and in the mole’s tunnels. Optionally, use a water hose to flood the tunnel with the solution. The soap will cause the castor oil and cayenne pepper to stick to moles’ skin, which will send an itching and burning sensation to them and cause them to leave.

- vibration repellent

Put garden wind spinners along mole trails and at their entrance holes. They cause the ground to vibrate and moles hate the movement. This will cause them to move to a more peaceful location.
- Other steps

1) Keep pests down.

Moles are attracted to bugs. Especially grubs, so make sure you are implementing a pest control system around your home including spreading granules to kill the grubs.

2) Avoid having a soggy lawn.

Moles are drawn towards the wet ground, so avoid over-watering your lawn.

3) Keep your grass cut.

Tall grass makes it difficult to see when and where the moles are working. The best time to scan a lawn is around noon.
Feel free to contact Complete Home Services to help with all your lawn care needs.

VistaScapes is a Complete Home Services division providing Landscape Design, Installation, Maintenance, Fertilization, Sod Installation, Turf Seeding, Mulching, Lot Cleanup, Erosion Control and Retaining walls. Serving Union County Georgia, Fannin County Georgia and Towns County Georgia. For your Home Maintenance needs visit our Complete Home Services website at www.CompleteHomeServicesUSA.com