How to get rid of moles in your garden?

Physical appearance

Moles have a hairless snout, their eyes and ear canals are hidden by fur, and they have no external ears. Their front paws are very wide with webbed toes, while their hind paws are narrow with thin claws.

These insectivorous animals are nearsighted, but they possess a keen sense of hearing, smell, and touch, allowing them to better adapt to dark and confined environments. They are also very sensitive to vibrations, enabling them to locate their prey more easily. Moles' natural habitat is the forest, but they also live in residential gardens, meadows, and farmland.

The molehills

In their natural environment or in large open rural areas, moles do not cause significant damage. On the contrary, they contribute to soil aeration, water drainage, and the elimination of plant-damaging insects such as larvae, scale insects, and slugs.

However, when they invade a garden and begin to create a network of tunnels, they can become a real nightmare. Indeed, by rapidly digging up to 20 meters of tunnels per day, these pests damage the roots of plants and even young shrubs.

The appearance of small, volcano-shaped mounds of earth and raised ridges is not always the result of an ant or mouse infestation, as many believe. In fact, they are often the most telltale signs of a mole infestation in a garden. These mounds, very unsightly for gardening enthusiasts, also contain small stones that can damage gardening equipment.

Are moles hemophiliacs?

Contrary to popular belief, moles are neither hemophiliac nor blind. While they do have more blood than average to compensate for the lack of oxygen in their underground environment, their blood clotting is perfectly normal once the bleeding has stopped.

Based on this false belief, some people recommend placing pieces of glass or rose branches in mole tunnels to injure and kill them, but this method is totally ineffective!

Moles prefer areas rich in insects and larvae, as they are insectivores and 80% of their diet consists of earthworms. Furthermore, these burrowing mammals are active both day and night.

They seek out areas where the soil is moist and loose to facilitate the construction of their underground tunnels. They are also attracted to areas where food is plentiful.

If your garden meets these conditions, there's a good chance these pests will infest it. In this case, it's essential to implement solutions to keep them away.

The best time to hunt moles

In winter, the mole does not hibernate, but burrows deep into the ground and remains relatively inactive. In contrast, in spring and autumn, it becomes more active and appears more frequently at the surface, due to several factors:

1. Start of the breeding season
2. Moderate temperature
3. Abundance of insects in spring
4. Digging new tunnels before winter

Natural and mechanical methods for controlling moles

Thanks to our expertise in pest and parasite control, we offer several effective solutions to keep these pests away from your garden:

• The wall or the fence: install a barrier at least 60 cm deep around your green space to prevent moles from entering it.
• Reduce watering: limit watering to the bare minimum and ensure good drainage to avoid excessive moisture in the soil.
• Eliminating weeds: this helps reduce the presence of worms, which are the main food source for moles.
• Install mole traps: place several traps in deep tunnels and check them daily to capture moles.
• Attracting natural predators: owls and certain domestic animals can be excellent allies in hunting moles.
• Use bottles: insert a plastic or glass bottle into each molehill; the noise of the wind will drive them away.
• Plant repellent plants: certain plants such as caper (toxic on contact), crown imperial fritillary, garlic, daffodils and hyacinths can keep them away.
• Place elder branches and garlic cloves in molehills for their repellent effect.
• Use bait to encourage moles to leave their tunnels.
• Apply castor meal: this natural fertilizer, rich in nitrogen, repels moles and fertilizes the lawn.
• Scatter dog hair in molehills, as its smell is unpleasant for moles.
• Install ultrasonic beacons: these devices emit vibrations of 300 to 500 Hz every 40 seconds and cover an area of ​​400 to 600 m². Solar-powered and autonomous models are available that operate day and night.

If you need professional assistance to get rid of moles, it is advisable to call on a pest control company.

Our RD experts apply treatments tailored to the level of infestation and the nature of the environment. We hold all the necessary certifications in pest control.

For more information, contact us ! We are available 7 days a week. You can also check out our pest control programs .