How to get rid of moles on a site, the most effective method

Many summer residents, encountering moles for the first time, initially ignore the problem that has arisen before them. It would seem that a small number of quite cute animals on the site is a temporary phenomenon and not particularly dangerous. However, people with experience immediately correctly assess the threat: they do not even need to wait until they begin to multiply in flower beds, beds and lawns. They immediately begin to think about how to get rid of moles on the site and what is the most effective method? Perhaps you even prepared ahead of time to get rid of moles? Then this article will be interesting to them.

We will not describe in detail the inconvenience caused by moles, but will move on to the main most effective ways to get rid of moles on the site. Here the structure of the article will be built on the principle of increasing efficiency: it is in accordance with this gradation that we will move from amateur methods of exterminating moles to professional ones.

Note that those animals that have already appeared at the dacha must be destroyed. To prevent the appearance of moles on the site, it is necessary to install repellents around the entire perimeter or build special fences that moles cannot overcome.

Traps, or first methods

The first thing that almost every summer resident can think of doing is creating special devices for catching moles. Let's analyze the two most common and effective (in the context of comparison with “analogs”) options. Note that we are not talking about how to completely get rid of moles on the site, but only about how to reduce their number. Methods:

Pit

"Pit". If you dig up a wormhole, you will find a certain “hole” in it, where you need to place a pre-prepared pan, glass jar, bucket or even a five-liter plastic bottle. It is important that the edges of this “trap” are located just below the level of the passage and are masked with rollers of earth. Also, the entire excavated area will need to be covered with light-proof material (you can use thick fabric or a regular board: there are endless options here). Accordingly, during the next “check” of the move, the mole will find itself in a trap, from which it will subsequently not be able to get out on its own.

Pipe trap

Pipe trap . You can create a more intricate design. Take a two-liter plastic bottle, cut off the bottom and neck and replace them with valves that are made from the necks of other bottles; they should be directed towards the center of the main one. The necks must be cut lengthwise into petals about a centimeter in size; subsequently they will easily bend under the weight of the animal and let it inside, after which they will immediately return to their original position. Accordingly, the animal will no longer be able to get out. Such traps can be made not only from plastic bottles, but also from steel pipes; then the valve will need to be made analogous to a “door” that opens only in one direction. You will need to set the trap on the mole's turn; It is also important to cover it with a light-resistant material.

It is necessary to check the set trap regularly: at least once a day (preferably more often). Having discovered a mole in it, you can take it out of the way and release the animal “to the wild.” However, you need to take it out carefully: it is advisable to use special construction gloves.

An interesting point: sometimes even experienced summer residents who do not want to think about how to get rid of moles on their property and look for the most effective method use an ordinary shovel. However, we do not recommend such a technique, which involves a long “wait” for the animal to appear, due to its labor intensity and low efficiency.

On the hook

It is worth noting another simple alternative solution, which for some has a “fatal” flaw: it is quite brutal. We are talking about catching animals with fishing hooks. To do this, you will need to lay out a fishing line with several hooks (or use a fishing tee), bringing its end to the surface and attaching it to a pin or stick stuck in the ground (they must be stable). To enhance the effect, you can put a worm on the hook, and use bells as an “alarm”, hanging the latter on a pin. Accordingly, the moving mole, having caught on the hook, is literally “torn to pieces.”

The benefits and harms of moles

Moles, if they carry out their life activities in natural conditions, are extremely beneficial, since they are not able to harm nature, although they cannot do without the death of individual plants. They make the soil looser, and also raise layers rich in humus closer to the surface. The remains of plants that are on the ground find themselves in more favorable conditions for conversion into humus. Thanks to the presence of mole holes in the ground, the soil is saturated with oxygen and drainage is also improved.

Naturally, when digging their holes, moles damage the root system of plants. If these are natural plants, then you should not expect negative consequences from this, but if these are cultivated plants planted in the garden, then the mole can cause significant harm. From its vital activity, you can lose part of the harvest, and the furrows from the passages spoil the overall landscape.

Popular amateur methods of repelling moles

Let us immediately note that the effectiveness of using any “folk” means of fighting moles - and especially repellent ones - is in great doubt. Often, such methods, which serve as an answer to the question regarding how to get rid of moles on a site , do not lead to the desired result: even if it is possible to scare off most of the animals, a certain number of them remain as regular visitors to the summer cottage. However, trying to cover the topic as broadly as possible, we will describe the most common and rational ways to scare moles away from a site without the use of professional means; Let's do it in the form of a list:

"Turntables." The most classic way involves creating the so-called. “pinwheels” - special “devices” that can be made from ordinary bottles or cans. All you need to do is bend the blades and install the homemade windmill on the stuck metal pin. Accordingly, at the slightest wind, the structure begins to spin and make sounds that can scare away not very brave moles. Naturally, the number of “turntables” should be quite significant, moreover, they can cause acoustic discomfort not only to animals, but also to people.
Reed. You can stick reeds and stems into molehills, since it is believed that such a sound scares away the animals; however, the effectiveness of this technique is minimal, but it is easy to implement.
Bottles. Another extremely simple folk method is to use ordinary glass bottles. The latter are dug into the ground at an angle of forty-five degrees - so that their necks stick out at a height of 7-8 centimeters. The wind blowing into the bottle will be “transmitted” to the ground. However, this method “works” in reality quite rarely.

We use electronic devices

The use of industrially produced electronic mole repellers is a simpler and, in most cases, a more effective way to get rid of pests on the site than using homemade products. However, the use of such devices already requires certain financial costs (the cost of devices in stores, depending on the quality and principle of operation, ranges from 800-5000 rubles).

The greatest effectiveness in repelling moles is shown by devices that generate not only sound, but also vibration, and in a random mode - with varying frequency, duration and sound frequency (an example of such a device is, for example, the mole repeller Ecosniper LS-997MR; the letter M in the name indicates for the presence of a motor in the device that produces vibration, and R – operation in the “random” mode, that is, with randomly changing switching intervals and the duration of sound and vibration).

On a note
Mole repellers of this kind in the form of columns buried in the ground are often mistakenly called ultrasonic, although they do not produce any ultrasound, generating sound signals in the audible frequency range. At the same time, the optimal sound frequency for scaring off moles is considered to be 300-400 Hz.
Ultrasound corresponds to vibration frequencies above 20,000 Hz.

When purchasing this or that repeller, you should keep in mind that the price more or less reflects the quality of the device: for example, Chinese mole repellers for 600-800 rubles often cannot withstand even one rain, or the battery charge from a solar battery is only enough for a couple of hours of operation in Night time. It is clear that getting rid of moles in a summer cottage using such devices will be very problematic.

The photo below shows several examples of battery-powered sonic mole repellers (usually one set of batteries lasts for 3-6 months):

And these photographs show examples of repellers with solar panels that charge the built-in battery during the day:

Review
“The moles on our site just went crazy in the summer. I bought two scaring pegs, although they are awkward, they did their job quickly. At first the moles began to dig less, and soon they left completely. They work normally."
Sergey, Moscow

And again, it is impossible to say in advance whether such a device will help in your case - testing is required. There are many positive reviews where even one post dug into a plot expelled moles from the garden literally within a day. But there are also cases when models of repellers considered to be quite effective did not allow getting rid of moles for the entire season.

Review
“Simply amazing! A neighbor installed a Tornado repeller, the moles ran away from it, their heels sparkling. Heaps of earth began to fall behind the fence, but there was not a single fresh one on his site. I took his Tornado from him, placed it at home, and the next morning there was a pile of earth in the same place, the repeller had been dug up, lying nearby, buzzing. How is this to be understood?”
Sergey, from correspondence on the forum

If you decide to test a sonic mole repeller in practice on a large plot of land, then it is useful to limit yourself to purchasing 1-2 products to begin with. And only when it becomes clear that the device really gives the required result and the moles near it have significantly reduced their activity (usually within a radius of 15-20 meters), then it makes sense to use the selected model on a larger scale.

Get rid of moles using scents

You can put rotten fish or meat and rags doused with gasoline or kerosene in the tunnels. The most common option is to put in rotten fish heads. However, there are two disadvantages to consider. Firstly, an unpleasant odor can spread throughout the area itself and cause trouble not only for moles, but also for people. Secondly, often the “reaction” of moles to such means of struggle is not migration, but, on the contrary, the creation of even more passages.
You can use a small container of ammonia. The latter is placed in a “hole”, after which it explodes using an ordinary firecracker. Accordingly, due to the pressure caused by the explosion, the smell spreads quite far. Of course, such a technique can hardly be called particularly “humane” (if this word can be applied to moles), since the spreading gas can negatively affect the health of animals. Another disadvantage of the method is that ammonia, being a volatile compound, disappears quite quickly.
You can place tops of legumes or hemp in the mole tunnels, but experience suggests that this method extremely rarely leads to the results of interest.
The most “cunning” method involves inserting carbide into the passages, which, when interacting with a liquid, is capable of releasing acetylene with a certain amount of phosphine. The last method of scaring off moles, however, can be harmful not only to animals, but also to people: extreme caution must be used here.

What is the difference between a mole, a mole rat and a water vole?

At the summer cottage, three animals are engaged in underground dirty tricks: a mole, a mole rat and a water vole.

The water vole is better known as the water rat or ground rat. Although this is actually not a rat, but an animal of the hamster family, due to its external similarity it is called a rat in everyday use. Often in the fall, during the preparation of supplies for the winter, this animal ends up in our gardens. That's when she begins to engage in sabotage. Chewed roots, tubers or plant bulbs are a matter of her teeth. If you notice that someone has gnawed the bark of seedlings or damaged the roots of trees, look for an earth rat in your possessions. Here and there mounds of earth appeared from underground passages - and here an earth rat could work.

Let's move on to the mole rat. The common mole rat is an animal from the order of rodents. It leads, like a mole, an underground lifestyle and, like a mole, it has undeveloped eyes (hence the name of the animal). This is where the main similarities between the mole rat and the mole end.

The mole rat is a herbivorous animal. He happily eats plant roots, tubers and bulbs. It also loves above-ground parts: stems and leaves. Its feeding passages are located deeper than those of the mole - at a depth of 20-25 cm, while for the mole it is only 2-5 cm from the surface of the earth.

In addition (and this is the main difference between the mole and the listed animals), the mole does not feed on vegetation, because he is an insectivore. Its main food is earthworms, so blaming the mole for the gnawed crop is wrong. He is guilty only of spoiling the appearance of the lawn or area, and of touching the roots of plants while making moves. In other cases, you need to look for other culprits.

How to get rid of moles: semi-professional methods

Naturally, semi-professional methods of fighting will be much more effective when compared with folk methods. As a “minimum” here we can designate special means and traps that are purchased in the appropriate stores. But it is worth noting that professional extermination of moles is much more effective and has a longer-term effect.

WE RECOMMEND: To guarantee the destruction of moles on your site, we advise you to contact our professional service. We will get rid of moles with a guarantee.

Checkers

One of the classic options is the use of smoke bombs, which can destroy moles. It is quite obvious that such a method of control can hardly be called “humane”: as a result of the use of special fumigants, animals die. Special destructive agents made from calcined cyanide and aluminum phosphide are quite effective; especially if you use them in sufficient quantities.

Ultrasound

If we talk about pure repelling, we can highlight special repellents and ultrasonic generators. The latter, having a negative impact on the hearing of moles, force them to go as far as possible. This technique is especially effective if you want to anticipate a problem; for example, when moles appear on one of the neighboring plots.

The most radical method involves the destruction of the moles' main food: if you treat the area with substances that will cause snails, beetles, larvae, worms and spiders to disappear, the moles will simply lose interest in this place. However, we note that such a struggle refers to the so-called. “last resort”, since it requires serious financial expenses.

Ways to fight moles

To date, many different ways to combat such pests have been invented and developed by man; the most effective and well-proven options will be discussed below.

Repellent

One of the most popular methods is to create conditions that will repel moles from areas where their presence is undesirable.

Devices serving for such purposes can be created with your own hands or purchased in stores, these include:

Electronic repellers, which are essentially microwave generators with frequencies that are elusive to humans, but audible to moles. They cause an indefinable feeling of panic and discomfort, which forces pests to leave human territory.
A wooden peg driven into the soil with a metal can placed on it will create a sufficient background noise to scare the moles and force them to leave their specific place.
A modified version of the previous method is the use of large plastic bottles, which are also placed on wooden pegs driven into the ground. Special blades are cut into the plastic, which allows them to spin in the wind, creating an even more significant noise effect.
Installation of homemade or purchased propellers around the perimeter of the site , which will spin in the wind and create the necessary noise.
A homemade electronic device, the basis of which will be a metal pipe dug into the surface of the earth. A sound element from a regular alarm clock, powered by replaceable batteries, is placed inside it. This will allow you to have a sufficient constant background noise even in the complete absence of wind. The top of the structure can be covered with unnecessary rags, which will make sound effects less audible to humans. You also need to put a plastic bottle on top to protect the homemade device from precipitation.

Poison

The use of poisonous agents is one of the most difficult ways to destroy moles, since they are exclusively predatory animals, which makes it impossible to kill them using bait with poison for this purpose.

If, nevertheless, it was decided to use toxic substances, then the following varieties work best on moles:

Aluminum phosphide. The most famous drug that contains it is Detia. It comes in the form of tablets that must be placed directly inside the burrows. Despite the fact that direct contact of the mole with the tablet provides every guarantee of the death of the pest, this drug has a number of disadvantages. First of all, this is a high level of toxicity, which makes the product dangerous for pets, as well as the lack of guarantees that the mole will even pass through the place where the toxic substance will be waiting for it.
Carbide compounds that make up Goodbye gas. It spreads inside the burrows, the main active components begin to interact with the soil, which causes a chemical reaction that forces the moles to flee so as not to die from poisoning.
Bromadialone, it is usually included in the composition of "Mole", which is available in granular form. Death is caused by the drug entering the digestive system of the pest; this does not happen immediately, but only after a few weeks. However, this product has a certain advantage, which is its absolute safety for the soil, plants, people or animals.
Brodifacoum is the main component of many products, for example, “Fighter”. Its main advantage is its versatility: after processing the area, not only moles will be destroyed, but many types of rodents, for example, mice or shrews.

Traps

There is only one type of mole trap, which has a number of different modifications and model options.

Most of these devices are not sufficiently effective for the following reasons:

Moving through an underground tunnel, the mole senses a foreign object in its possession that was not there before. For this reason, he will try to take a workaround or make a new hole to get around the suspicious place.
The mole's rapid movement underground is achieved by repelling with its massive paws from the earthen walls of the tunnel , which have a loose and rough structure, which is impossible to do given the peculiarity of the surface of the trap walls.

For this reason, only more expensive versions of traps designed to catch this particular pest can give at least some results.

Moreover, their design must have the following features:

Significant width, which is not inferior in size to the dimensions of the underground passage, which makes the trap less noticeable to the underground inhabitant.
The surface of internal walls has a special structure that makes them rough to the touch and similar to earth.
The presence of special reliable valves that will not allow the prisoner to break out and escape to freedom.

Traps

Traps are one of the most popular means for exterminating moles in summer cottages. At the same time, many people make them themselves, considering the design of these devices to be extremely simple and primitive, which is a big misconception.

The process of use and principle of operation are as follows:

If an underground tunnel is discovered, it is necessary to slightly dig the mine , focusing on the length of the trap being installed.
The trap is placed inside the mine, and then lightly covered with soil, which will be a natural way of camouflage.
Passing through the trap, the mole must touch the spring mechanism , which will activate the device, and it will immediately kill the pest.

However, such devices have a number of disadvantages that somewhat reduce their effectiveness:

A mole can pass right through the trap and not touch a single spring, therefore the device will not work.
The mole may notice a foreign object and use a workaround.
Idle traps are possible , especially often they react to loud sounds or strong vibrations.

Cats and dogs

Using pets to hunt moles is often one of the most effective ways to get rid of these pests, but the following nuances should be taken into account:

Only an adult animal can pose a serious threat to a mole. If you get a cat or dog solely for the purpose of exterminating pests, then it is recommended to take an animal that is ready for this, preferably having experience in such hunting, since self-training is usually a very difficult process.
While observing the underground passages, wait for the moment when the mole begins to move along them, and then bring the animal to this place, its hunting instinct should manifest itself. There is a high probability that after the first catch, the pet will get excited and continue exterminating pests.
If you decide to use cats or dogs for such a hunt, then it is not allowed to poison the pests with any toxic substances , since a poisoned mole can harm the pet.

Repellent plants

One of the most successful methods of control, the most natural way that guarantees complete safety, is to plant plants that these pests cannot tolerate.

First of all, these varieties include:

Scilla , which can also become a good decoration for a site thanks to its bell-shaped flowers with yellowish, white, blue or pink hues. The plant tends to grow, so over time it will cover more and more territory.
hazel grouse can also additionally have decorative functions; one low plant usually has 6-8 yellow flowers directed towards the ground. The secret is that its rhizome has a specific aroma, reminiscent of the smell of foxes. It will quickly spread through the underground tunnels, quickly scaring away all its unwanted inhabitants from the site.
The entire family of onion plants has the necessary properties to successfully get rid of underground inhabitants. Moreover, you can grow both ordinary garlic, which also has practical functions, and decorative varieties of onions that can decorate the area.
Marigolds are another type of ornamental plant that has a rather pungent aroma that can repel many pests.
Caper spurge has an impressive appearance, so it also works great for decorative purposes. The plant is an annual, but it is capable of self-seeding without human help, so there should be no problems with it. From time to time, you can cut off the stems, which will begin to exude poisonous white sap, which has a pungent odor, which is well captured by various pests who are trying to immediately move as far as possible from this plant.
Castor beans can repel any pests due to their poisonous properties, just like caper spurge. But due to the high toxicity of these two plants, it is not recommended to plant them in areas where small children or pets roam.

Using mole cleavers

Mole beaters are essentially a type of trap, therefore, they have all the advantages and disadvantages characteristic of these devices.

The only design feature that distinguishes them from standard traps is the presence of a sensor responsible for the operation of the device. Otherwise, the principle of operation remains the same: you need to find an underground tunnel in which the mole buster is installed, and then you just have to wait for the pest to appear.

Folk remedies

Since the problem of being close to moles has been known to people for a very long time, there are a large number of different folk remedies for getting rid of them, many of them are still relevant and continue to be used in practice.

Below are examples of the most effective methods:

Preparation of a kerosene-based solution. To do this, 100 ml of the substance is diluted in a bucket of ordinary water, the resulting mixture is used to treat unnecessary rags, which are then placed inside underground passages.
Naphthalene has a persistent and pungent odor that will quickly scare off all underground inhabitants, but this method has already lost its popularity, since this product has become difficult to obtain.
Castor oil is another good way to repel moles. It has the same smell and properties as caper spurge, but unlike it, it is much safer to use. It is enough to fill several containers and place them around the area, after which the result will not be long in coming.
Herring heads, which must be placed inside underground passages. The desired result will be achieved when they begin to rot and an unpleasant rotten smell spreads underground.

Is it worth spending your money, strength and nerves?

Getting rid of moles on your property or in a park area on your own is a difficult, unpleasant and painstaking task. The use of all kinds of baits, independently placed mole traps, and traps often turn out to be ineffective. Time is wasted, and the harm caused by these animals multiplies. A more effective way to combat moles that have appeared on the site would be to contact specialists.

If in the spring, when the first signs of the vital activity of these mammals are detected, measures are not taken to get rid of them, then in a fairly short period of time, significant damage can be caused to the design and ecology of the site. Getting rid of moles on your property in a timely manner is an important task, as these animals are rapidly increasing their population size. The number of dug molehills with characteristic mounds of fresh earth will increase progressively.

Ruthless fight against underground pests from Alexander Lisichkin

krot911.ru

Our reader Alexander Lisichkin decided to throw all his resources into fighting moles. First, he suggests using noise repellers made from plastic bottles on poles. For greater efficiency, place dog excrement in the holes at the same time. If these methods are unsuccessful, then you will have to move on to traps.

There are 2 types of traps:

Traps that kill animals.
Live traps - in this case the mole will live. However, you need to free him from the trap in time, because moles can survive without food for only 14 hours.

Alexander Lisichkin proposes creating a live trap. For it, take a plastic sewer pipe with a diameter of 50 mm. To make a trap, cut about half a meter of such pipe.

Now the entrances at both ends of the pipe need to be closed with doors. The doors can be made from the bottom and top of any tin can that is suitable in size. The height of the door should be approximately 5-6 mm larger than the hole, and the width, on the contrary, should be smaller.

Drill holes at the top, above the entrances, and secure the doors there with wire. Install the doors at a slight angle into the pipe. Thanks to this trick, the mole will easily enter the trap, but will not be able to get out of there: the door is larger than the hole, and the animal will not have the strength to “open” it to the outside.

Dig up the mole passage and set a trap in the tunnel. The mole, walking through his labyrinths, should not suspect anything. Then he will calmly enter the pipe, but he will not be able to get out.

The most effective method

Fumigants

Considering that these rodents lead an underground lifestyle, independent destruction of moles is an ineffective and complex process, which often turns into a headache for the owner of the land. In this regard, to solve the problem of unwanted underground guests, as a rule, they resort to the help of professional experts.

Pest control experts carefully examine the land plot and install special mechanical traps in different places, which are usually checked every three days until the parasites are completely removed from the cultivated land.

Use of magnesium and aluminum based fumigants

Fumigants are special chemical compounds that kill harmful animals with gas released. Professionals very often use fumigants to combat moles, since they are very effective in the fight against underground rodents. In the vast majority of cases, fumigants for controlling moles are special tablets that must be placed in holes according to the official instructions for the chemical preparation. The main fumigants against moles today are Magtoxin, Phostoxin, as well as some other, less popular ones. They belong to hazard class 1 pesticides!

ATTENTION!!! According to SanPiN 1.2.2584-10 “Hygienic requirements for the safety of processes of testing, storage, transportation, sale, application, neutralization and disposal of pesticides and agrochemicals.” POINT: 2.8. All work with pesticides of hazard classes 1 and 2 , as well as the use of restricted-use pesticides, is carried out only by persons with special professional training. Involvement in carrying out work using pesticides of persons who have not been trained in the safe handling of these products is not permitted.

Why fumigation is the best method

Let's look at the use of a fumigant using the example of the drug Phostoxin and Magtoxin for moles:

Under the influence of moisture, poisonous phosphine tablets will begin to decompose, and after some time the active substance will begin to react with water. This will lead to the appearance of gas, which is extremely toxic for moles.
By inhaling such a gas, the animal will receive severe poisoning, which leads to the instant death of the mole.
When using a chemical, it is imperative to follow safety precautions, since if used incorrectly, this drug can pose a danger not only to moles, but also to people.

Fumigants based on aluminum and magnesium have excellent activity. They quickly and easily penetrate the soil. The active substance of such drugs effectively destroys adult moles and their offspring. The effectiveness of such drugs has been proven more than once. This is the best way to get rid of moles on the site.

It is worth noting that magnesium-based fumigants decompose much faster than products that contain aluminum phosphide. The maximum concentration of the isolated active substance in chemicals with magnesium is achieved after 24–36 hours. For comparison, over a similar time period and under the same conditions (temperature 20 ° C and humidity 60%), products based on aluminum phosphide release approximately 72% of hydrogen phosphide, while magnesium phosphide is released almost completely.

Contacting the professionals of our company has a number of advantages:

specialists work any day of the week, they will come to your site upon request;
For their work, they use environmentally friendly preparations, as well as proven methods of catching moles
guarantee of high-quality work and the absence of moles in the near future;
the highest degree of safety for trees and plants growing on the site, pets and people.

How to expel moles from underground?

Fighting moles underground is even more difficult than in the cellar. This is due to the constant presence of people and pets in the house and, because of this, the inability to use poisons, gassing, fumigation and other methods, which result in the release of gaseous toxins into the atmosphere.

The above does not mean at all that you need to give up and wait for the moles to go away on their own. There are always options for dealing with moles. In this case, the best method is to use traps and snares. At the same time, the owner is always confident in the result, since he sees the caught mole and removes it from the underground.

Some homeowners believe that it is convenient to drive out moles from underground with electronic repellers.