The Best Mole Removal

Moles, while cute when out of the ground, wreak havoc on a backyard and garden, burrowing holes and creating divots in the yard, killing grass and other plants and eating things in a garden. They are often enemy number one for landscapers or people who care deeply about the look of their back yards. There are a number of ways to get rid of them, some which entail, trapping or killing them, but others which will just be a natural diversion. If these don't work, an exterminator is probably the best bet.

One way to get rid of a mole is to build a homemade trap which will capture it and not harm it at all. Dig down into one of the mole's burrows, but try not to cause too much damage as you do this, otherwise the mole won't return and fall into your trap. Dig out enough below the burrow to put in a coffee can or large jar, so that the top of the can or jar is level with the bottom of the mole's tunnel. Then cover the tunnel with whatever is best to keep light out--a board, cardboard, a potted plant--and then check the trap regularly. The mole will hopefully crawl along, not know the burrow suddenly has no floor and fall into the jar or can, unable to get out.

If building a trap doesn't seem to work or is too much of a hassle, then try flooding them out. This will kill many moles and any young they might have inside but it will flush the tunnels if done correctly. The most important thing to find is the main, active mole hole, the one they use as the primary pathway for all the other tunnels. If you put the hose into one of the small mole tunnels, it will simply flood those until the earth around it collapses and blocks off the flooding of the other tunnels. By finding the main tunnel, or putting multiple hoses into your backyard, the moles' underground causeways will be destroyed and they will have no choice but to come out to escape from drowning.

Skunk lilies, or chocolate lilies, are plants which have rather attractive orange flowers which grow on them with terrible smelling bulbs that mirror the smell of a skunk. This stench is overpowering to moles and will quickly make them leave the area. It's also not the most attractive smell to anyone lounging in the backyard, so if planting these is an option, it should be done on the corners of the yard as a sort of perimeter for any moles or other animals that are considering venturing in to it. Garlic is also another strong smelling deterrent to moles and can be planted alongside the skunk lilies to try and help mask the smell.