First of all, you should check whether your mole is actually one and not a vole.
Moles are protected. Setting life traps is therefore prohibited in any case.
Some devices promise ultrasonics. However, if this is only released above ground, you will most likely not achieve any results.
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Drive moles out of the garden
The ornament and pride of every garden owner is a dense and lush green lawn. It is all the more annoying when pests feel comfortable there and weaken plant growth. There are a few helpful remedies for pests, but not all of them are harmless.
The natural enemy of many pests is the mole (also called gauze). It eats wireworms, snails and white grubs, thus freeing your garden from other pests. On top of that, it is a sign of a very good topsoil.
Nevertheless, many gardeners are against moles, since the small piles of earth mess up the garden and damage many plants. Chasing away a mole is not that easy and if you look at the question “What helps against moles?” on the net, it doesn’t seem easy to find the perfect remedy for the mole.
Clear identification: mole or vole?
The mole (Talpa europaea) is wrongly labeled as a pest. Since its food consists of white grubs and wireworms, among other things, it is even very useful for balanced garden health. So moles are a good sign, because the animals only feel good in healthy, fertile soil.
For effective and targeted control, it is important to identify the burrowing animal.
Molehills are quite high and the entry hole is in the middle. If the heaps of earth come from voles, the holes are laterally offset. The churned earth material is also much lower and often contains root rests and other parts of plants that the vegetarian mice carry into their tunnel system.
The easiest way to clearly identify the mole infestation is to dig up the passage. If it closes again within an hour, the vole is the residents – it is interested in keeping their aisles closed and rushes to the problematic area. The mole, on the other hand, is much more comfortable with the necessary repair work.
Even if their hills don’t always look beautiful, moles in the garden are actually a good sign.
Mole is a protected species!
According to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, the mole is one of the specially protected animal species. It is therefore forbidden to specifically hunt and kill him.
If you want to drive away the mole despite its good properties, you have to harass the people of the earth until they voluntarily go to another garden. The following are helpful:
1. a constantly short lawn
2. certain odorants that the animals do not like
3. A lot of noise that finally drives the moles away
Molehills are primarily a visual problem for garden owners. They should be removed and leveled. If this method is unsuccessful, fragrances or sound equipment can be used.
Attention: Catching with live traps is also prohibited, as the animals often die in the crates.
Drive away mole with home remedies
Moles can hear and smell good. This makes them sensitive to some smells and noises. How to fight the mole of course:
Whey and buttermilk: the little mole obviously doesn’t like dairy products. Certainly not when these become acidic, as proven by butyric acid. As a good home remedy for moles, mix whey and buttermilk in a ratio of 3: 1, carefully remove the mounds of earth and pour one cup of the mixture into the aisle.
The bottle trick: If you can’t see well, you have to be able to hear well. Noises can quickly become uncomfortable. So the mole can be easily driven away with a bottle. Separate the bottom of some glass bottles – you can find tips on the Internet. They put them with the open ground in the passage of the mound and the wind does the rest. Like a flute, it creates a whistling sound on the bottle neck that protrudes from the floor, which is directed through the bottle into the passage.
Driving out moles with water: who likes to live in a flooded area and wants to build their house again and again? The mole, just like you. Continuously insert a water hose into the mound and rinse the passage with water and earth again and again. The process has to be repeated several times, possibly for several days. The mole eventually has enough of it and is driven out.
Plants against moles: Some flowers smell, others are more unpleasant. So the mole doesn’t like some plants. These include the lily, the imperial crown, garlic or horseradish. An infusion of peppermint or elderflower can also work wonders.
Alcohol drives away moles: No, the animal should not be made drunk so that it does not find its way home. The smell alone is enough. After a garden party, insert the empty champagne or wine bottles with the opening down into the molehill and with a little luck you will be successful after a party.
Natural enemies of the mole: Combating the mole with real natural enemies is of course difficult, since they can hardly be located in your own garden. But apart from the fear of being eaten by other animals, the mole doesn’t like humans or dogs. The presence alone can be enough to keep you from the mounds of earth. Tufts of hair in the aisles can help with stubborn animals.
Driving out moles with noise: Noise in any form is unpleasant for a mole. This can be generated by regular lawn mowing, a steel pole that is always struck against or by a rattling wind turbine. Owners of robotic lawnmowers have an advantage here.
Moles have a strong sense of smell and can be scalded with fragrances.
Scald mole with fragrances
Fragrance barriers can be effective because moles do not see well, but can smell all the better. Soapy water or a mixture of whey and buttermilk poured into the tunnels has proven its worth. Pressed cloves of garlic, dog hair, or plant java from nettles also disturb the sensitive sense of smell of the earth’s inhabitants.
Special rods are also available from specialist retailers, which are inserted into the soil soaked with herbs or oils. These scalding agents also serve as targeted prevention. The gases available also work: They do not kill the animals, but serve to scare them away.
Note: Make sure to distribute the odorants evenly in the tunnel system. Dig the passage in several places so that the mole does not raise any more piles.
In the case of the mole expulsion, hobby gardeners have to show perseverance: The measures only lead to the desired success if they are carried out regularly and over a longer period. Simply carry away annoying hills again and again, this disturbs the eager mole, so that it may eventually search for distance.
Mole trap – catch the mole
Many mole traps can be found on the net and it is advertised that the animals can be caught “without suffering” and then implemented. It is also often said that it is permitted to use live traps against moles. However, this is not true!
However, the mole is not a pest, but a beneficial one. Therefore, moles must not be caught, hunted or killed.
The live traps do not injure the animals, but they can die in them. It is also contradictory to say that the trap should be checked several times a day in order to cause the animal as little stress as possible. The mole is sensitive to noise and any digging out of the live trap would prevent him from using this area. “Stress-free catching” is therefore not possible.
Attention: The use of mole traps is therefore prohibited under the Species Protection Act.
Special permit for mole fishing?
Under certain conditions, which have not yet been sufficiently documented, a special permit can be applied for. The extent to which such an application is successful remains rather questionable, since there is no danger from a mole. On the contrary, one can even be asked to protect the useful animal.
When combined with water, carbide creates an inflammable gas, the smell of which is extremely displeasing to moles. However, the method is controversial and sometimes harmful to pets.
Drive the mole out with carbide
Calcium carbide has long been used wherever a flame was needed for heating or lighting. The advantage lies in the easy and fairly safe transport option, since calcium carbide is available in solid form.
The highly flammable gas ethyne only forms in combination with water. Contamination also releases ammonia, hydrogen sulfide (fermentation gas) and monophosphane, which cause a bad smell. This smell is said to drive away moles.
When using it, it should not be forgotten that calcium carbide is a chemical compound that causes skin irritation and therefore requires careful handling. The combination with water, which releases the flammable gas ethyne (colloquially acetylene), can lead to explosions.
It is controversial to sell moles with carbide or calcium carbide.
Note: Other pets, such as dogs and cats, do not like the smell and can be injured by carbide on the lawn.
The chance of fighting moles with carbide is very different. While many swear by it, the success of others is limited. The reason for this is certainly in the application. The fact is that moles do not like the smell and therefore evaporate. However, the use is only effective if it is used on the entire lawn. However, such an implementation is often very difficult.
Drive away mole with butyric acid
Butyric acid – really butanoic acid – gets its name from the strong smell of rancid butter. Since it occurs in the human body itself, it is largely harmless, but must be classified as an acid in larger doses and treated accordingly.
The extremely strong smell, which is perceived even in the smallest dose, is disadvantageous or advantageous in this case. A rag drizzled with butyric acid in a mole represents an insurmountable odor barrier for the mole.
Properly dosed, moles can be easily combated or driven off with butyric acid. The smell lasts a very long time and is therefore extremely effective. However, caution is advised with the amount used, since the human nose is also sensitive to butyric acid.
Drive away the mole with gas
The term “fighting moles with gas” not only sounds scary, it is also misleading. Of course, no toxic gas is fed into the molehill here, or even a flammable one is used and ignited.
Even if there is “mole gas” to buy, calcium carbide forms the basis here too. A look at the ingredients or the active ingredient is often helpful. The only advantage is often a sensible portioning and rarely in the addition of other fragrances that are intended to frighten the mole.
A so-called mole freak that only emits ultrasound above ground is hardly effective.
Drive away mole with ultrasound
In addition to a good nose, the mole also has good hearing and is very sensitive when its rest is disturbed. Ultrasound devices can be used for this.
Ultrasound is the term used to describe sound waves that are above human hearing at 16 kHz. However, many animals can hear these tones and classify them as unpleasant. However, this fact makes it difficult to assess such bugs and mole freaks. On the one hand, you cannot hear whether the device is making a sound, on the other hand, it can unintentionally influence other animals, such as dogs or cats.
It is also interesting to note that high sound waves propagate in a straight line, are reflected by obstacles, but do not penetrate them. For example, a bat locates its surroundings. However, a mole is under the ground and, to effectively impress it with ultrasound, the mole fright should be placed exactly in one passage and the ultrasound should be able to spread out there. This is difficult to do.
If you take a closer look at the devices on offer, you can see that there are two different versions and not always ultrasonic devices. The ultrasound can only be distributed above ground and such aids must therefore also be placed above the earth. However, a mole can hardly be driven away with it. As soon as he is underground again, he will no longer be disturbed.
Other mole defense devices are often referred to as ultrasound devices, but they are not. They generate a deep hum, which is far below the ultrasound at 400 – 500 Hz. Compared to high notes, low notes are well distributed in nooks and crannies and in the ground, since they set other solid bodies in vibration.
A good example of this is neighbor’s music, of which mostly only the bass (low notes) can be heard. High tones are filtered with every small obstacle and therefore do not have a long range.
Moles can hardly be driven away with ultrasound! The application becomes interesting only when the ultrasound is combined above ground with a humming / vibrating at about 400 Hz underground.
The particular advantage of this method is the possibility to use solar energy for this. A solar mole freak works permanently and can be used preventively without subsequent costs.
