How to Get Rid Of Moles And Voles In Your Yard

For their diminutive size, moles and voles can be incredibly destructive.

Moles and voles can decimate a well-tended lawn or garden, leaving unsightly tunnels and dead plants in their wake. There are many solutions for ridding your yard of these destructive vermin; the one you choose depends on which pest is the problem, how comfortable you are with killing the pest, and how much work you want to put into the effort. You may also have to turn to more than one solution, depending on how much success you have with your first effort. In any case, take action at the first sign of tunneling or holes; the damage adds up quickly.

Things You'll Need

• Scissor-type kill trap
• Thick plastic bags
• Tube-type live trap
• Castor oil
• Dish soap
• Watering can
• Spring-loaded mousetrap
• Cage-style live trap
• Nesting box

Instructions

Identification

1. Check your yard for tunnels. Significant furrows above tunnels in the lawn, with the occasional mound of dirt, indicate mole activity. Smaller furrows and the presence of many holes are evidence of voles at work.

2. Inspect your plants for damage. Moles are insectivores that eat grubs and earthworms and mostly damage lawns, by tunneling through the root systems. Voles are herbivores that eat bulbs, grass and will even feast on tree bark, leaving a signature "girding" ring around the base of the trunk.

3. Identify the pest. You are more likely to see a vole than a mole, because moles spend most of their time underground. Voles will travel above ground, especially when there is snow to partially conceal their movements. Moles have paddle feet and long snouts; voles are smaller and look similar to mice.

Eradicating Moles

1. Set a scissor-type kill trap. Locate an active tunnel by flattening the tops of visible tunnels; if one is raised again in a day or two, it’s active. The jaws of the trap are simply pressed down into the tunnel, so that they open perpendicular to the walls of the tunnel. Pushing the top down sets the trap. The top pops up when the prey is caught. Dispose of the body in the trash after double-bagging it in thick plastic bags.

2. Live-trap the mole if you’re opposed to killing it. Dig down into the tunnel, placing the trap so that the mouth is open to the runway of the tunnel. Cover the trap with dirt and check it every day. When the indicator is tripped, remove the trap and mole. Release the animal as far away as practical, in a wild area such as woods or a large field.

3. Repel the mole if you don’t want to deal with a body. Moles have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and they will vacate any area that contains a strong odor they find offensive. Mix a cup of castor oil in a gallon of water, and add about 2 tablespoons of dish soap. Stir well, and use a watering can or sprayer to spread the mixture across your yard and along any tunnels. Reapply on a monthly basis and after it rains, to ensure the mole does not return.

Eradicating Voles

1. Trap a vole with same spring-loaded trap used for mice. Place the trap perpendicular to an active vole tunnel, and bait it with a piece of cracker or apple chunks coated with peanut butter. Cover the trap with a box to ensure that pets and small children don’t disturb it. Once the trap is triggered, bag the body and trap and dispose of them in the trash.

2. Live trap a vole with a cage-style live trap, baited with the same bait you would use in a kill trap. Place the trap alongside an active tunnel until you catch a vole. Release the vole as far away as possible. Wash the trap out, bait it, and set it out again, because chances are good that you have more than one vole in your yard.

3. Introduce predators. Outdoor cats will readily hunt voles, just as they would mice. You can also introduce small snakes, or attract owls or other large birds of prey by placing a large nesting box or crossbeam about 15 feet up in a tree.

Tips & Warnings

• Always wash your hands and wear clean gloves anytime you handle or set a trap. Both moles and voles have excellent senses of smell and will detect and avoid a human scent.

• The best time to trap moles is in spring and fall; the best time to trap voles is in early spring, before they begin breeding and become a bigger problem.

• Poison bait is usually not an acceptable or wise way to deal with your mole or vole problem. The bait can be discovered and consumed by dogs, cats and small children, and poison bait left in place can eventually be washed off into water supplies.

References

• Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Effective Mole Control
• Pennsylvania State College of Agricultural Sciences: Moles

Resources

• "The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth-Friendly Way"; Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara W. Ellis, and Deborah L. Martin