How To Get Rid of Moles Without Using Harsh Chemicals?

  • By: TheWalledNursery
  • Time to read: 6 min.
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If you have moles on your property, you don’t need to hurt them using harsh chemicals.

Instead, there are plenty of natural methods to get rid of moles:

  • you can use natural repellents
  • remove their food sources
  • add sonic spikes
  • and plant flowers that they dislike
How To Get Rid of Moles Without Using Chemicals
Getting rid of moles without chemicals

Overall, there are many ways to deal with moles without hurting them!

All of the below methods drive away from the rodents humanely.  

Why Should I Use Natural Methods To Repel Moles? 

Moles are an essential part of our ecosystem!

They’re great for aerating soil, providing areas with more drainage, and even eating harmful insects.

However, they can cause damage to your yard if there are a lot of them. 

You won’t want to apply harsh chemicals to your yard, especially around a garden.

Use Natural Methods To Repel Moles
Using natural methods to repel moles

The chemicals can seep into the earth, where your plants absorb them.

Plus, many chemicals kill the moles, which isn’t humane. 

Instead – Dealing with the moles naturally is best! You won’t put your property at risk, and the moles should leave of their own accord. 

How Do I Remove Moles Without Chemicals? 

There are several ways to remove moles without having to use harsh chemicals.

If you enjoy gardening, making a few minor adjustments should make the moles leave.

Here’s what you can try.

Apply a Natural Repellent 

You’ll see molehills pop up when you have a serious mole infestation in your yard.

They won’t be close to each other and look like a tiny volcano.

Moles natural repellent
Remove moles without chemicals

Moles have very sensitive noses because they don’t see well, making strong, natural repellents very effective! 

Castor oil is a great option.

Moles avoid it, so they’ll leave your yard if you apply it.

Here is the process to follow:

  • Start by mixing one part dish soap and three parts castor oil together.
  • Then, take four tablespoons of the mixture and add it to a gallon of water. This process makes enough for you to reapply the castor oil often. 
  • Soak the molehills and tunnels with the mixture. The moles will smell it through the ground as they travel those tunnels and start avoiding those areas.
  • You’ll need to reapply it every week until all of the moles have left. This method works best when you’re consistent with applications. 

Remove Mole Food Sources 

Next, you can remove the moles’ food sources.

getting rid of moles
Remove mole food sources 

They’ll look for it elsewhere and abandon your property if you do. 

Moles eat grubs and worms.

If you remove all of the insects, they’ll relocate. Moles don’t eat plants and are strictly carnivores, so you won’t have to uproot your garden. 

To Kill the Grubs – You can add beneficial nematodes to your yard. Nematodes are tiny worms that release bacteria that kill yard grubs.

You can find beneficial nematodes in liquid solutions that spray on your yard. 

While the nematodes won’t hurt the moles, they will kill grubs.

When all the insects underground are gone, the moles will have no choice but to leave your property. 

Try Sonic Spikes 

Sonic spikes also don’t harm the moles but will drive them away.

You can find them easily at lawn and garden shops- and they’re straightforward to use! You need to put them on the ground and turn them on. 

The spikes emit sounds or electronic pulses that humans can’t sense.

However, these emissions are extremely annoying to moles. The sounds cause the moles to retreat and avoid returning to areas with spikes. 

You’ll want to make sure you have the sonic spikes spaced evenly around your property.

If you don’t, the moles could all move to one area in your yard, where they can’t hear the spikes. 


Finally: If you’re going to try the sonic spikes, read reviews for the product online! You want to know it works well before purchasing it. 


Plant Flowers Moles Dislike 

Additionally, you can plant flowers that moles hate!

If you already enjoy gardening, this won’t be too much hassle. 

Marigold flowering
Marigold flowers

Moles dislike the way that daffodils and marigolds smell.

Planting these flowers around your property deters the moles while making your space more beautiful!

Moles are most active in the spring and summer, so you should have no problems planting these flowers. 

Why Do Moles Like My Yard? 

If moles keep returning to your yard, there’s a reason!

If you can deal with it, they won’t keep coming back. It would be best if you didn’t have to use harsh chemicals. 

moles keep coming back
Moles like cool soil

There are two main reasons why moles love your yard:

  1. They love insects! If your property has tons of grubs and worms underground, moles will move in to eat them. Moles build their tunnels around locations with the most grubs, so you might be able to see where that is. 
  1. Moles like cool soil. It helps them control their body temperature and is easier to dig than dry, crumbly dirt. If you have a lot of shade over your property, the ground stays a lot cooler during the day, making it more suitable for moles.  

However, you probably won’t want to cut down all your shade-providing trees!

Instead, deal with the moles by removing their food sources.

Even if the soil is perfect for them, they won’t stick around if they can’t find any food. 

Can I Trap Moles? 

You’ll only have one or two moles living on your property most of the time.

These creatures are very solitary and will avoid each other. That makes it possible to trap them and move them to a distant location humanely. 

First – You’ll need to locate active tunnels. You can do this by pushing on the tunnels to flatten them. If they pop back up by the next day, that’s an active tunnel where moles pass through often. 

A humane mole trap works by letting the mole in but not out.

You will need to dig up part of the ground where the tunnel is, place the trap inside, then check it in a day or two.

The mole will walk into the trap, where you can take it away. 

When you release the mole, make sure it’s not near anyone else’s home! 

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of natural methods to get rid of moles:

  • you can use natural repellents
  • remove their food sources
  • add sonic spikes
  • and plant flowers that they dislike

We recommend using a natural repellent such as Castor oil to get rid of moles effectively and safely.

Moles have very sensitive noses because they don’t see well, making strong, natural repellents very effective! 

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