My father is a great man. He is kind and considerate, supportive and a role model. But I’ve never seen my Dad more angry than when he would head out to mow our front lawn Saturday mornings and in the middle of his nice, deep green, nutrient rich lawn was a giant volcanoe of dirt and sod from a new mole that had decided to raise his blood pressure a few hundred points. They have been the bane of his landscaping, gardening experienced and have at times, in his own words, ‘vexed my spirit’.
I remember vividly our wedding reception a few years back out on the front lawn of my parent’s home. They had spent weeks preparing the lawn so that it would look immaculate and it did. As we were sitting, eating dinner, having a great time, my Aunt started to feel something moving under her feet. Realizing that a mole was starting to burrow its way to the surface, she went into the house to grab a bowl to scoop up the mole and put him over the fence. As she came back out of the house with the bowl and the mole surfaced, screaming around the corner came my dad with our shovel and, sparing the gruesome details, he proceeded to send the mole to the gates of St. Peter. My aunt was shocked, my Dad triumphant, and the guests amazed at the Presbyterian Pastor they just say eliminate one of God’s creatures from the Earth.
But my father isn’t the only one who can sometimes struggle with loving these furry creatures that can ruin beautiful green spaces. So is there a way that humans and moles can exist together in a peaceful state, attempting to resolve all out war between the two species?
In an article from Garden Control we are left “with two effective methods of mole control, mole traps and sonic control.”
Moles eat between 60-200 earthworms a day and therefore, search out areas that are rich in nutrients and water, where earthworms most likely will reside. This describes the general front lawn population, creating a difficult situation for moles and humans. How do we keep our lawns green and beautiful without making it inviting for moles and earthworms?
As mentioned above, sonic control could be the most effective and humane way to deal with moles in your lawn. Moles are blind and are very sensitive to vibrations, which they use to track and eat earthworms. Sending sonic vibrations into your ground, therefore, can deter a mole from entering the area where those vibrations confuse them, without harming the mole in any way. Mole Control sells a Sonic Mole and Gopher Repeller that has 1/4 acre coverage for $34.99. The Repeller can be buried underground and is 100% waterproof and safe for your pets. It creates an electronic signal and the desired effect of the mole and gopher control will take 10 days to 2 weeks, and you will notice a lot more activity just before the moles and gophers evacuate the area.
This option could effectively and humanely moles from the areas of your property which you want to keep free of mole hills. If you don’t want to spend the $34.99, try taking to bamboo sticks and run duct tape or plastic between them in the wind, causing the vibrations from the plastic and wind to be sent down the bamboo sticks and into the ground.
More ideas on humanely eliminating moles from your lawn area? Leave comments below.