how to get rid of ground moles with dawn soap

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As an entomologist and pest control expert specializing in both urban pests and agricultural pests for the past 25 years, I'm going to show you how to get rid of moles in your yard.

Have you ever wondered, "What does a ground mole look like?"

It looks like this:

Believe it or not, a mole is not interested in your lawn or garden at all. Its main goal is to find earthworms, slugs, larvae, beetles, and other insects.

However, this animal creates numerous underground corridors and rams the root system of not only garden plants, but even bushes and trees.

As a result, your harvest dies and the flower garden gets destroyed.

So, what's the right method for ground mole removal?

I'm going to show you how to get rid of moles in your yard yourself — from my most favorite to my least favorite methods.

Got ground moles? They're CUTE... until they damage your lawn!

Read This First If You Think You've Got Moles…

Of course, the appearance of moles in your yard isn't an appealing sight.

For any pest, there are billions of control methods. But when it comes to animals, I urge you to be more humane. Whether you are getting rid of mice or dealing with ground moles, please don't kill them.

As a pest control expert, I've met with this misfortune many times — so let me explain to you all possible methods for how to get rid of moles in the garden humanely.

NOTE: The same method that can be effective for some cases might be completely useless for others. Often, it's a process of trial and error.

So, let's start from the very beginning….

Did you see a pile of raw land or a furrow on a flat lawn surface? This is the first sign of the mole presence.

Your mole mounds might not be this large, but it's not the size that matters... it's the ability of moles to dig up your yard and garden!

Why Do The Moles Appear In Your Yard?

Ground moles feed on earthworms. So if you see a mole in your yard, you can be both proud and upset. The animal traveled to your yard because it has the source of food that moles need — and that means the soil in your garden is fertile and good for plant growth!

The number of moles directly depends on the number of earthworms and soil fertility.

Moles are not entirely blind, but their vision is very poor. These small animals are distinguished by sufficiently large paws with large claws that help them to dig underground passages. They spend most of their life creating a system of tunnels just below the earth's surface.

They do not eat roots or bulbs, but they can dig the dirt around the roots, forming voids — so your trees and plants will cease to receive sufficient nutrition and may eventually die.

Also, these animals have a household. If you noticed a mole in your garden, be sure that this is not about one individual mole residing in your yard — it's about his entire family and their mission to remain fed.

Ground moles protect their territory, so there won't be another family of moles settling into your yard anytime soon.

Moles can actually be useful for your lawn and garden because they:

Dig up the soil at a depth of 50-70 cm — which leads to its active aeration, helping the roots grow deeply and produce a stronger, more vigorous lawn.
Make the soil expand — which improves the quality of soil in your yard over time (due to the moles constantly moving through their underground tunnels and digging new passages).
Save us from other annoying pests — since their diet primarily consists of earthworms and other insects.

3 Ways To Get Rid Of Moles In Your Yard

#1 – My Top Choice: Mole Repellers

Many gardeners use ultrasonic repellers to fight moles. The larger your yard, the more repellers you will need.

Mole repellers need to be stuck into the ground, following the instructions on the packaging.

The repeller is a great tool that scares ground pests away by emitting sonic vibrations at a frequency that is undetectable to humans… and harmless to pets.

Some dogs dig at the ground mole holes and mounds of dirt. Mine don't.

With repellers, the moles should leave your yard within several days.

Ultrasonic pest repellers can be easily found in stores and online.

#2 – How To Get Rid Of Moles Naturally

There are a few ways to get rid of moles using things you probably already have at home.

Some of the best home remedies for natural ground mole removal include:

1. Insert a water hose into a mole tunnel. This method may help to drive the moles out of their homes — but there's no guarantee that they won't return in a couple of days.

You can try holding a water hose into the ground mole tunnels - sometimes that works.

Do not use methods such as:

Broken glass (some consider it reasonable to bury it underground, hoping to harm the moles in this way)
Traps
Chemicals

Firstly, it is inhumane.

Secondly, these items can upset the ecological balance in your garden.

2. You can also get rid of moles naturally by planting more daffodils, garlic, and calendula in your garden. These plants repel moles by scaring them away with their scent.

Planting some Daffodils will help keep the moles away from your garden! (photo by aliarda Flickr)

3. One of the oldest proven home remedies for ground mole removal is to make your own castor oil mole repellent. Yep, just spray the soil with castor oil and Dawn soap!

Castor Oil for moles works pretty good when you pour it onto the mole tunnels.

Here's how: Combine 1 gallon of water, 7 ounces of castor oil, and 2 tablespoons of Dawn dish soap. Pour this mixture over the mole tunnels — or use a garden sprayer. (It will get the moles out of your yard quite quickly!)

#3 – Ground Mole Poisons

If the more humane methods of getting rid of moles do not work for you, the only thing left to use is poison.

Moles are known to feed mainly on earthworms — so you can use worms as bait.

Here's how: Collect some worms, cut them, and put a little bit of mole poison inside. Then, put the bait worms into the mole tunnels. (Talpirid and Tomkat are two worm bait kits that include fake worms and mole poison.)

Talpirid is an all-in-one mole poison and worm bait in one. (photo by Lynnette at TheFunTimesGuide.com)

Keep in mind… using poisons will also negatively affect your garden. If the mole doesn't eat all of the worms you placed and the poison inside, the baits will soon start to rot — poisoning the soil and the plants nearby. In the end, you will have more problems with the fertility of your soil.

The Bottom Line

Before you try mole poison, please try the more humane methods of ground mole removal first.

If you decide to deal with moles using the radical method of killing them, please consider calling a professional.

They will help you to choose the right poison that will least affect your soil and plants.

Still, my recommendation is to avoid killing lawn pests like moles.

From my personal experience, I can say that the other methods mentioned above will also work!

Nicholas Martin is an entomologist and pest control expert who combines insect survey work with consultation for private pest control agencies. He is ACE-Certified in the pest control industry by the Entomological Society of America, specializing in both urban pests and agricultural pests. He is also the founder of Pest Control Hacks.

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How to get rid of ground moles in your yard

Plants that keep moles out of your yard!

I like to help people find unique ways to do things that will save time & money — so I write about "outside the box" Household Tips and Life Hacks that most wouldn't think of. I'm super-organized. And I LOVE to clean! I even enjoy doing laundry (but not ironing). I'm also a lifelong dog owner — so I often share my favorite tips for living with dogs inside your home (like smart home design choices and dog-friendly cleaning & decorating ideas). Career-wise, I've been sharing my best ideas with others by blogging full-time since 1998 (the same year that Google started… and before the days of Facebook and YouTube). Prior to that, I worked in Higher Ed over 10 years before switching gears to pursue activities that I'm truly passionate about instead. For example, I've worked at a vet, in a photo lab, and at a zoo — to name a few. I enjoy the outdoors via bicycle, motorcycle, Jeep, or RV. When I'm not cleaning, organizing, decorating, or fixing something… you'll find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites). To date, I've personally written over 200 articles about cleaning, organization, DIY repairs, and household hacks on this site! A few have over 2M shares; many others have over 100K shares.