How do I get rid of moles in my lawn?

Why molehills appear in flushes, which deterrents genuinely do nothing, and the realistic options for a lawn.

Difficulty: intermediate
Time: 1 hr
Read: 3 min
Safety: caution

Short answer

One mole makes dozens of hills, so you are almost certainly dealing with a single animal, not an invasion. Traps set correctly in an active run are the only reliable domestic method. Sonic spikes, mothballs and buried bottles do not work.

Moles are territorial and solitary outside the breeding season. A garden that suddenly erupts in hills usually has one animal extending a tunnel network, and the network can be reused by a new mole later, which is why the problem seems to return.

Safety

Mole control is regulated. Strychnine has been banned for many years and gassing products are restricted to trained and certified users. Traps must be set so they cannot injure children, pets or non-target wildlife, and a trapped mole must be dispatched humanely and promptly. If you are not confident, use a professional — many operate on a no-catch, no-fee basis.

What you'll need

Mole traps (optional)
Gloves
Trowel
Cane markers

Step by step

Accept the scale of it.A single mole can throw up twenty or more hills in a few days. There is rarely more than one in an average garden.
Decide whether it matters.Molehills in a rough lawn or an orchard are cosmetic, and the soil thrown up is excellent sieved potting loam. On a fine lawn, a putting green or a young seeded lawn, they matter.
Find the active runs.Between hills, probe gently with a cane until it drops into a tunnel. Flatten a small section and check the next day — if it has been repaired, that run is in use.
Set traps in the run, not the hill.Hills are spoil heaps, not living quarters. Open the tunnel carefully, set the trap in line with the run, and cover it so no light or draught reaches the tunnel.
Handle traps with gloves and soil.Moles are sensitive to disturbance and unfamiliar scent. Rub traps in soil and avoid handling them bare-handed.
Check traps at least daily.It is both a welfare requirement and a practical one — a sprung trap left in place catches nothing more.
Ignore the deterrent gadgets.Sonic spikes, mothballs, buried glass bottles, spurge and human hair have all been tested informally by thousands of gardeners with no consistent result. Do not spend money on them.
Deal with the soil.Scoop hills up before mowing rather than spreading them. The fine soil is ideal for seed sowing or top dressing; the flattened remains smother the grass beneath.
Repair the runs.Firm collapsed tunnels by treading along the line, then top dress and overseed any bare or sunken lines.
Consider a professional.A mole catcher charges per mole and will clear a garden in days. For a valued lawn it is usually cheaper than repeated attempts and repeated damage.

Tips

You almost certainly have one mole, not many.
Set traps in the run between hills — the hills themselves are just spoil.
Molehill soil is the best free seed compost in the garden.

Common mistakes

Setting traps into molehills — A hill is where soil was pushed out, not a route the mole travels regularly. Traps go in the tunnel between hills, where the animal passes repeatedly.
Spreading molehills across the lawn with a rake — It smothers the grass under a layer of fine soil and spreads any weed seed the soil contains. Lift the hills off instead.

If it doesn't work

Hills reappear a week after clearing

Cause: Tunnels reoccupied, or the mole was never removed — Fix: Recheck runs for activity and reset traps in a genuinely active tunnel.

Traps never spring

Cause: Set in a disused run, or light and draught entering the tunnel — Fix: Test the run by flattening it and checking for repair, and pack soil around the opening so it stays dark.

Lawn sinking in lines

Cause: Collapsed tunnels — Fix: Tread the lines firm, top dress and overseed.

New moles after a year

Cause: Existing tunnel network reoccupied by a new animal — Fix: Nothing prevents this reliably. Deal with it as it arises.

Questions people ask

How many moles do I have?

Almost always one. Moles are solitary and territorial, and a single animal produces a very large number of hills in a short time.

Do sonic mole deterrents work?

There is no good evidence that they do. The same is true of mothballs, buried bottles, and most of the folk remedies sold for this.

Can I just live with it?

In a rough lawn or orchard, easily. Moles eat leatherjackets and other grubs and aerate the soil. It is a fine lawn, a new lawn or a formal garden where they cause real problems.