A mole repellent is any product or device designed to deter moles from entering a specific area. Most repellents are either chemicals, granules, or stakes that emit irritating sounds or vibrations.
Moles are small, burrowing mammals that eat insects and create elaborate underground tunnels for their homes.
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How Do Mole Repellents Work?
Repellents protect gardens by emitting annoying sounds, vibrations, or odors that attack a mole’s delicate senses.
For example, castor and garlic oil are popular ingredients in most products because of their strong smell and ability to make the eyes burn and water. Some people also like to use mothballs to help with mole removal.
Moles are extremely sensitive to smell and movement, which scares them off after you treat your yard.
Chemical vs. Vibrations
Most repellents come down to using either chemicals or pulse vibrations.
“Chemicals” does not always mean poisons. Instead, it is a general term used to describe non-mechanical pest control options like granules that use castor oil as the main active ingredient.
Chemical-based repellents that use castor oil target a mole’s sense of smell to discourage mole activity. The vibrating stakes are more to annoy moles forcing them to build their tunnel systems in a different area.
Both methods can work, but your results will likely vary depending on the type of mole you have and its temperament (e.g., some moles might not care about the smell of castor oil or vibrations).
What Are the Risks of Repellents?
All of the mole repellents on this list have little to no risks since they don’t involve poisons or environmentally unfriendly ingredients.
Still, none of the products should be ingested and the user should follow all of the instructions carefully.
Did You Know
Moles have extremely sensitive senses. Repellents are built to aggravate these senses driving them away.
How to Use a Mole Repellent?
The best way to use a mole repellent is to spread the stakes or granules around the yard and keep them near the holes into their tunnels. This way, the moles can’t avoid the repellent and can’t escape it.
If you opt for vibrating stakes, we recommend getting a unit that is water resistant and charged via sunlight. Most are not completely waterproof so you’ll need to keep watch if you get a large rainfall that will create standing water or puddles.
Most units radiate about 40-50 ft in all directions. For best results, make sure to spread the each unit about 90-95 ft from one another to ensure the greatest amount of coverage around your yard.
The last bit we’ll mention is that vibrating stakes do not work that well in soil that is loose such as dry sand or peat soil.
Once you place the stakes, it generally takes 1-2 weeks to see any change in mole related activity.
And that’s it. Nothing too complicated. If you want to expand your coverage, you’ll just need to buy more stakes.
Mole repelling granules are bit different.
A quick and dirty method of application is that you spread them around your yard by just opening up the top of your bag. It’s not ideal, but it could work.
We recommend grabbing a rotary broadcast spreader to evenly distribute the granules around your yard.
How Much Do Mole Repellent Cost?
In general, the price varies based on how technologically advanced you want to get but you’re looking at $20 for a low end product to something closer to $80 for a more robust approach with granules and vibrating stakes.
Do Mole Repellents Work?
Mole repellents are some of the most effective pest control methods available since moles have powerful senses and don’t like things that smell or taste bad.
However, it’s important to remember that different materials work best for different creatures, so you can’t expect a single repellent to affect all animals the same.
There are also several varieties of mole throughout the United States. Residents of a Southeast city like Little Rock, AR, or Mobile, AL, will be dealing with the eastern mole which may respond to one type of repellent. Whereas as residents of Portland or Seattle, dealing with the Townshend mole problem may have success with an entirely different repellent.
Overall, repellents will do just that, repel. Assuming you spread castor oil granules around your yard you’ll probably end up forcing the moles to your neighbor’s yard, which technically solves your problem, but not really. Moles are truly one of the most difficult pests to manage, even for professionals.
Top 4 Mole Repellents Reviewed
In the below section we break down each of our product recommendations in a little more detail.
- Onetour Solar Mole Repellent Stakes
- Natures Mace
- Bonide Molemax Granules
- I Must Garden Mole Repellent
Onetour Solar Mole Repellent Stakes
These ultrasonic mole repellent stakes from Onetour provide over 7,000 square feet of protection against moles, gophers, and groundhogs. Each four-hour solar charge lasts up to five days.
There’s no need for chemicals or poison baits. Instead, simply place in the ground at 100-foot intervals, and the ultrasonic repelling action will do the rest. Best of all, it won’t harm the animal in the process.
I Must Garden Mole Repellent
The I Must garden Mole Repellent is an all-natural alternative to toxic mole baits, and it contains powerful botanical oils as its active ingredients while leaving harmful chemicals out.
It’s also safe for most types of grass, including newly-seeded lawns, and won’t interfere with commercial fertilizers. So, it’s best to treat new sod before mole damage occurs.
The I Must Garden Mole Repellent works year-round in all weather conditions and is guaranteed to last up to 21 days per application.
Bonide Molemax Granules
Bonide Molemax granules provide a mole repellent option that comes in massive 10lb bag, which you can then use to cover your yard and property. These granules use castor oil to create a repulsive environment for moles and drive them away from gardens.
The repellent will not harm human or animals and usually can’t be smelled by the user. It will not drive away beneficial creatures like worms, and one bag can cover up to 5,000 sq ft.
We recommend Bonide’s Molemax 10lb bag to individuals who need a reliable mole repellent on a budget.
Nature’s Mace Mole Repellent
Castor oil is a strong natural repellent because of its smell. Castor beans are poisonous, and most moles avoid coming into contact with them. Nature’s Mace uses this behavior to its advantage by creating a strong mole repellent with concentrated castor oil
It is simple to use and can be applied in or around gardens with little trouble. Some people experience good results when putting the oil in a spray bottle for use around the yard.
Nature’s Mace is environmentally friendly and won’t hurt plants or animals since castor oil itself is not poisonous.
I recommend this product to individuals who want a safe way to eliminate pesky moles.
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