- Size
- About 15 cm
- Signs
- Fresh molehills, raised ridges
- Most active
- October to April
- Usually
- One mole per lawn
Many gadgets and home remedies are sold for moles, but government guidance is clear that no repellents are approved for them. If you can't live with them, trapping by an experienced mole catcher is the method that works.
Signs of moles
- Fresh mounds of fine, loose soil appearing overnight
- Raised ridges across the lawn where tunnels run just under the surface
- Spongy patches of lawn
- Molehills in lines, often along borders, fences and paths
How to be sure
Molehills are cones of loose, crumbly soil with no visible hole. Rats leave open burrow holes. Badgers and foxes dig shallow scrapes and holes rather than mounds.
What you can do yourself
- Rake molehills flat and reseed. The soil is excellent for potting.
- Consider living with them. In many gardens activity is seasonal and the mole moves on.
- Don't waste money on sonic spikes, mothballs, bottles or other home remedies. There's little evidence any of them work.
- If you trap yourself, use only spring traps designed for moles, set in a main tunnel at least 15 cm down, and check them at least daily.
Call a professional if
- Molehills keep appearing and you can't live with them
- It's a large lawn, sports surface or paddock
- You'd rather not trap yourself. Experienced mole catchers are usually quick and charge per mole or per visit
The law: In England, animal welfare law applies to any mole you catch. Only spring traps commonly used for moles are permitted, they must be checked at least once a day, and any mole caught alive must be killed humanely, not released. Gassing products may only be used under the supervision of a trained person. The use of mole traps is under government review, so check current rules before trapping.
Keeping them out
- Little can be done to keep moles out of a lawn with plenty of earthworms
- Shallow mesh under new lawns can protect small, high-value areas
Kit that helps
- Mole spring traps (if trapping yourself)
- Rake and grass seed
- Lawn mesh for small areas
Product types only. We'll only ever point you to things we'd use ourselves.
Questions people ask
Do sonic mole repellers work?
There's little evidence they do, and no repellents are approved for moles in England.
Can I catch a mole alive and move it?
Government guidance in England says any mole caught alive must be killed humanely, not released.
How many moles are in my garden?
Usually just one. Moles are solitary and territorial, so a lot of molehills doesn't mean a lot of moles.
When is the best time to deal with moles?
Control is most effective from October to April, when moles are most active and before the breeding season.