Mole is every gardener’s nightmare. This strange creature, which looks like a cross between a cricket and a mole, can uproot vegetables, destroy lawns and undermine flower beds with its powerful front claws. If your tomato or pepper plants are wilting in your garden and you discover a tunnel as thick as your finger in the soil, you have the honor of dealing with a mole.

Getting rid of them from your garden requires strategy, because they live hidden underground. Here are the most effective and proven methods to get rid of moles once and for all without poisoning the soil with chemicals.

Beer or syrup trap (the easiest trick)
Moles are incredibly curious and are attracted to the smell of fermenting liquids and sweets.

Here’s how: Bury a jar or cut-off plastic bottle at the level of the flowerbed (so that the edge is flush with the soil).

Bait: Fill it with beer or water sweetened with syrup or honey.

Result: The mole will get in during its nightly forays and will not be able to get out again due to the smooth walls. Simply check the trap in the morning.

Oil or soap solution (Quick kill): If you discover a fresh tunnel or entrance to a nest (usually a vertical hole in the ground without a mound of earth, unlike a mole), you can take immediate action.

Here’s how: Mix a few tablespoons of cooking oil or organic spring/soap with a bucket of warm water.

Application: Pour this mixture directly into the hole.

Result: The liquid blocks the mole’s airways. It will either come to the surface within minutes, where you can easily catch it, or it will die right in the ground.

Oil or soap solution (Quick Death): Parasitic nematodes (21st century biological weapon)

If your entire garden is infested with mole rats, manual trapping is not enough. The most effective solution is the parasitic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae (available in garden centers under the name Capsanem).

Application: Dissolve the nematodes in water and pour the solution over the bed. These microscopic organisms actively seek out mole rats, penetrate them and kill them. They are completely harmless to people, pets and earthworms.

Application timing: The ideal time is the transition from spring to summer (June/July), when mole rats are most active and the soil is warm enough.

Removing the nest in early summer

June and July are the months when moles lay their eggs. Above their nest (about 10–20 cm below the ground), they deliberately destroy vegetation and gnaw at the roots so that the sun can warm the soil above the eggs as much as possible.

Note: If you discover a mysterious circular spot in your garden where everything has suddenly dried up, carefully dig it out with a hoe.

You will often find a nest with hundreds of eggs or small larvae. Destroying it will prevent the next generation.

Horse manure trap in autumn

This trick was already used by our grandparents and is guaranteed to work. Moles are looking for a warm place to hibernate where they will not freeze.

Here’s how: In October, dig a hole in your garden about 50 cm deep.

Fill it with fresh horse manure (it creates a lot of heat as it decomposes) and cover it with soil.

Trap: In late autumn, moles from all over the garden will be attracted to this warm trap. In December or January (when it is cold), dig a hole and spread the manure around the garden. The moles will freeze immediately.

🚫 What attracts moles?

To make your garden unattractive to moles, avoid strong odors:

Aphrodite (African marigold) and French marigold: Plant them near vegetable beds. Moles hate their smell and will avoid this area.

Garlic or onion infusion: Regularly watering vulnerable plants with a strong decoction of onion peels or crushed garlic reliably repels moles.

Finally, a gardening myth: Many people believe that moles eat the roots of vegetables. In fact, they are primarily carnivores – they feed on snails, slugs and slugs. They don’t nibble on plant roots because they like them, but because they get in the way of their underground tunnels!