How to deter moles?

[WingsofRain]

I’m having huge problems with moles, it’s been an ongoing thing and I’ve never found a solution.

They are destroying my lawn, burying and uprooting plants and undermining slabs as well as making the ground dangerous to move on (I have a disability and I’ve ended up with a wheelchair castor embedded in the ground due to collapsed tunnels).

In the past I admit I’ve brought in a mole catcher through real desperation because of the constant damage and my lack of ability to lift the many large molehills, but I don’t really want to kill them, I just want them to go somewhere else.

I have tried loads of things and they haven’t worked - the worst was the sonic “deterrent” things which drove me and my dogs mad but ended up sticking out of actual molehills. 🙄

I know people say it’s good to aerate the soil but the extent of the problem is way beyond that, it’s at the point where it’s impossible to deal with the degree of damage and removing any of the molehills (when I can get someone to do it) just prompts more to appear.

Has anyone had success with humane methods of getting rid of them?

I remember when we moved into my childhood home in the 60s. Getting our cats did for the moles, they couldn’t move out fast enough (the cats did for the rats too).

Unfortunately cats aren’t an option for me, I’m not really a cat person anyway but I have dogs who are definitely not cat safe. It wouldn’t be possible to have both.

Have you looked into how they control them on golf courses etc?

Yes, it’s usually trapping which I don’t feel comfortable with these days. 😞

The only way we got rid of the stray mole in our garden was when it made the mistake of visiting next door's garden. They have a terrier and the mole problem was solved within 24 hours.

I don't think cats are any good at killing moles - I suspect that they go down the fields, catch them and bring them home alive and kicking.