With so many options available, choosing a mole preventative or poison can be daunting. Depending on the infestation's location, terrain type, weather, and severity, your options fluctuate. Here are a few tips for each occasion to help narrow your search and a few things to watch out for.
Prevention vs. Poison
I always say it's nearly impossible to convince a mole/vole to leave. Preventatives are likely to underperform if you are experiencing a moderate to heavy infestation. Even commercial strength products, like Old Farmers, can struggle with the task if a den has been constructed. Poison can be helpful but expensive and often ineffective unless placed near constructed highway tunnels or active feeder tunnels. Locating these tunnels can be difficult. Our goal at the MAA is to provide cost-sensitive and ethical options while maintaining our standards for practical use. No one should spend hundreds of dollars on products that don't work.
The recommended method for active infestation
We always recommend a commercial-strength preventative paired with an experienced trapper. Once you, or a licensed professional, have trapped and removed all moles currently inhabiting your property, you can move to a heavy preventative application. We recommend weekly applications for 4 - 6 weeks. This will fight against new moles moving into the recently vacated territory and allow local accessing tunnels to collapse. *It can be helpful to use a rake or shovel to knock down any visible tunnels around the property. A riding lawn mower will work if accessible.
The recommended method for prevention only.
There are three things to look for in a preventative; active ingredient level, effectiveness in all weather, and effects on the environment. One of the reasons we recommend Old Farmers Mole Defense is its 100% active ingredients. Most products available will be <20% active ingredients, causing more treatment needed and less effective results. For weather rating, you must choose a preventative with a heavy oil base, the most common being castor oil. We recommend monthly applications for mild/heavy rainfall and quarterly applications for dry climate. This will fight against new moles moving into the recently vacated territory and allow local accessing tunnels to collapse. *It can be helpful to use a rake or shovel to knock down any visible tunnels around the property. A riding lawn mower will work if accessible. Lastly, it is the cornerstone that whatever products are used are effective against the intended pest(s) and present no risk to people, pets, or plants. Used commercially for years before being bottled for retail use, the MAA has worked with many service providers using Old Farmers products for all occasions.
To summarize, we recommend prevention over poisoning and, on most occasions, recommend avoiding toxins altogether. Being less practical and with the risk of unintended harm, they are not worth it. For more info on our recommended prevention, visit the link below.
