Think Twice Before Trying The Popular Mothball Hack For Deterring Moles

Moles love digging tunnels in yards, and while those tunnels may aerate your lawn, they can also be unsightly. When looking for humane ways to deter moles from building their homes and tunnels on your property, you may come across some interesting hacks claiming to be the answer to your mole-ridding needs. Unfortunately, some of them don't work as well as described — including the mothball hack. The idea behind this hack is that placing a handful of mothballs in the holes that moles use to enter and exit their tunnels will drive them away because they dislike the smell.

Unfortunately, this clever-sounding trick isn't going to fix your mole problem. While the smell of mothballs may make these little mammals move on from those holes, it doesn't keep them from making new ones in your yard or garden. In other words, the foul odor isn't enough to get them to pack up and move to a different yard. It's especially not going to make a difference if you have more than a couple of moles digging up your garden and backyard. And in addition to being ineffective, there's a bad side to planting so many of those stinky things in your lawn.

The chemicals used to make mothballs — naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene — are toxic to pets and humans. If you have children and pets in your yard, using mothballs to deter moles could be detrimental to them. While it's technically only harmful when in gas form, as the mothballs age, these gases can cause respiratory issues.

When used in an outdoor setting, such as for getting rid of moles, mothballs are more effective at contaminating the soil you put them in and any nearby waterways. In some areas, it's even illegal to use mothballs to repel animals. Instead, you can try planting barriers with flowers that moles don't like. This is ideal for planting around gardens or in various areas of your lawn. Some of the gorgeous flowers they dislike include daffodils and marigolds. However, those too will only be a temporary fix.

Other suggestions found online include using things like castor oil and cayenne pepper, but you're likely to run into the same problem of moles avoiding those spots and digging in a foot or two away. Plus, natural repellents like that also need regular reapplication. Instead of using mothballs to battle the moles in your yard, there are some other, safer alternatives you can use. You can employ ultrasonic devices that emit sounds underground that moles dislike, or you can try catch and release by using mole traps that don't kill the critters. You can also avoid making any of the huge mistakes that attract moles to your yard. Namely, you need to eliminate their food source, which means minimizing the grubs living in your garden.