How To Get Rid Of Ground Moles With Vinegar

by Derrick | Last Updated: September 9, 2022

For many people, moles are cute and beautiful animals. However, this perception will differ when we have moles in our yard. Moles will make tunnels and molehills in the yard that will damage plants, grass, and trees. One of the most popular methods to get rid of moles is vinegar, but how can you get rid of ground moles with this product?

We can use vinegar in the following way:

We must mix two parts of vinegar with four parts of water in a container with a spray system.

Spray outside the affected areas where moles make their tunnels or molehills.
Reapply this mixture every so often until there are no more moles.

Vinegar is a product that has been in our homes for a long time. Vinegar offers us its benefits in many ways, from medicinal purposes to getting rid of pests. Vinegar as an alternative to removing moles is excellent since it is ecological and effective. If you are interested in learning more about how vinegar can help with this problem, please continue reading this article.

Understanding Moles A Little Bit More

Moles are burrow-dwelling animals that people associate directly with rats or mice. But the reality is that moles are very different creatures, although they bear some resemblance. Rats and mice are rodents, while moles are mammals that spend most of their lives digging underground to create caves.

Some of the most salient characteristics of moles are:

Moles have very underdeveloped eyes, but make no mistake, what they lack in sight is more than make up for their sense of touch.

Moles have a very sensitive snout and long clawed toes, making digging tunnels easy.
Star-nosed moles have 22 tentacle-like protrusions on their snouts, which make them six times more sensitive to touch than a human hand.
Unlike most mammals, moles do not have flat fur that points toward the tail. Instead, moles have thick fur that protrudes upward. This type of fur prevents dirt from getting trapped in their bodies when they back up in a tunnel.

Male moles are more prominent than females, although neither is more than 25 centimeters long.
Burrowing moles can hollow out a 160-foot burrow in just one night.
Moles do not eat the roots of trees and plants, but they tunnel around them, weakening and damaging the plant life of the area they inhabit.

Moles are insectivores and make tunnels to find worms and insects living in the soil and near plants.

Is It True That Vinegar Can Get Rid Of Ground Moles?

Yes, vinegar can indeed get rid of ground moles in your yard. Vinegar is an effective solution against moles because of its strong odor and acidic composition.

Vinegar contains tartaric acid, acetic acid, and water, which produces a combination that can harm ground moles by burning their skin. The acetic acid causes a burning sensation, and this causes moles to move away from your yard.

Another essential factor with vinegar is that the tartaric acid’s pungent odor also helps repel moles and other rodents. Thanks to the properties of these acids, we can get rid of moles quickly and effectively if we use a higher concentration of vinegar in the tunnel areas.

It is essential to know that white vinegar contains less acid than other types of vinegar, so it is not the most effective for removing moles. In contrast, apple cider vinegar has a considerably higher acid concentration, which is why experts recommend it for quickly getting rid of moles.

Why Do Moles Like House Gardens?

It is a fact that moles live their entire lives in tunnels. For this reason, they should seek to settle in areas that offer an ideal and comfortable habitat to dig, feed and reproduce. Some of the environmental elements that moles love are:

Places That Have Lots Of Insects.

Moles base their diet on eating insects. The National Wildlife Foundation indicates that many species, including moles, can eat up to 100% of their weight in insects daily. Mole diets include earthworms, worms, grubs, larvae, and beetles. For all these reasons, moles will build their elaborate burrows in places where these insects are abundant.

Places With Cool Temperatures

Contrary to what most people think, moles are not solely nocturnal animals. Moles are also active during daylight hours. In addition, moles prefer soils that are moist and cool to help them regulate their body temperature.

Places That Have Landscaping Elements

Most mole trails that moles build copy the pattern of certain landscaping elements, such as yards with fence rows, paths, or any borders made by people in the house. Mole tunnels can also appear along a line of hedges, ornamental plants, or trees. Another element to remember is that moles may burrow under shrubs and trees in search of insects living in their roots.

It is essential not to forget that food is the main reason a mole chooses a place to settle. For this reason, controlling the mole’s food sources is fundamental to avoiding the mole’s visit.

How Can I Use Vinegar To Get Rid Of Ground Moles?

If you want to repel ground moles from your lawn using vinegar as a primary method, you should follow the steps below.

First, it is essential to look for signs that you have a mole infestation in your yard. Some of the signs of infestation you may recognize are brown patches of dying soil. It would also help if you looked for molehills and large lumps of ground in the yard.

Prepare the vinegar mixture. To prepare this mixture, find a spray container, mix two parts vinegar to four parts water in the container, and you have an effective repellent to get rid of moles.
Proceed to spray the areas where you have identified the presence of moles, molehills, holes, and tunnels. Make a hole in the molehill. Then pour the mixture all over the inside of the hole and the surrounding area. It would be best if you repeated this action for every molehill or molehill you find.
Trap the moles. Some experts recommend that it is not enough to trust the moles to scare them away; you must trap them. When the mole comes out, place a shovel on top of the animal and apply pressure to keep it from escaping. Then, grab the mole and put it in a plastic bag with an airtight seal. Finally, release the moles in a place away from your garden.

Why Should I Use Vinegar To Get Rid Of Moles?

There is a lot of information about the different methods and products we can use to eliminate moles. If you have a mole infestation, you may have questions about which is the safest technique or which is best suited to your situation. For these reasons, here are some arguments why you should use vinegar to get rid of moles.

Vinegar is a safe product for the garden and lawn.
Vinegar is harmless to children and pets.

Vinegar is a biodegradable product, meaning no toxins or chemical residues will be left after you eliminate the moles.
Vinegar is economical but, at the same time, effective in getting rid of moles.
The pungent odor of vinegar acts as a mole repellent. Also, it remains in the environment, significantly disturbing the moles’ sensitive sense of smell in the following days.

Vinegar can reach the same places that traditional poison goes.
Besides the strong smell, vinegar leaves a film on the tunnels and affected areas, preventing moles from digging again.
In contrast to poisons, vinegar is a safe product for natural predators of moles, such as shrews.

Moles can’t develop a natural resistance to vinegar.

Final Thoughts

Ground moles can become a nightmare for homeowners with yards and gardens. Moles can damage gardens, lawns, and all types of plants. When we have moles on the property, we must take steps to eliminate them. Many commercial products work to eradicate this pest; however, they usually contain chemicals harmful to people and the environment. Fortunately, vinegar is a natural, ecological, and efficient product that will help us to get rid of ground moles without any collateral damage to our environment.