A mole creates unsightly mounds in the garden and more than one lawn lover comes up with the craziest ideas to get rid of it. Flooding molehills is one of those not-so-advisable methods. Find out below why you should avoid using water to get rid of a mole and what more effective alternatives there are.
Is it advisable to get rid of a mole with water?
Repelling moles with water is not a good idea because their burrow has drainage and they are under protection. Flooding can lead to drowning, which is a punishable offense. Alternatives include noise, smell, mothballs or garlic.
Really get rid of a mole?
Before you start trying to get rid of moles from your garden, you should consider their added value:
- Moles are hungry insect eaters and keep the garden pest-free
- Moles ensure good ventilation and increased quality of the soil through their digging activity
- Moles keep “real” pests such as rats, mice and voles away
For all these reasons, the mole is officially considered a beneficial insect and if you can see over the hills, you should keep the mammal in the garden.
Repel moles with water?
A frequently recommended method of getting rid of a mole is to put its burrow under water. In principle this is possible, but it's a bad idea for two reasons:
1. Mole burrow has drainage
A mole burrow is a clever system of passages and multiple chambers designed to allow rainwater to seep downwards. In order to completely flood a mole burrow, you would have to fill several molehills with water at the same time, potentially flooding all of the chambers - including the sleeping chamber.
2. Mole is under protection
In addition, the mole is protected and may not be killed, hunted or caught. If you manage to completely flood the burrow, there is a risk that the mole will drown and you will be liable to prosecution. Fines of up to €50,000 await mole murderers. However, moles can swim and dive, so drowning is unlikely. However, if the mole has young, this danger certainly exists and you must therefore under no circumstances water the hills between March and June!
Conclusion: It's better to stay away from the water
In summary, one can say that the chances of success in getting rid of a mole with water are extremely low and the possible consequences - the death of the mole - are definitely not worth it. Instead, you should try to get rid of the mole using gentle means. Promising methods are:
- Wind turbine or something else that makes noise
- Buttermilk or anything else that stinks
- Mothballs or essences
- garlic
