Moles/Vols are Gone This Year

I've spent 4-5 years trying to rid moles/vols in our yard by repelling them.  We don't like to trap or kill the animal pests.  We prefer to encourage them not to be in our yard.

This all started when my neighbor hire a pest control company to rid the moles/vols in his yard.  The pest control company then made a bid for doing my yard too.  He said, "Once we repel the moles/vols from your neighbors yard, they will do to other yards.  Would you like a treatment for your yard?"

Initially, I tried the commercially available mole/vol powder repellent.   Guaranteed to work said the package.  Qualitatively, it reduced the mole/vol population but they returned after a short period.  Then I switched to castor oil mixed with dish detergent for 2 years.  I sprayed directly on the tunnels, and I didn't notice any decrease in tunneling activity.  In fact, the tunnels appeared to be expanding across the yard based on the mushiness of lawn.

At the same time, I also bought some sound emitters.   I tried them for a few months before my spouse complained about the noise and I removed them.  Still there was no reduction in the lawn mushiness.

Over the winter, I read a post and responses on the Internet claiming success from using coffee grounds to successfully repel moles/vols.  Since my spouse regularly drinks coffee, I tried spreading used coffee grounds over the lawn. In the worst case,  the coffee grounds would only fertilize the lawn.

While there were still noticeable squishy mounds on our lawn in March 2026, it is now May 2026 and the mounds are gone and the lawn is firm.  My assumption is the moles/vols have moved away.  However, I have no idea which of the treatments had an effect nor do I know if they moved away due to lack of food sources.   Either way, they appear to be gone.

If they return, I will probably try the repellents in reverse order, starting with coffee grounds, even though that seems unlikely to be the reason.

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This is not financial  nor pest control advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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