Moles pushing up woods chips

Moles are native here, and I tried to appreciate what they do. They help aerate the soil and they eat grubs. They’re causing some problems for us though. My dogs think it’s important to dig wherever there’s a mole hill. My husband gets injured stepping in these holes. So I got some mole deterrent so I can make some mole-free paths. But now they’re also tunneling like crazy in the orchard where I’ve just put down wood chips. They’re posting all the clay soil back up on top of the wood chips. Is there any reason to let them continue to do this, or should I put mole deterrent all over the orchard?

What exactly is mole deterrent?

I've heard of people using sound to deter moles: a sort of high-pitched noise that is made, intermittently, by devices that look like solar lights. I've also heard that this isn't very effective however - and it was certainly audible and annoying, so not one to try near the home or where you hang out.

It is my understanding that moles mostly eat earthworms (and that they create creepy stockpiles of paralised worms in their burrows; the worms kept alive to keep them fresh!). I have always thought this sounded damaging to soils, given the well-known benefits of worms in building soil. A quick search suggests that they are also partial to beetle larvae and slugs, however, which sounds much more helpful. I could certainly do with some moles to reduce our slug population!

If you have paths that you wish to protect, driving old wooden boards, shingles or roofing tiles into the ground along the edge of the path may prevent the moles from creating hills or tunnels across them. Apparently moles can dig up to 70cm (~2 foot) deep but I suspect they would rather not go so deep, given the choice.

As for tunneling around your orchard, I'm sure it won't harm the trees unless they are very young. It is probably indicative of good soil health (= lots of earthworms!).

Luke Mitchell wrote:What exactly is mole deterrent?

I've heard of people using sound to deter moles: a sort of high-pitched noise that is made, intermittently, by devices that look like solar lights. I've also heard that this isn't very effective however - and it was certainly audible and annoying, so not one to try near the home or where you hang out.

It is my understanding that moles mostly eat earthworms (and that they create creepy stockpiles of paralised worms in their burrows; the worms kept alive to keep them fresh!). I have always thought this sounded damaging to soils, given the well-known benefits of worms in building soil. A quick search suggests that they are also partial to beetle larvae and slugs, however, which sounds much more helpful. I could certainly do with some moles to reduce our slug population!

If you have paths that you wish to protect, driving old wooden boards, shingles or roofing tiles into the ground along the edge of the path may prevent the moles from creating hills or tunnels across them. Apparently moles can dig up to 70cm (~2 foot) deep but I suspect they would rather not go so deep, given the choice.

As for tunneling around your orchard, I'm sure it won't harm the trees unless they are very young. It is probably indicative of good soil health (= lots of earthworms!).

Whoah I didn’t know they kept them alive and paralyzed. Sounds very sophisticated. My problem in the orchard is that it’s messing up my mulch which will allow grass and thistles I’m trying to get rid of to come through, and tempting my dogs to dig more in that area. My trees are pretty young, planted in 2021. The mole deterrent is made from castor oil.

Bethany Brown wrote:
Whoah I didn’t know they kept them alive and paralyzed. Sounds very sophisticated.

Yep, moles are freaky little things! I was at a gig recently and the singer there had a real fascination with them. She kept spouting mole facts! Apparently all female moles have testicles, of a sort, too - the testosterone this produces helps them to dig and, if necessary, fight off any intruders.

Does the castor oil deterrent work? That sounds pretty innocuous to me, and certainly less annoying than a high-pitched buzzing sound.

Luke Mitchell wrote:

Bethany Brown wrote:
Whoah I didn’t know they kept them alive and paralyzed. Sounds very sophisticated.

Yep, moles are freaky little things! I was at a gig recently and the singer there had a real fascination with them. She kept spouting mole facts! Apparently all female moles have testicles, of a sort, too - the testosterone this produces helps them to dig and, if necessary, fight off any intruders.

Does the castor oil deterrent work? That sounds pretty innocuous to me, and certainly less annoying than a high-pitched buzzing sound.

Lol balls make you dig? I’ve used this type of mole deterrent before and it has worked, at least till rainy season when it got washed away.