Moles can be the bane of many gardener’s life. Moles are difficult to eliminate, the mounds on the lawn often being the only sign of their presence, and there is no guaranteed way of getting rid of the little pests, short of catching them and killing them.

Before you begin using severe extermination methods on the mole, it is vital that you check with your local environmental officers, to ensure that you can legally kill moles in the area. You may find that you need a permit to kill moles, or that you cannot do so without the input of a pest control officer. Better to find out your legal position before you risk prosecution by killing a mole.

Using Bubble Gum to Kill Moles

Bubble gum is popularly considered a method of eliminating moles. Gardeners and groundskeepers debate whether moles will even eat gum: it is considered to be too weak to entice moles to eat it. However, there is some agreement that, if moles do eat bubble gum, they are likely to die or disappear from the lawn. Bubble gum being used to kill moles might be an urban myth which originated in the idea that it can swell up in human digestive systems, but desperate lawn gardeners might be prepared to give the gum a chance: anything to get rid of the little furry diggers.

Step 1 – Bubble Gum

Get several packs of gum and cut it into squares using a chopping board. The squares should be quite small, as moles are not very large (despite the amount of damage they can do to a lawn). They should be smaller than a fingertip, ideally, in order to make them easy for the mole to eat. Remember that moles usually eat grubs and earthworms, so they may find large squares of gum difficult to swallow.

Step 2 – Placement

Locate a freshly dug mole-hole from a nearby mound. These should not be too difficult to spot in a lawn-only garden, so the fresher the better. Mole tunnels which are closest to the surface will create taller mounts, and may even break the surface on occasion.

Step 3 – Digging

Dig into these near-surface tunnels, doing your best to preserve the tunnels, while making a big enough hole to put in some of the bubble gum squares. Put a few squares of gum into each hole, and then dig another, a few feet away. Try and make as many holes as you think possible without collapsing the tunnel.

Step 4 – Repeat Weekly

Continue to do this once a week, so long as the mole problem continues.

After 1 to 2 months, if the moles continue to dig in the garden, you may wish to reconsider. Moles may, or may not, be attracted to the bubble gum, so it really is a hit-or-miss method. In addition, moles are good at keeping down grubs and slugs which can damage the lawn, and also dig soil, making it better for growing plants. You may choose just to leave the moles alone.