PEST CONTROL

Mole Control in Toronto, Oakville & the GTA

Lawn and garden moles, trapped in the tunnels they are using

Mole control for lawns and gardens in Toronto, Oakville and the GTA. Molehills and raised ridges across the yard mean a mole is tunnelling after earthworms and soil insects. We confirm it is a mole and not a vole or a skunk, find the tunnels in use, and trap there under Ontario's wildlife rules.

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AT A GLANCE

Moles at a Glance

Moles in Ontario lawns and gardens

Size: About 15 cm long (hairy-tailed mole)
Body: Burrowing insectivore related to shrews, not a rodent
How to tell: Volcano-shaped molehills and raised ridges, not grass runways
Active: Active all year; damage shows most in spring and fall
Where found: Lawns and beds, moving to watered ground in dry spells

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Signs of Moles in Your Lawn

If you’ve noticed any of these, call and a licensed technician will tell you what it points to.

Call (905) 739-7888

Volcano-shaped molehills of loose soil, 5 to 30 cm tall, piled around a shaft that goes straight down
Raised ridges running across the lawn where a mole has tunnelled just under the surface
A ridge you flattened that has been pushed back up by the next day
Fresh ridges and molehills in spring and fall, when mole damage is most noticeable

IDENTIFICATION

Mole, Vole or Something Else? How to Tell

Moles are burrowing insectivores related to shrews. They are not rodents. You identify them by what they leave: volcano-shaped molehills, 5 to 30 cm tall, and raised ridges where they tunnel just under the sod. The number of molehills does not tell you how many moles there are. Moles and voles often share a yard and get blamed for each other's damage, so name the animal before you act.

Mole or vole: moles push soil up into molehills and ridges. Voles clip grass at the base and leave bare runways through the grass.
Mole or shrew: shrews are related to moles. Seven Ontario shrews are specially protected mammals under Ontario's wildlife law.
Mole or groundhog: a groundhog burrow has a large mound of earth at a main entrance 25 to 30 cm across.
Mole, skunk or raccoon: skunks and raccoons dig small round holes and roll up chunks of sod to get at grubs. Moles push soil up instead.

TYPES

Moles in Ontario: The Three Species

Hairy-tailed mole
Parascalops breweri
An average-sized mole, about 15 cm long, with a short hairy tail and very large front feet with long, flat nails. It is a forest mole of Ontario and Quebec.
Where found: Common in Ontario and Quebec, reaching as far west as Sault Ste. Marie.
Star-nosed mole
Condylura cristata
The snout gives it away: 11 fleshy tentacles on each side. Its tail is long and scaly, and it is the most aquatic of North America's moles.
Where found: Ranges from the Maritimes to Manitoba, so Ontario is inside its range. It feeds largely on aquatic invertebrates.
Eastern mole
Scalopus aquaticus
Ontario's third mole. It is a species at risk in Ontario and is listed as Special Concern under the federal Species at Risk Act. It was never common here.
Where found: Known only from the far southwest: the Towns of Essex and Kingsville, the Municipality of Leamington, and the western part of Romney Township in Chatham-Kent.
Outside our service area.

Moles are insectivores, not rodents. Bare runways clipped through the grass point to voles instead: see mouse, rat and vole control.

OUR APPROACH

How We Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard

Step 1
Confirm It's a Mole
First, make sure a mole is doing the damage. Molehills and raised ridges point to a mole. Bare runways clipped through the grass point to voles, and small round holes with rolled-up sod point to skunks or raccoons digging for grubs. Each is handled differently, so the animal is named before anything is set.
Step 2
Find the Active Tunnels
Not every ridge is still in use. Short stretches of tunnel are flattened and checked the next day, and the ones pushed back up are active. Traps go where there is fresh activity and the tunnel runs in a straight line.
Step 3
Trap in the Tunnel
Trapping is the most practical way to control moles. Ours is done only when the property owner asks, by licensed staff, in the tunnels the mole is using. A mole caught alive is handled under Ontario's rules: live traps are checked at least once a day, and the mole is released within 24 hours, close to where it was caught, and not on another person's property without their permission.
Step 4
Check for New Activity
A quiet lawn is not proof the moles are gone: a mole can stop making surface runs and still be there, and other moles often move into areas that have just been vacated. Fresh ridges on flattened runs mean the trapping is not finished. Some yards need a return visit and some do not; when one is needed, it is quoted with the job.

HEALTH RISKS

Are Lawn Moles Harmful?

To the lawn, yes. To pets, not much. Moles live underground eating earthworms and soil insects, and wildlife damage researchers say they pose no threat to animals beyond tunnels and mounds that make tripping more likely. Their tunnels do give other small mammals covered routes through the yard, and some of those animals cause more plant damage than the mole does. If anyone is bitten or scratched by a mole or any wild animal, see a doctor or call Health811.

RISKS AND DAMAGE

What Damage Do Moles Do to a Lawn?

Mole damage is mostly lawn damage: ridges that lift the sod and molehills of loose soil up to 30 cm tall. Moles eat plants only by accident, and most of the direct plant damage in a mole-tunnelled yard is done by rodents using the tunnels to reach plants. Damage to structures tends to be limited to brick patios and pools. House foundations are not on that list.

Raised ridges and molehills across lawns and beds, most noticeable in spring and fall
Tunnels that rodents and other small mammals use to get around the yard
Brick patios and pools

Moles are a lawn and garden problem; call a professional when ridges keep spreading or come back after you have flattened them.

CAUSES

Why Moles Are in Your Yard

Moles are in your yard for food. They feed mainly on earthworms and soil insects, grubs among them, and take plant material only by accident. Moist soil makes a yard more attractive, and when the season turns dry they move to ground that is being watered. Removing one mole does not close the door: other moles often move into areas that have just been vacated.

What Draws Them In

Earthworms, the main food of moles
Grubs and other insects in the soil
Moist, soft soil
Watered lawns and beds during a dry spell

HABITS

Mole Habits Through an Ontario Year

Habitat

Moles live underground in a maze of tunnels. Deep tunnels are where they dig out the soil that forms molehills; ridges are shallow tunnels just under the surface. Of Ontario's three moles, the hairy-tailed mole is a forest species and the star-nosed mole is somewhat aquatic. In a dry season, moles move to irrigated ground.

Diet

Mainly earthworms, plus insects and grubs from the soil. Plant material is eaten only by accident. The star-nosed mole feeds largely on aquatic invertebrates, and Ontario describes the eastern mole as eating worms, insect larvae, ants, plant tubers and seeds.

Life Cycle

Moles do not hibernate and stay active in every season. When moles are removed, others often move into the vacated areas.

Seasonal Behaviour in Ontario

Moles are active through the whole Ontario year. They are most active finding food during rainy periods in late spring and early summer, and the damage is most noticeable in spring and fall. In dry spells they follow the water to irrigated lawns and beds.

PREVENTION

How to Make Your Lawn Less Attractive to Moles

Make sure it is moles before you act: look for volcano-shaped molehills and raised ridges, not clipped grass runways.
Flatten a short stretch of ridge and check it the next day to see which tunnels are active.
Protect seed beds and small gardens with a fence of 61 cm (24-inch) sheet metal or hardware cloth, buried at least 30 cm deep and bent at a right angle. Barriers are not practical for a whole lawn.
Cut back watering where you can, since moist soil draws moles, and expect the grass to suffer for it.
Roll the lawn to pack the soil if you accept that plant growth will suffer.
Do not rely on grub treatment alone: a lawn can be free of grubs and still have moles.
Skip vibrating, sonic, electronic and magnetic repellers and pinwheels, which have not been shown to work on moles.

How to Get Rid of Moles Yourself: What's Allowed

You can do the first steps yourself: identify the animal, test which tunnels are active and fence small beds. Before you buy a trap, read Ontario's wildlife rules below.

Ontario's Act counts a spring trap as a body-gripping trap. The province's trapping summary says only licensed trappers (or people licensed in the past five years) and farmers and their families may possess or use an operable one. Spring-loaded mole traps appear to fall under that rule, so check with the province first.
If you live-trap, check the trap at least once a day and release the mole within 24 hours, close to where you caught it.
No mole bait is registered in Canada, and using an unregistered pest control product is against federal law.
Call a professional when you would rather not handle a trap or a live mole, or when you cannot tell which animal is digging.

Moles and Ontario's Wildlife Rules

Moles count as wildlife under Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, but they are not game, furbearing or specially protected animals. If wildlife is damaging your property, the Act lets you capture or kill it on your own land, with limits. Rules change, so check ontario.ca before you act.

Take no more animals than you need to protect the property, and cause no unnecessary suffering.
Anyone you hire must hold Ministry authorization or belong to a class the regulations allow, such as licensed trappers, and can act only if the property owner asks.
Wildlife caught alive must be released within 24 hours, close to where it was caught (the province says within 1 km), and not on someone else's private property without the owner's permission.
The Act bans glue traps for wildlife. It also bans poison and body-gripping traps, which include spring traps, except in the cases the Act or its regulations set out.
Seven Ontario shrews are specially protected mammals. The woodland vole, a rodent found as far north as Halton and Hamilton, is a species at risk in Ontario. Be sure of the animal before you trap.
The eastern mole is a species at risk in Ontario, but it is known only from three Essex County municipalities and the western part of Romney Township in Chatham-Kent, far from the GTA.

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Inspection first, then targeted treatment with registered products used as the label directs. Your technician will advise on any precautions.

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Treatments are applied by technicians licensed under Ontario pesticide rules.

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COMMON QUESTIONS

Mole Control: Questions We Get

What is the fastest way to get rid of moles in my yard?

Trapping in the tunnels the mole is using. Wildlife damage researchers call trapping the most successful and practical way to control moles. First find the active runs by flattening short stretches and checking them the next day; traps go where the tunnel is fresh and runs straight. Ontario limits spring traps to licensed trappers and farmers, so check the rules before you set one yourself. Repellers and home remedies have not been shown to work, so they mostly cost you time.

Should I stomp down mole tunnels?

Only a short stretch, as a test. Flatten a section of ridge, then check it the next day: if it has been pushed back up, the tunnel is active and that is where trapping should happen. Flattening the whole lawn evens it out for now, but a mole can stop making surface runs and still be there.

Do ultrasonic repellers, castor oil or home remedies work on moles?

Not well enough to count on. No frightening device has been proven to work on moles, including vibrating, sonic, electronic and magnetic ones and pinwheels. Castor oil products have shown only minor effect, and no castor oil product currently registered in Canada lists moles. Home remedies such as chewing gum have been proven not to work.

Will treating my lawn for grubs get rid of moles?

Not on its own. Moles feed mostly on earthworms, and a lawn can be free of grubs and still have moles. Purdue University's turf specialists say grub control products will not work as mole control. When their food supply is cut off, moles may dig more for a while before they leave the area.

Will moles come back after they are trapped?

They can. Other moles often move into areas that have just been vacated, and a mole can stop making surface runs while still being there. Keep watching flattened runs after trapping. If the yard needs a return visit, we quote it with the job; we do not promise a lawn will stay mole-free.

How much does mole control cost?

We quote each yard on its own rather than publish a set price. Call (905) 739-7888 or send the quote form, and tell us where the ridges and molehills are and roughly how much of the lawn or garden is affected. The quote is free, and there's no binding contract.

Sources

Last reviewed October 2026

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Mole Control Across Toronto, Oakville & the GTA

We treat moles in lawns and gardens throughout Toronto and Southern Ontario.

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