Drive Moles Out of the Garden With Yogurt

July 22, 2026, 8:37 am | Read time: 2 minutes

Moles are considered beneficial creatures: They eat pests such as grubs and snails and aerate the soil with their tunnels. However, they are not always welcome guests in many gardens. The mounds of earth they create can disrupt the well-kept appearance of a lawn. If you want to drive the animals away without harming them, you can use an unusual home remedy: yogurt.

Moles in the Garden

Wild animals do not distinguish between the greenery in front of and behind the garden fence. For them, this boundless world is divided into different territories by smells and scents. Keeping this in mind, the already questionable chemical means of killing mice, foxes, moles and others seem even more cruel. Fortunately, you can resort to gentle, eco-friendly, and more cost-effective methods. To drive moles out of the garden, you can use yogurt.

Note: Moles are protected by law. Capturing or even killing the animals is therefore legally prohibited by the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Flooding mole tunnels with water or similar methods are also not allowed. Violating this ban can result in a fine of up to 65,000 euros.

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Why Yogurt Works Against Moles

The reason is simple: Moles cannot stand the smell of yogurt–especially sour yogurt is particularly effective. With a nose as fine and sensitive as a mole’s, such an olfactory nuisance leaves them no choice but to vacate the area.

Using Yogurt to Drive Moles Out of the Garden

To drive moles out of the garden with yogurt, proceed as follows:

First, carefully open a molehill by removing some soil to expose the tunnel.
Place some yogurt in the tunnel.
Then cover the molehill with soil again.
Repeat this process with the various mounds at regular intervals.

Over time, the smell of the yogurt fades. Therefore, it is advisable to replenish the food at regular intervals. Alternatively, you can also insert garlic cloves into the molehills. Nettle slurry also emits a smell that the small animals cannot stand. Cloths soaked in vinegar can also help gently drive moles out of the garden.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of MYHOMEBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@myhomebook.de.