Mole control in Soweto starts with identifying what's digging. Most mounds in Soweto yards, food gardens and school fields are made by mole-rats, which eat roots and bulbs, though golden moles also tunnel after insects. We find the active tunnels, trap the animals in them and advise on protecting beds and lawns afterwards.
Mole-rat or golden mole?
People call anything that leaves a mound "a mole", but there are two quite different animals, and the difference changes the job.
Mole-rats
Mole-rats are rodents. They live underground almost all the time, push up neat heaps of loose soil, and eat roots, bulbs and tubers. If your vegetable garden is losing potatoes, carrots, beetroot or onions from below, and plants are wilting for no obvious reason, it's almost always a mole-rat. In a dry Highveld winter, when there's less to eat, they range further and the damage gets worse.
Golden moles
Golden moles are not rodents. They feed on earthworms, grubs and insects, and they tunnel just under the surface, leaving raised ridges across a lawn more than big mounds. They don't eat your vegetables, but their tunnels lift grass, dry out roots and make lawns and playing fields uneven.
Where we get called out in Soweto
- Food gardens. Plenty of Soweto homes and community projects grow vegetables in the yard. A single mole-rat can work along a row and destroy a season's crop.
- School and sports fields. Open grassed areas with soft soil are ideal, and mounds become a tripping hazard for children.
- Church grounds and parks. Large lawns that are watered in summer attract both types.
- Home lawns. Especially where the yard backs onto open veld or an unused stand.
Why the problem peaks at certain times
Tunnelling follows the rain. After the first summer storms soften the ground, mole-rats and golden moles can dig quickly and new mounds appear almost overnight. Watered lawns and vegetable beds stay soft all year, which is why the same gardens get hit again and again while the dry ground around them is left alone. In winter, mole-rats feed hard on bulbs and roots because the veld has little left to offer, so a food garden that survived summer can be damaged in a few weeks of July. Knowing that pattern helps us time the trapping.
Signs you're dealing with an active tunnel
Fresh mounds are dark and loose; old ones are pale, dry and crusted. Mole-rats often plug the opening of a mound from below. Press down a ridge or flatten a mound in the evening; if it's been raised or reopened by morning, that tunnel is in use. Those active runs are where traps go, and finding them is most of the skill.
How we deal with moles and mole-rats
- Identify the animal. Mounds, ridges and the type of plant damage tell us whether it's a mole-rat or a golden mole.
- Map active tunnels. We probe between fresh mounds to find the main run rather than the short side tunnels.
- Trap in the run. Traps set in an active main tunnel are the most reliable method. We check them and reset as needed.
- Advice on protection. We'll talk you through ways to protect beds afterwards, such as lining raised vegetable beds with wire mesh underneath.
Moles and mole-rats are honestly among the slower jobs in pest control. A new animal can move in from the veld next door after one is removed, so follow-up checks are part of the work.
The mistakes people make
Pouring water, petrol or diesel down the holes, dropping in poison, or putting a hosepipe from the car exhaust into the tunnel. These are dangerous, they contaminate the soil you grow food in, and they rarely reach the animal, which simply blocks the tunnel and digs a new one. Another mistake is flattening every mound at once before we arrive, which makes it harder to tell which tunnels are active.
A Soweto gardening tip
When you build a new vegetable bed, dig it out, lay a sheet of fine wire mesh across the bottom, bend it up the sides and fill it back in. It takes an afternoon and stops mole-rats eating your crops from below for years.
What mole control costs
The price depends on the size of the area, how many animals are active, and how many visits it takes to trap them. A single yard with one mole-rat is a much smaller job than a school field with tunnels across it. The guide "from" price for this and our other services is on the pest control prices page. We'll quote once we've seen how many active runs there are.
Other garden pests in Soweto
Bare patches without mounds are usually not moles at all but harvester termites, which strip grass in winter; our Soweto termite control page explains the difference. If you garden in Kliptown, the local page there covers the other pests we see in that part of Soweto. For the full list of what we treat here, visit our Soweto page. We also deal with moles in Roodepoort gardens, and with mole control across Johannesburg.
Jason van Heerden and Combat Pest Control bring 25 years of pest control experience; we're SAPCA registered, registered with the Department of Agriculture, and offer service within 24 hours. Call 084 200 2700, or WhatsApp us a picture of the mounds and we'll tell you which animal is digging.
Questions we get asked
How much does mole removal cost?
It depends on the size of the yard or field and how many animals are active. A small garden is a modest job; a sports field takes more visits. We quote after seeing the tunnels.
Are moles eating my vegetables?
If roots and bulbs are disappearing, it's a mole-rat, which is a rodent. Golden moles eat worms and insects, not plants, though their tunnels can damage roots.
Is it safe to use mole control near my food garden?
Yes. We trap in the tunnels, so nothing is added to the soil you grow food in.
How long does it take to get rid of them?
Often a week or two, sometimes longer on large fields. A new animal can move in from nearby veld, so follow-up checks are part of the job.
Will mothballs or a windmill keep them away?
Not reliably. They may move a tunnel a little, but the animal stays. Trapping in an active run works far better.
What should I do before you come?
Don't flatten all the mounds or flood the holes. Leave them as they are so we can find the active tunnels quickly.