How Much Does a Mole Exterminator Cost? [2024 Data]
Normal range: $100 - $550
Removing moles from your yard costs between $100 and $550 or an average of $400, depending on treatment method and frequency.
Yard mole removal costs an average of $400, but it's usually based on a cost-per-mole rate. If you’re dealing with a family of moles, you’ll spend more money—about $50 to $80 per mole—compared to dealing with just one pest. Moles can damage plants’ root systems, your pristine green lawn, and even your yard equipment, like mowers and sprinklers, so related repairs can cost an additional chunk of change. Learn more about the expenses associated with rodent removal, as well as signs you have moles, how to get rid of them, and ways to prevent them from showing up at all
- Average
- $400
- Low end
- $50
- high end
- $1,200
Mole Exterminator Cost Breakdown
Moles are actually beneficial to your lawn and home by eating termites, ants, and snails. Moles also eat grubs that destroy grass roots and beetles that will consume your plants.
While humane removal is best, we’ve covered a variety of options below. If you can reduce populations with humane mole removal methods, you’ll be able to avoid the use of poisonous baits and kill traps that can harm local pets and area wildlife too.
Much of the cost of professional yard mole removal goes to labor. But other factors also come into play, such as where in your home or yard the moles live.
Methods and Materials
The cost to remove yard moles can vary depending on the type of mole removal. Some services may exterminate the moles entirely, while others offer more humane options for trapping and relocating these mammals.
Kill traps: Trapping costs a set-up fee of $100 plus about $50 to $80 per mole. Traps are the most common and effective method of mole removal, but should be used as a last resort. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is against the use of leg-hold and body-gripping traps, as they cause intense pain and distress to wild animals.
Trap-and-release traps: Live trapping moles is more difficult, as they live below ground, so this service will cost about $200 to $500. However, this is a humane method that allows you to remove the moles and transport them to an area away from humans with ample food, water, and shelter, so they don’t return.
Bait: Some services will set out poisonous bait for around $50 to exterminate moles. This is less effective than traps or fumigation and poses a potential danger to pets, children, and other local wildlife.
Fumigation: Exterminating moles via fumigation costs around $250. Fumigation is often used alongside trapping and is less effective on its own.
Grub removal: While moles do eat grubs, their presence alone is not enough to create a mole infestation. Removing them yourself or having them removed is not necessary, but it can still help keep moles at bay. A mole exterminator will charge an additional $80 to $200 for a one-time grub treatment, but you may have to pay for repeat treatments depending on the severity of your grub infestation.
Labor
Mole removal is usually priced per mole at $50 to $80 each. Some companies may charge based on the number of trips they make to your property at $40 to $80 per visit, or you may have an average set-up fee of $100 that you pay up-front. Some pest removal services for moles and similar lawn foes offer regular monthly visits for around $600 per year.
Frequency
Many yard mole removal companies offer packages for monthly, quarterly, biannual, and/or yearly visits. If you frequently find moles on your property, opting for a package like this can help keep them at bay year-round and save you some money since companies often offer discounts for recurring visits.
| Mole Removal Frequency | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Once per year | $250–$500 |
| Biannual | $400–$650 |
| Quarterly | $500–$750 |
| Monthly | $600–$1,200 |
Location
While moles are commonly found in yards, in some cases, moles make their way into the house. They're most often found in basements and garages, but they can also be found in other rooms as well. Their location can affect the cost to remove them. If you have to contact a local emergency animal removal company, that will increase the cost as well.
Yard: Yard mole removal typically costs the least since most mole infestations in yards are relatively easy to access. Costs usually range from $50 to $200.
Basement or garage: Next to a yard, the basement and garage are the most common places to find moles. Removing them from one of these spaces typically costs $200 to $350.
Bathroom or kitchen: If you have a mole infestation in your bathroom or kitchen, you can expect to pay between $300 and $450 for removal. The higher cost is due to the potential that a mole is in your walls or in another hard-to-reach area.
Attic: Mole removals from the attic are usually the most costly since many attics are challenging to access and navigate. Costs range from $400 to $500, on average.
Repairs and Replanting
If you have moles in your yard, the damage they can cause may lead to $2,000 or more in repairs. Moles dig underground and can disrupt your plants' root systems. Plus, they tear up the soil and grass in your lawn. Your beloved maple trees or your flower garden can be destroyed by moles.
Reseeding: Reseeding a lawn may cost $400 to $1,600. This service will help fix bare patches in the lawn caused by the moles’ digging.
Lawn repair: Aside from reseeding, you may spend up to $600 for lawn repairs, including aeration, filling mole tunnels, and fertilizing the lawn.
Sprinklers: Moles often cause damage to sprinklers, which cost around $250 to repair. Contact a local sprinkler company for a quote.
Replanting: For landscaping costs, you may need to spend about $150 to $2,000 per tree and $1,000 or more for new plants around the yard, depending on the extent of the damage.
Cost to Remove Moles Yourself
Removing moles yourself can save you money since you can skip labor costs altogether and only need to pay for the cost of the traps, which range from $25 to $75 per trap.
However, it's not advisable to do this yourself unless you have expertise in yard mole removal. Handling moles yourself can be dangerous, leading to bites and injuries.
DIY vs. Hiring a Mole Exterminator
While rare, moles can become aggressive and may bite if they feel threatened. Some municipalities also have regulations around how and when you can remove moles. That’s why it is best to hire an animal removal professional near you to take care of the pests in your yard.
And if you’re dealing with shrews, some species are venomous, so always defer to a professional if you suspect shrew damage on your property.
How to Reduce Mole Exterminator Costs
While you shouldn’t attempt to remove moles yourself, there are ways to save money on pest control costs.
If you have just one or two moles, try affordable humane repelling options to get them to pack up and move elsewhere. These include scaring them away with wind chimes and pinwheels, using garden mesh to keep them from making tunnels, and getting rid of their favorite food source, grubs.
Another way to save money is to handle some of the lawn repairs yourself, such as aerating the lawn or replanting your flowers and trees.
Signs of a Mole Infestation
Moles burrow tunnels underground in search of insects to eat, but they’re not always easy to detect if you’re not sure what to look for. The following identifiers are all signs that there are moles wreaking havoc on your property.
Raised sections of the lawn
Soft spots where the soil feels loose underfoot
Dead patches of grass
Mounds of soil where the moles enter or exit the lawn.
More weeds than usual; moles disrupt the balance of your yard and make it easier for weeds to take root.
Once you have a clearer view of your pest situation—and have taken steps to remediate it—learn about what attracts moles in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
The simple answer is that food attracts moles to your yard. These creatures have a powerful sense of smell, and they’re looking for their next meal, i.e., grubs, earthworms, ants, and other insects. Moist, loose soil also makes it easier for them to travel, so an overwatered lawn could attract them.
Male moles might make their way into your yard to expand their territory or look for a new mate. And if your neighbor has moles, there’s a good chance they may tunnel over to your yard.
There are several ways to make your yard a less attractive habitat for moles. Protect your garden beds by installing a fence or other barrier about 2 to 3 feet deep around your garden.
Moles eat insects, so grub removal is another important way to prevent moles from destroying your yard.
Likewise, remove tree stumps, dead leaves, and other debris that attract insects to your lawn. Some plants will deter moles as well, including daffodils, marigolds, crown imperial, and alliums, like garlic or onions.
Ground moles are not typically dangerous. They're not known to carry rabies like many other wild animals, such as raccoons, skunks, and bats. And they don't typically bite humans, although it's possible if they feel threatened. If you do get bitten by a mole, it's best to see a physician to be safe, but most often, the bite will heal on its own unless it gets infected.
Moles live underground and feed on insects. They dig and move through tunnels, usually in meadows or forests but sometimes in lawns and gardens. They are about 6 inches long with large claws, tiny eyes, and hidden ears.
Shrews do not dig their own tunnels but will use other animals’ tunnels, and are about 3 to 4 inches long. They look similar to mice and feed on insects.
Voles are similar in size to moles but have large eyes and small but visible ears. Rather than eating insects, voles are herbivores that prefer seeds, grasses, and plant roots.