Does Juicy Fruit Gum Kill Moles in Lawns (Is it True?)

Moles are pests that dig unsightly burrows all over the lawn, and their activity can harm the development of your turfgrass. It’s, therefore, essential to control a mole infestation before it spirals out of control.

You may not fancy conventional mole control methods like baiting and trapping as they’re usually toxic or expensive. One DIY alternative that you can try is juicy fruit gum. Moles are naturally attracted to sweet scents like this product, and when they eat it, it fatally blocks their digestive tracks. 

What Do Moles Eat?

Moles are known Vermivores or insectivores that eat insects and other invertebrates, including earthworms, centipedes, millipedes, snails, slugs, sowbugs, grubs, ants, crickets, beetles, and termites they find underground. However, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), most North American moles are Insectivorous, while most Washington species tend to be Omnivorous (eat both plants and animals).

According to research, stomach samples in Oregon revealed that 70 to 90 percent of the Townsend mole’s diet was earthworms, although grassroots, vegetable crop roots, bulbs, and seeds were also present. The moles enjoy a complex arrangement of tunnels that help them prey on and eat the insects that fall into them. This could be one of the reasons why unconventional methods like juicy gum get effective, as the mole finds it inside its tunnels.

A full-grown mole measures up to 16cm and weighs 128g. Its natural habitat is usually lawns, meadows, and woodland areas, and it mostly appears in spring, summer, and autumn. They usually mate in winter to early summer and give birth to about 3-5 young ones. The mole nest is made of soft vegetation matted and interwoven located within a cavity 5 to 18 inches underground. The high ground help prevent the nest from being flooded by late winter or early spring rains that may end up killing the offsprings.

How To Use Juicy Gum To Get Rid of Moles in Your Grass Lawn

How to get rid of moles in the yard with juicy fruit gum- it has a sweet smell that attracts moles, and once the pests eat the gum, it blocks their digestive systems, resulting in death. Please note that some moles won’t nibble on juicy fruit gum, as they’ll be wary of a foreign food they’ve never eaten. 

Though juicy fruit gum hasn’t been scientifically proven as an efficient mole killer, it remains a cheap and natural way to eliminate moles. According to Robert A. Pierce, a fish and wildlife specialist, conventional methods of controlling moles have been known to be either expensive (trapping, using repellents) or harmful to the environment (using poisonous bait). 

Here is how to get rid of moles in the yard with juicy fruit gum; follow the procedure:

• Locate active mole tunnels by checking for molehills with freshly dug soil.
• Place pieces of juicy fruit gum in the tunnels, ensuring not to disturb the soil. Use fresh gum and place multiple pieces in each mole hole for higher chances of success.
• Check the tunnels every few days to see if the gum pieces have been consumed. It would be best to be patient, though, as moles might not be too eager to eat the gum. If you find the gum pieces missing, add more to eliminate the moles.

Moles and Juicy Fruit Gum Theory

You must have heard you can use Juicy Fruit gum to kill moles tunneling in your lawn or garden. Is this true, and how do I use it? The use of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum for mole (and gopher) is one of those unconventional home remedies passed down to us for a few decades from our grandparents.

This is one of the urban legends passed down for generations; moles are known carnivores grouped as Vermivores or insectivores that feast on worms, grubs, earthworms, and other underground insects. Scientifically there is no practical evidence that moles eat juicy fruit gums or that they just run away due to interference in their burrows or abandon them altogether.

However, here is a guide on how to use Juicy Fruit gum to kill moles and voles on your lawn

Below is some online evidence and feedback that juicy gum is truly an unconventional way to eliminate moles.

FAQs

Final Thought

The upsides of using juicy fruit gum to kill moles are that it’s cheap and non-poisonous. You can purchase a pack of this type of chewing gum for just a few dollars, plus it’s not toxic to pets and kids. On the downside, this method is time-consuming as you manually insert the gum pieces into each mole hole. It is good to note that the dead mole may be eaten by other wild animals very easily since it provides easy food, but this may end up causing them digestive problems or even death.

Additionally, you must constantly monitor the tunnels to see if the treatment works, which can be tedious. Most people think moles eat plants in their gardens, while they dont. Moles are carnivorous and thus attracted to your lawn to eat earthworms, grubs, and insects that they find underground.

References

I. Robert A. Pierce: University of Missouri Extension: Controlling Nuisance Moles