AT A GLANCE
Is carbide an effective and safe way to get rid of moles?
Is carbide effective against moles? While carbide can repel moles with the stench it emits, the method is dangerous, harmful to the environment, and in many cases illegal. Better alternatives are mothballs, buttermilk or garlic in combination with acoustic repellent methods such as pinwheels.
What is carbide?
Carbide looks like small, gray pieces of rock and is officially called calcium carbide or calcium acetylide (CaC2). When it comes into contact with water, it emits smelly, highly flammable gases: hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and monophosphane, among others. The stench drives away moles and other unwanted garden dwellers such as e.g. B. voles.
also read
digression
Moles are beneficial creatures
Even if Moles dig up the ground, they are a real boon for your garden: they eat insects like grubs and caterpillars, loosen and aerate the soil and keep "real" pests such as voles away.
The danger of carbide
The gas ethyne (acetylene) produced during the reaction of water and carbide is very flammable. If you drop a cigarette butt near Carbide, you can expect an explosion. But not only that: Carbide and its gases are highly toxic and banned in many allotments, in nature reserves and near rivers and lakes. In addition, carbide is an irritant and can lead to eye damage and skin injuries if used improperly. Carbide storage is a major challenge as even the tiniest bit of moisture leads to the formation of toxic gases.
Carbide a good solution against moles?
While the use of carbide, for all its dangers, is not officially banned, we strongly advise against using it against moles or other unwanted guests. You are not only damaging the environment, microorganisms and water bodies in the long term, you are also risking your own health and that of your children and pets.
Lack of effectiveness of carbide against moles
It gets even worse: In field reports you can read that the use of carbide against moles is only very rarely crowned with success. So it's really not worth the risk.
Alternatives to carbide against moles
In principle, it's a good idea to repel a mole with a stench - but with a harmless agent. Harmless remedies for moles include:
- mothballs
- buttermilk
- Garlic
Distribute the chosen means (more helps more!) in several mole tunnels (carefully dig up and down again) and renew them every few days. The stench method is most effective when combined with acoustic repelling methods such as a windmill combine.
