# Electronic mole repellers....any good? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 31, 2004, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electronic-mole-repellers-any-good/237502 "2004-03-31T11:24:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f1d935/32.png) [@GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GSV_Consolation_of_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electronic-mole-repellers-any-good/237502/1 "2004-03-31T11:24:18Z")
I’m looking for a good gift for my Mother-in-Law, a keen gardener. She ofen has problems with moles digging around under her vegetable patches and I’ve been thinking about getting one of those electronic seismic/ultrasonic doodads that are supposed to keep them away. [Here’s an example product.](http://www.tchibo.co.uk/is-bin/UPL?P=0007701&B=4&S=2) (Called a vole repeller actually but I think that’s a typo) In [a previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=122898), **lieu** provided [this](http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/wildlife/g1288.htm) interesting information which indicates that these kinds of things don’t work very well/at all. The page is dated July 1996 though, so perhaps things have changed since then. I guess the questions are: Could sonic and/or seismic vibrations repell moles in theory? Has anyone tried these products? And if so, how well did they work? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electronic-mole-repellers-any-good/237502/2 "2004-03-31T14:12:59Z")
From what I’ve read, these so-called sonic pest repellers in general are basically worthless. Of course, I’ve never personally tried every one so there may be oen out there that works. FYI, there is such a beast as a [vole](http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/wang/labpics.html). They’re related to mice, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f1d935/32.png) [@GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GSV_Consolation_of_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electronic-mole-repellers-any-good/237502/3 "2004-04-01T08:50:54Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > From what I’ve read, these so-called sonic pest repellers in general are basically worthless. Of course, I’ve never personally tried every one so there may be oen out there that works. > > FYI, there is such a beast as a [vole](http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/wang/labpics.html). They’re related to mice, I believe. Oh I know there is such a creature, but I’ve never heard of them burrowing under people’s gardens and making holes in the lawn. The website is for a European chain and they make the occasional mistake like that. ---
**Author:** ![NardoPolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NardoPolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NardoPolo)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electronic-mole-repellers-any-good/237502/4 "2004-04-01T12:01:32Z")
The battery-operated items seem to run out of juice quickly. My grandparents have a large (for suburban standards) garden, and swear by their little plastic windmills. If you think about it - it’s the same concept. The little plastic windmill is inevitably misbalanced, and will send “sonic pulses” as well. The difference is - you don’t have to keep feeding it batteries every 2 days. In the thread you reference, **widdershins** mentions the same thing.