Mole in a hole

I have deep respect for insects, birds and mammals. But there are a few that I would rather not have living on our property. Mice in the house, mosquitoes anywhere, wasps in my drinks, moles under grass, Spanish slugs anywhere.

Each spring starts with a minefield. The grass, that takes a lot of love, effort and care, is littered with molehills. It is not a pretty sight and it makes my eyelid twitch. I get it - they were here before us, this is their home, live and let live. But as an avid gardener, I just can't. I want this green patch of grass to be perfect. What do I do to keep them away? I have tried several methods.

• Old school spring traps. These require some effort to install. I have probably not been too consistent with then, hence I can't say much about their effectiveness.

• Repellant pills. These emit a VERY strong "aroma". Supposedly, this is not a lethal method, but it repels the rodent to locate elsewhere. Easy to apply and keeps the moles away. At least for a couple of weeks.

• Solar powered beacons. My sister gave me two of these. Easiest to install - stick it in the ground and done! They emit annoying sound and probably vibrate in the ground? Least effective, the sound annoys me. Mole tunnels are right beside the beacons as if to ridicule me.

• Robotic lawn mower. The constant noise and vibration is what keeps them away. I have also heard that the weak electrical signal that runs in the perimeter cables deters them.

• Mole trap with blank cartridges. Now we are talking! I had two of them and I lost them. Probably forgot them somewhere underground. They require careful installation but when done right, are very effective. These are lethal and humane in a sense that they kill instantly - no suffering. I will have to get a new one from here.

I only fight the moles close to the house where I really try to take care of the grass. Moles are everywhere (greenhouse, vegetable garden, flowerbeds, in the forest) and that is inevitable.