Molehills and GPS Lawn Mowers: Best Practices for Gardeners

Flattening a molehill compresses the soil and blocks the animal’s ventilation tunnel, forcing it to dig new holes and often resulting in more hills. The recommended method is to lift the loose earth with a spade—ideally when the ground is slightly frozen in winter or with a hand shovel in warmer months—while keeping the mole’s exit hole clear. Molehills provide well‑aerated soil and moles are legally protected because they help control other garden pests.

Modern robotic lawn mowers equipped with GPS navigate lawns without perimeter wires. They can be calibrated to the centimetre using a smartphone interface, and onboard cameras and LEDs detect obstacles such as balls, pets, or flower beds, improving safety. The robots operate autonomously, returning to their charging stations as needed, offering precise, efficient mowing compared with traditional hand‑mowed or cable‑guided machines.