Lawn Diseases
Best Mole Killer: Why Most Mole Poisons Cannot Work
Moles are not rodents, so the grain baits sold for them cannot poison them — and grub control will not remove them either. What extension services do recommend.
Zinc Phosphide Grain Bait
Victor Outdoor Mole & Gopher Poison Peanuts (4-pack) Review
★★☆☆☆ 1.8/5
our editor rating how we score4/5 from 7,941 shoppers at Amazon — their number, not ours.
$18–$24
Typical price · 4 containers, 6 oz each; placed into active burrows
Affiliate links — see our disclosure. Commissions never influence verdicts.
It says mole on the front. Purdue Extension says a mole cannot be baited with a grain product, because a mole does not eat grain.
Our Verdict
Effective on gophers, and close to useless on the animal most buyers have. This is the product Purdue Extension's mole publication describes almost by name: 'Poison peanuts or other grain baits won't work since moles don't feed on seeds, alfalfa pellets or any of the typical baits that are sold to kill rodents even though some are touted as a control for rodents and moles.' A mole is an insectivore that eats mainly earthworms. A pocket gopher is a herbivorous rodent that does eat plant material, so on gophers zinc phosphide bait is a legitimate tool — which is why the customer rating is respectable and why we have not rated it zero. If your damage is raised winding ridges and conical soil mounds, you have a mole and this will not touch it. Buy a trap or a worm-form bromethalin bait instead. Separately, zinc phosphide is acutely toxic and releases phosphine gas on contact with moisture, so it is not a casual product to have around a yard with pets.
✅ Pros
- Genuinely works on pocket gophers, which do eat plant and grain material
- Inexpensive per burrow treated
- Simple burrow placement, no mechanical skill
- Four separate containers keep unused bait sealed
⚠️ Cons
- Will not control moles — Purdue states grain baits cannot bait an insectivore
- Marketed for 'moles and gophers', which is the exact wording Purdue singles out as misleading
- Zinc phosphide is acutely toxic and releases phosphine gas when it meets moisture
- Real hazard to pets and non-target wildlife if bait reaches the surface
- Most buyers with ridges and mounds have moles, so most buyers get nothing for their money
Product type
Zinc Phosphide Grain Bait
Active ingredient
Zinc phosphide 2.00%
Price range
$18–$24
Coverage
4 containers, 6 oz each; placed into active burrows
Best for
Pocket gophers — a rodent that actually eats grain bait
our editor rating
1.8 out of 5
Where our facts come from
Label read on EPA's label database
EPA Reg. No. 149-16
We opened this product's accepted label on EPA's own Pesticide Product Label System — the strongest source available for what a product is registered to do.
What we found when we read it
EPA PPLS read 2026-08-03. Registered product name 'Sweeney's Poison Peanuts Mole & Gopher Bait II', EPA Reg. 149-16, registrant Senoret Chemical — the same company as 149-19, the bromethalin worm bait we also review. Zinc phosphide 2.00% as our record states. Worth noting the pairing: one registrant, two mole products, and per Purdue Extension only the worm-shaped one addresses an animal that feeds on earthworms. The registration says nothing about that; the extension evidence does.
Where this page and the container disagree, the container wins — the label is the legal authority on rates and restrictions. How to read one yourself.
Where This Product Matters
Matched against each state's actual disease, weed and pest pressure.
Arizona
Arizona hub →⚖️ Do not buy this for an Arizona yard. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension states it plainly: “We do not have moles in Arizona.” Soil being pushed up here is almost certainly a pocket gopher — a rodent that does eat plant material and therefore CAN be baited, which is the opposite of a mole. Identify by mound shape: a gopher approaches the surface at an angle so its mound is a fan or tear drop with the plug off to one side; a mole pushes soil straight up, so its mound is round and conical.
Colorado
Colorado hub →⚖️ Almost certainly the wrong animal here. CSU Extension fact sheet 6.521 records moles as “rarely found in Colorado, and only on the eastern plains” — the Lower South Platte counties (Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Morgan, Washington, Yuma) plus Baca in the south-east. Denver, the Front Range and the Western Slope are all outside mole range, where CSU points instead at voles, pocket gophers, prairie dogs or Wyoming ground squirrels.
Iowa
Iowa hub →Moles along field edges
Oregon
Oregon hub →Moles (heavy in soft, damp valley soil)
Common questions
Common Questions
How much does Victor Outdoor Mole & Gopher Poison Peanuts (4-pack) cost?
Victor Outdoor Mole & Gopher Poison Peanuts (4-pack) typically runs $18–$24, covering 4 containers, 6 oz each; placed into active burrows.
What does Victor Outdoor Mole & Gopher Poison Peanuts (4-pack) treat?
Victor Outdoor Mole & Gopher Poison Peanuts (4-pack) targets Moles.
What is the active ingredient in Victor Outdoor Mole & Gopher Poison Peanuts (4-pack)?
Zinc phosphide 2.00%, registered under EPA Reg. No. 149-16.
What is the biggest downside of Victor Outdoor Mole & Gopher Poison Peanuts (4-pack)?
Will not control moles — Purdue states grain baits cannot bait an insectivore
Real feedback
Customer Reviews
No reviews yet — be the first to share how Victor Outdoor Mole & Gopher Poison Peanuts (4-pack) worked for your lawn.
Leave a review
Thanks — we read every submission by hand, so it may take a little while to appear.
Related Guides
Lawn Health Newsletter
Seasonal lawn reminders, on time
Pre-emergent windows, disease alerts and fertilization schedules for your region — one short email, right when your lawn needs it.
Free forever. Unsubscribe anytime. US lawns only (for now). This season's companion: the printable summer checklist.