Getting rid of the vole in the garden

Vole and mole. What is the difference between them?

First, the vole is not a mole! People confuse these two animals because they both walk through your yard and leave some similar evidence behind them. You may not have seen any of them, as they usually live underground, but they look very different. Voles are small, stocky rodents that look like field mice. In fact, the vole looks like a mouse only at first glance. Moles, on the other hand, are NOT rodents. They have distinctive large legs that they use when digging!

Voles have small, rounded ears that are often hidden by fur, small eyes, and a short tail. Their fur is usually thick and varies in color from light brown to gray.

Plants are a favorite dish of voles

Voles, like other rodents, have a predominantly vegetarian diet. Voles primarily feed on the stalks and blades of lawn grass - so they are usually exposed by the vole tunnels that you can see on the surface of the yard. Moles have a predominantly carnivorous diet. (Moles are beneficial in many ways. They help plow the soil and feed on larvae and insects!)

This distinction is useful to know not only because it will help you determine who exactly caused the damage, but also because the voles will be interested in peanut butter as bait, while moles will be more interested in insects or earthworms.

If this helps, remember that their atypical activity will diminish sooner or later. The vole population cycle may almost not get your attention, but there is a population boom about every 3-5 years. Mild winters with good snowfall can increase the vole population.

Many of the same methods you use to get rid of mice can be used to get rid of voles; after all, voles are commonly referred to as "meadow mice" or "field mice."

Identification

You will recognize voles through the shallow serpentine tunnels that you see throughout the lawn. The tunnels are about 5 centimeters wide, very close to the surface, so they can easily get close to their favorite food, such as grass stalks. Voles are especially violent in early spring.

Moles, on the other hand, have deeper communication tunnels that they use as a locomotion network. They also have secondary exit points that appear on the surface of your lawn, however, they look more like ledges and have small volcanic mounds. Remember, voles do not leave such mounds.

You will also be able to identify voles by the type of damage. Remember: these are voles if someone tried to eat your plants.

Voles can even eat flower bulbs from underground as they are close to the surface.

If you see chewed bark at the base of trees and bushes, take a closer look. The front teeth of the vole will leave 0.25-inch side-by-side grooves in the wood as it gnaws at the bark. (They are rodents, after all!)

Voles can also pass through any root system, causing irreparable damage to trees and shrubs. If you see young trees or bushes bending over, this could be due to voles.

Control and prevention

Make your yard inhospitable for voles! Prevention is very important here in order to reduce their number.

Voles love dense, heavy vegetation, weeds, and grasslands because this provides them with protection from predators and provides the material to build a shelter. Mow, weed, create a clean, viewable space.

Remove logs and similar possible vole hiding places near your garden, shrubs, and trees.

Keep the lawn mowed and the bushes trimmed from the ground.