Voles look cute and harmless, but they are a real pain when it comes to managing your lawn for spring and summer. Voles on your property are destructive. Learn about the problems caused by voles, and how you can prevent the little critters from invading your property.
Voles, not Moles
Voles are not the same as moles; although they are often confused for one another. Another pest with which voles are confused is mice. Voles aren’t mice either. A vole is a rodent that is closely related to the mouse, but voles have a few distinctions that set them apart from their house-rummaging cousins. A vole has these distinct features:
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Short, stout body
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Short, hairy tail
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Small, rounded ears
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Small, beady eyes
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Blunt snout
You will hear people refer to voles as field mice or meadow mice.
Problems Caused by Voles
One of the biggest problems with voles is their active lifestyle. Voles are active day and night. Unfortunately, for you and your garden, voles are hungry when they are awake. That means they are going to feed on your lawn or plants if left to their own devices.
Problems caused by voles include:
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Surface runways or tunnels across your lawn.
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Turned up grass and plant roots, as voles excavate the ground to build their tunnels.
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Damage to your flowers and garden crops from voles feeding on them.
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Damage to the bottom of trees.
How to Prevent Voles
You spend a great deal of time on your lawn, garden, and landscaping. You certainly don’t want a pesky little vole digging it up and feeding on your plants. A few prevention tips to deter voles can make a big difference. You need to work on managing the population to prevent it from getting out of hand. A few prevention techniques can help with that.
Sprinkle your lawn with a vole deterrent. This will ensure they think twice before entering your property. If you notice damage to your trees, wrap the base of the tree with a tree guard to prevent the voles from ripping and biting at the bark. You can try trapping voles with a humane trap so you can capture and release the voles. This can be tricky; however, if the voles end up sneaking back onto your property or a new group travels in.
The most effective way to prevent and control voles is with professional services. Adam’s Pest Control has vole solutions that help residents prevent vole infestations, identify and remedy vole damage, and control voles for good so they don’t cause any more damage. Call now to find out how Adam’s Pest Control can control your vole population.
