Controlling Vole Pests in Your Garden

Voles are a garden pest that can cause great damage to your gardens and in particular fruit trees. They are 4-7 inches long with short legs and tails and the Townsend vole can be nearly 9 inches long.

There are differences between a vole and a mole, mainly that the mole is mostly a carnivore, whereas the vole is a primarily a vegetarian, you’ll know that they won’t necessarily be attracted to the same baits should you decide to try to catch one of these garden pests. Moles also tend to stay underground, while many voles feed above ground.

According to Dave Pehling’s July, 2008 article “Principles Of Vertebrate Pest Management” he states signs of a vole problem as well as methods of eradication sourced in this article.

Signs of a Vole Problem

• Bulbs and seeds that don’t sprout
• Trees that begin to look ‚”off color” and feel loose in the ground
• Girdling teeth marks around base of tree trunks usually in fall and winter
• Multitude of criss-crossing 1/8 inch patterns made by teeth marks

Vole Preventative Suggestions

Keep grass mowed short and eliminate it from within a circle of at least three feet from tree trunks.

Make vole guards out of ¼” mesh hardware cloth wrapped around tree trunks and bury the bottom edge a few inches under the soil to protect the crown as well as the trunk, and let this vole guard go up about 2 feet or so.

Don’t use soft mulch materials around the tree trunk including weed barrier cloth because voles will tunnel under and sometimes provides a favorable environment for them.

Extermination Methods of Garden Voles

Smaller voles can be trapped with common mouse traps and larger ones may require using rat traps. Try to find active tunnels by poking a thin stick into the ground to find them. Dig out a small area of the tunnel and set the trap, then cover with either a piece of curved cardboard or roof shingles or any other such material that would cover the trap, yet allow it to fully spring. Use at least one trap per 100 square feet. The first day, check traps every few hours.

Poison baits are an alternative too, but be sure to follow manufacturer’s instructions and keep an eye out for pets, children, etc. In many situations these are not a good way to go.

Bait stations can be made from beverage cans, PVC pipe, old tires or wood. These help keep bait dry and fresh much longer, and then use traps. Peanut butter, apples and other types of fruits are very attractive to use as bait for voles.

Voles can very quickly populate (or repopulate) so it’s important to get and stay on top of any vole problems, there can be as many as 500 per acre, so they can do some major damage if let run rampant, your garden and trees paying a heavy price. With diligence especially at first, you can get it under control.