how do you get voles in your yard

5 Steps Guide on How to Get Rid of Voles in Your Yard

Full Answer

How to get rid of voles naturally?

Some easy ways you can change your yard to deter voles include:

• Fencing: Putting up a physical barrier is a simple way to keep these vermin out of your yard. ...
• Trees: Since voles can gnaw a tree to death, it’s a good idea to wrap a mesh around the base of your trees as a precaution.
• Debris: Take the time to walk around your yard and clean up anything that voles might want to get their hands on. ...

How to kill a vole?

^{Your major vole extermination and removal methods are as follows:}

• Covered traps at vole-hole entrances. Use peanut butter to ensure your rodents can resist. ...
• Use vole repellents as soon as you notice the infestation. And plug up all the vole holes. This is a hit-and-miss method, but it’s worth a shot at least. ...
• Introduce a cat into your vole infested area. Cats, and the mere smell of cat, can often drive voles away.
• Use a catch and release trap that holds numerous mice at once. ...
• Contact a vole exterminator. Voles are difficult to remove, and you might end up having to call in the professionals.

What can I do to get rid of voles?

How to Prevent Voles From Taking Control

• Keep Your Lawn Clean. Voles are small creatures, and if there’s one thing that nature has taught us, it’s that virtually everything in the world likes to eat small creatures.
• Take Down Bird Feeders. ...
• Install a Fence. ...
• Prevention Starts With Pee. ...

How to exterminate voles?

Here Are the Best Ways to Get Rid of Voles

1. Vole Snap Trap. This is a Made2Catch classic metal rat snap trap. ...
2. CaptSure Upgraded Humane Smart Live Vole Trap. CaptSure Humane Smart Trap is a way to catch voles in a live trap. ...
3. Havahart 1025 Live Vole Trap. ...
4. Wire Tek 1001 EasySet Vole Eliminator Trap. ...
5. Baar Lawn Vole Castor Oil. ...
6. Repellex Vole Granular. ...
7. Bonide Molemax Vole Repellent Granules. ...

What attracts voles to yard?

Any property with vegetation or greenery will attract them. They often choose properties with moist areas or that are near lakes, swamps, or other water sources. Not only will meadow voles damage your yard, but they are known for spreading diseases, as well.

What is the fastest way to get rid of voles?

How to Get Rid of Voles: 5 Effective WaysRemove vegetation. Voles don't like to feed out in the open. ... Protect young trees. Voles love to gnaw on the trunks of young trees. ... Use live traps. ... Use natural repellants. ... Contact a professional pest management company. ... Vole Poisons. ... Repellents. ... Traps.More items...•

What smells keep voles away?

You can repel voles by using scents they dislike such as rosin and peppermint. Voles also hate certain plants like pachysandra, daffodil, and boxwood and are repelled by cleared areas such as crushed gravel, pavement, and clear yards.

How do you find a vole nest?

Most meadow vole nests are constructed out of dried grasses, also on the surface of the ground, although they are sometimes built at the end of shallow burrows. When above ground, the nests are often located in the center of a grass tussock, where they are less apt to be flooded.

How does Dawn dish soap get rid of moles?

InstructionsHeat water in kettle.Pour castor oil into jar.Pour 3 quarts of hot water into the jar.Add Dawn Dish Soap.Shake or stir the mixture together.Pour the mixture into a garden sprayer.Spray lawn.Pour extra directly onto mole holes.

Will voles come in your house?

Although they do not infest houses often or on purpose, they can sometimes be found indoors. One or two of them may find their way into your house by accident. Voles are not the kind of animals that sleep when it is dark, and therefore, they can be active whether it is day and at night.

What is a home remedy to get rid of voles?

To make a natural vole repellent spray, dice up hot peppers and mix in a spray bottle that has equal parts water and dish soap. Then spray around areas that voles like to visit, such as the garden or any remaining brush piles. You will need to reapply the spray every week or so, especially if there is rainfall.

Will human pee deter voles?

Moles and voles use to identify predators by their urine and scent. Once these animals smell predator urine, they instinctively move away from these areas in an attempt to dodge the predators. For this reason, you can use animal urine to keep moles away from your yard or garden.

How many voles live in a colony?

How many voles are in a colony and what makes up a colony? There may be two adults, several juveniles, and a nest with up to 5 babies in a family colony.

What time of year are voles most active?

Voles do not hibernate and are active throughout the year. During severe winters and snow cover, when green vegetation is scarce, voles often girdle tree trunks and roots killing or damaging trees and shrubs. Voles may be active day or night, but most activity occurs at dawn and dusk.

How do you tell if you have voles in your yard?

Here are some signs you may have voles in yard:Tiny Trails in Your Yard. Voles travel on the same paths, by creating 1- to 2-inch-wide ruts or runways in the ground. ... Collapsed Plants. Voles are herbivores and like to feast on bulbs, tubers, or roots. ... Spongy Soil. ... Holes in the Soil. ... Damaged Harvest. ... Cats. ... Visual Sighting.

What does vole damage look like in a yard?

Aside from their different appearance, one way to identify vole infestation in your yard, as opposed to moles, are by their tunnels and damage they do to your lawn. Voles will make small holes with no mound and leave tracks on the surface of soft-ground and grass. Their tracks resemble interwoven corridors.

How many voles live in a colony?

How many voles are in a colony and what makes up a colony? There may be two adults, several juveniles, and a nest with up to 5 babies in a family colony.

Does apple cider vinegar get rid of voles?

A couple of examples: Apple cider vinegar – this has a strong smell that voles do not like. You could mix it with water and spray it on plants that have signs of vole damage – just be careful because if you leave the mixture on for too long it will burn plant leaves.

How deep do voles dig?

12 inchesSome voles burrow and create many shallow tunnels, while other types dig down to a depth of 12 inches. The tunnels give soil a spongy feel when you walk on it. Voles also happily inhabit mole and chipmunk tunnels.

What is the fastest way to get rid of moles in your yard?

Ways to Get Rid of MolesRemove their food source.Avoid overwatering your lawn.Apply repellents.Poison moles with bait.Kill moles with traps.

How Do You Fix a Vole-Damaged Lawn?

If voles have damaged your lawn, you want to restore it as quickly as possible. Here are a few quick tips:

How Long Does it Take to Get Rid of Voles?

The answer to this question depends on which method you use. If you’ve chosen to set live traps, for example, you can expect to spend about 3-4 weeks whittling down your vole population.

How to keep voles from eating my plants?

Voles also dislike capsaicin, the potent compound in peppers that makes them taste spicy. To deter voles naturally, mix chopped hot peppers with water and biodegradable dish soap. Spray vole hotspots in your lawn and landscaping with the mixture to prevent voles from nibbling on your plants.

What protects voles from predators?

All winter long, snow cover protects voles from predators and provides shelter for feeding. In the spring, when the snow melts, homeowners often find the telltale “runways” of a vole infestation. These runways look like a series of raised tunnels in the grass surface and are formed when voles feed within the turf canopy.

How to tell if a vole is in your yard?

Here are a few sure-fire signs of voles in your yard: 1 Paths 1”-2” wide in the turf surface. 2 Vole burrows, which look like holes in the lawn or around the bases of trees. Unlike molehills, these dens do not feature soil mounding. 3 Spaces where the grass of the lawn is suddenly very short. 4 Noticeable gnaw marks on the stems of woody plants and young trees. 5 Exposed stems that have been gnawed to a pointed tip. 6 Dead plants that, when lifted, have no root structure remaining.

What is a vole?

Voles: they’re a tiny animal that can drive homeowners and gardeners crazy! Known for creating networks of deep, crisscrossing tunnels, voles can wreak havoc on a lawn or garden. If you’ve ever wondered how to get rid of voles, you’re not alone.

How to control voles in the open?

Remove vegetation. Voles don’t like to feed out in the open. With this in mind, one of the easiest ways to control their numbers is through habitat modification. Remove dense ground cover, keep the lawn mowed, keep mulch light around trees and shrubs, and keep up on snow removal. 2.

What do voles look like?

But voles in the yard can be harder to identify. Also known as meadow mice, voles are small, pudgy creatures which look like mice but with darker color and shorter tails. Voles can be yellow-brown or red-brown in color but they are mostly brown-black. They have partially hidden ears and small beady eyes.

How deep do voles dig?

Some voles like to dig deep tunnels (12-inches deep) while some create shallow tunnels. When you walk on the soil over these tunnels, it will feel somewhat spongy.

Do voles move quickly?

Voles move pretty quickly from one tunnel to another. During the summer months, if your lawn grass is long, you will sometimes see a ripple moving through the turf grass. Be very careful as it can be a snake or a vole.

Do voles eat potatoes?

Voles are herbivores and like to feast on bulbs, tubers, or roots. This means if you have a kitchen garden where you’re growing potatoes, onions, beets, turnips, and sweet potatoes, they will be at risk. Voles in the yard will chew through the roots, which will cause the plants to collapse.

Do voles live underground?

There are different types of voles: some live underground (pine voles) while some live aboveground (meadow voles). If you have a vole problem, it can be challenging to identify it on your own.

What do voles eat?

Voles, similar to other rodents, have a mainly vegetarian diet. Voles mainly eat stems and blades of lawn grass —so it’s usually vole tunnels that you’ll see near the surface of the yard. Moles have a mainly carnivorous diet. (Moles are beneficial in many ways. They help plow the soil and eat grubs and insects!)

How do you know if a vole is chewing on your tree?

If you see chewed-up bark near the base of trees and shrubs, look closely. A vole’s front teeth will leave ¼ inch side-by-side grooves in the wood as it gnaws away on the bark. (They’re rodents, after all!) Voles also tunnel through any root system, causing damage to trees and shrubs.

What are the two types of voles in North America?

Two common species of voles in North America are the prairie vole and the meadow vole. Meadow voles are more widely distributed, but prairie voles are more common in prairie areas. They are very similar, and methods for controlling them are mostly the same.

What is the difference between a mole and a vole?

In fact, a vole might look like a mouse at first glance. In contrast, moles are NOT rodents. Moles are all nose and mouth.

How do you know if a vole is manic?

You’ll know voles by the shallow snake-like tunnels that you’ll see all over your lawn. The tunnels are about two inches wide and very near the surface so they can eat their favorite food, grass stems and blades. Voles are especially manic in the early springtime.

How to keep voles away from trees?

Avoid putting dense mulch too close to trees and shrubs. Keep snow cleared from the base of trees and shrubs. Protect young trees by wrapping the lower trunk with a guard. Bird feeders are another attraction for voles and should either be removed or the ground kept very clean to keep vole numbers down.

How to tell if you have a vole problem?

If you have partially eaten carrots, potatoes, or other root vegetables, you probably have a vole problem. According to one reader, “The y dig under my carrots, pulling them down, and eating them.

How to keep voles away from my garden?

Third, spray hot sauce (yes, hot sauce) on your precious plants to keep voles away from them above-ground. Finally, you can set mouse traps outside in the garden, along with your foundation, and on vole trails. But be sure they have covered traps so you, your kid, or your cat doesn’t trap a toe in them!

How to get rid of voles in my yard?

There are many ways to go about getting rid of voles, but here are four key steps for a simple approach: 1 First cut back all weeds and overgrown grass in your yard, and eliminate random clutter. The fewer places there are to hide, the less likely voles will stick around. 2 Next, protect your most valuable plants by enclosing them in steel mesh set a few inches into the ground. 3 Third, spray hot sauce (yes, hot sauce) on your precious plants to keep voles away from them above-ground. 4 Finally, you can set mouse traps outside in the garden, along with your foundation, and on vole trails. But be sure they have covered traps so you, your kid, or your cat doesn’t trap a toe in them!

How to keep voles off of deck?

Dig around till you eliminate vole refuges and scatter any voles currently present. Then run quarter-inch mesh chicken wire along the edge of your deck to keep the voles out.

What are voles tunneling around?

So voles are tunneling around in your yard and garden, blazing surface trails like “mouse pioneers, ” and killing your plants and grass by nibbling on their root systems. What can be done about it?

What do voles eat?

In the wild (your back yard), voles eat roots, insects, seeds, snails, and slugs. But they are constantly foraging day and night and will eat almost anything any other mouse would eat, so no need for “special baits” for voles.

How to tell if a vole is a mouse?

But you can identify voles by the presence of above and below ground tunnels if you can’t “get a good look at one.”.

How much does it cost to exterminate a vole?

It can easily cost over $500 for an initial inspection of your lot for vole life and follow up extermination and vole removal services. It might only cost you $50 to $100 using DIY methods. But when you can’t manage to do it on your own and the vole population is soaring, it can be worth it to pay the additional cost.

How to tell if a mole is a vole?

Walk carefully around the entire length of your property, paying special attention to the ground. Even in daylight, you may want to use a flashlight to shine on the ground so you don’t trip over any runways. If you do see ground damage, you can identify that it’s a vole rather than a mole if there are surface runways or small tunnel entrances. On the other hand, moles will stay solely underground and create large mounds that run the length of the tunnels. Another indicator of voles will be the debris and droppings they leave along their runways or entrances to their tunnels.

What is the difference between ultrasonic and vibration?

These devices usually operate by motion detection, only coming on when a vole scurries by. They emit a high-frequency noise audible only to rodents, while the vibration devices stick into the ground and cause a disturbance that the voles can feel as they’re running.

How long do voles live?

Both male and female voles will stay with their mother and father for only a short period of time. Voles only live for about a year.

What pets repel voles?

Household Pets. Cats and dogs can serve as natural vole repellents because of their inherent predatory nature. A cat may also bring the voles directly to you, which can actually help you see how many they’ve taken care of, and you’ll notice as the population begins to thin out.

How to get rid of voles?

Once you know you have voles, you can create a long-term strategy to eradicate them using any combination of physical barriers, repellent, poisons, bait and traps. But don’t skip the previous steps – you don’t want to waste money on products unsuitable for vole control. Understanding what you’re dealing with can also help you decide whether you need a wildlife expert who can implement an integrated pest management system.

Where to place a vole trap?

Place the trap strategically where it will receive a lot of traffic. Since vole runways are open-faced, you can peer inside them to see which areas look well-used. These areas will likely be slightly deeper or wider, and there will be more vole droppings.

What is the difference between a vole and a mouse?

Differences Between Voles and Mice. Mice have very large eyes and ears, while voles’ eyes and ears are small in comparison. Mice have a long tail that extends nearly twice as long as its body, but voles’ tails are much shorter.

What Is a Vole?

Voles are rodents that closely resemble mice or hamsters. “They are often called field mice because of their tendency to choose fields in which to live,” says Dr. Nancy Troyano, board certified entomologist for Ehrlich Pest Control. Although voles look like mice, they can be distinguished by their hair-covered tails, rounder heads, smaller ears and more stout bodies.

How Is a Vole Different From a Mole?

While moles and voles dig up your yard, they differ in appearance and behavior. “Moles are not rodents, but small mammals that spend most of their time underground, digging tunnels,” says Zachary Smith, president of Smith’s Pest Management, a certified pest control company in San Jose, Cal. specializing in vole control.

What Do Voles Eat?

Voles are herbivorous for the most part. “They love eating plants, tubers and bulbs, as well as the bark and roots of trees ,” says Smith. They’ll treat your garden like an all-you-can-eat buffet, leaving you with droopy, dying leftovers. If their favorite foods aren’t available, Troyano explains that voles “are also opportunistic and will eat dead mice and other rodents.”

How to deter voles from eating my lawn?

Capsaicin, the compound that makes peppers taste spicy, will also deter voles naturally. Smith says to “mix chopped hot peppers with water and biodegradable dish soap. Spray vole hotspots in your lawn and landscaping with the mixture.”. You could also try a solar powered ultrasonic deterrent.

How many litters can a vole have?

Voles “can have up to 10 litters a year,” says Troyano. “Just a couple of voles can produce over 100 offspring in a short amount of time.”. That’s why it’s so important get rid of voles before an infestation gets out of hand.

How to keep voles out of my garden?

Natural predators such as owls, dogs or cats will prevent voles from getting in the garden. You can attract owls by installing a nesting box. You can also buy coyote urine to spray around your yard’s perimeter.

How to get rid of voles in your yard?

“With this in mind,” says Smith, “remove dense ground cover, keep the lawn mowed, keep mulch light around trees and shrubs and keep up on snow removal .”. It’s also a good idea to manage plants that attract voles, such as fruit trees.

How to kill voles in the fall?

If possible, avoid extermination. Poison can be viable against voles, but toxins may pose a risk to children, pets, and other wildlife. If you have exhausted all other methods of control and extermination is your only option, the safest, most effective poison baits are those that contain Warfarin, a slow-acting anticoagulant that prevents the animals blood from clotting, eventually leading to death. Laying the traps during the fall and winter season when food is scarce increases the likelihood that the voles will take the bait. Before administering this type of treatment yourself, consult a pest control specialist for the safest, most effective outcome.

What is the best way to kill voles?

Non-toxic ways to ward off voles include castor oil, derived from the seeds of the castor plant, and capsaicin, an oil found in hot peppers. Spraying either substance on your greenery provide a smell and taste voles are sure to find unpleasant.

How many offspring do voles produce?

Be a Bad Host. Active year round, voles multiply rapidly, producing up to 100 offspring annually. With adequate shelter and a plentiful food supply, a colony will thrive. So your first move is to eliminate environments that make voles feel at home: excess brush and mulch, leaf piles, wood stacks, and tall grasses.

What is a 7 inch mouse?

The 7-inch-long rodent also known as a meadow mouse is rather shy. Yet evidence of the pests’ presence is unmistakable: Their maze of 2-inch-wide tunnels leads to dying plants and displaced grasses. So don’t wait to roll up the welcome mat!

Can you bury a fence to prevent voles?

Vole “runways” tend to be less obvious in landscapes with loose topsoil. But if you notice plants suddenly drooping for no apparent reason, it’s safe to suspect you’re the victim of voles. Your best defense is a good mesh fence. To protect roots and bulbs, install rolls of ¼-inch wire mesh secured with stakes throughout your garden. Because these pests are diggers, be sure to bury the fencing at least a foot down. The good news is they don’t like to climb, so fencing need only be a foot tall.

Do owls eat voles?

Although these beautiful birds won’t eliminate a vole population entirely, they will reduce their numbers. Don’t rely on outdoor cats to be of much help, though—they can’t be bothered going after pests who spend most of their time underground.