Voles are small, stocky rodents often confused with common house mice or moles. These widespread creatures cause damage in lawns and gardens due to their burrowing and feeding habits. Understanding the difference between these subterranean pests is the first step toward effective property management. A primary concern for homeowners is clarifying the vole’s diet, specifically whether they consume lawn grubs. This article focuses on the vole’s typical food sources and steps property owners can take to manage their activity.
What Voles Primarily Eat
Voles are primarily herbivores, meaning their diet consists mainly of plant material. They sustain themselves by eating the stems and leaves of grasses and forbs throughout the year. When foraging, voles actively seek out roots, tubers, bulbs, and seeds, often using shallow, underground tunnels to reach these sources. This focus on vegetation confirms that voles do not eat grubs; that behavior is characteristic of the insectivorous mole.
While their diet is plant-based, voles may occasionally consume small insects, snails, or animal remains. This opportunistic feeding occurs when preferred plant foods are scarce, such as in late fall or winter. In colder months, voles frequently cause damage by gnawing on the bark around the base of trees and shrubs, a behavior known as girdling. They also store seeds and tubers in their burrows for later consumption.
Identifying Signs of Vole Presence
Since voles do not target grubs, the damage they cause is distinct from that of moles. The clearest sign of a vole infestation is the presence of narrow, well-worn paths called runways that zigzag across the surface of the lawn or beneath mulch. These surface trails are one to two inches wide and are often noticeable in the spring after the snow melts. Vole burrows are small, discreet entry holes, roughly the size of a golf ball, usually found hidden beneath cover or at the base of plants.
Physical damage to plants is another sign of vole presence. Plants may suddenly wilt or fall over because voles have severed their roots underground. Unlike the deep, raised tunnel systems created by moles, vole damage is typically confined to the surface or just below it. If the bark of young trees or shrubs has been chewed away near the ground line, leaving noticeable gnaw marks, a vole is the likely culprit.
Controlling Vole Activity
Managing vole activity requires exclusion and habitat modification. Since voles rely on dense cover for protection from predators, keeping turf mowed short and eliminating weeds and ground cover reduces their presence. Removing excess mulch or piled debris is helpful, as these materials provide ideal shelter and nesting locations. Clearing mulch at least two feet away from the base of vulnerable trees discourages feeding and girdling damage.
Physical barriers offer the most reliable protection for individual plants and trees. Hardware cloth with a small mesh size, such as one-quarter inch, should be used to create protective cylinders around young tree trunks. These barriers must extend above the expected snow line and be buried four to six inches into the ground to prevent burrowing underneath. For existing infestations, a common mouse snap trap can be effective if placed perpendicular to an active runway and baited with apple slices or peanut butter.