Voles are damaging pests a homeowner can encounter in a yard or garden. These small, mouse-like rodents, often called meadow or field mice, consume a wide variety of plants, causing substantial harm to turf, bulbs, and the root systems of shrubs and trees. Voles reproduce rapidly, with females having multiple litters per year, meaning a small initial presence quickly escalates into a major infestation. Managing these pests requires a strategic approach that correctly identifies the animal and applies control measures to protect your landscape.
Distinguishing Voles from Other Pests
Correctly identifying the pest is the first step, as control methods for voles differ significantly from those for moles or gophers. Voles are stocky rodents with short legs, a blunt snout, a short tail, and small ears often obscured by their fur. Moles are insectivores whose activity is characterized by volcano-shaped dirt mounds and raised ridges from shallow tunneling; they do not feed on plants.
Gophers create crescent-shaped dirt mounds that are plugged with soil, and they are generally larger than voles. The definitive sign of vole activity is the presence of well-defined, above-ground runways. These are narrow, clipped paths about two inches wide that crisscross through the grass or mulch. These runways connect small, neat burrow entrances, usually one to two inches in diameter.
Voles are herbivores that cause direct plant damage, frequently gnawing on the bark of young trees and shrubs near the soil line, a behavior known as girdling. If a plant wilts or can be easily pulled from the soil, it suggests the voles have severed the root systems and fed on the bulbs or roots beneath the surface. This pattern of damage, combined with surface runways, confirms a vole infestation.
Non-Lethal Deterrents and Exclusion
For immediate protection of valuable plants, physical barriers offer a reliable non-lethal method to exclude voles. Individual trees and shrubs can be protected by installing cylinders made from galvanized hardware cloth with a mesh size of one-quarter inch or less. This barrier must be buried at least six inches deep into the soil and extend up the trunk above the average snow line, as voles often travel and feed beneath snow cover during winter.
Liquid or granular repellents can also be used to discourage voles, but they require consistent reapplication to remain effective. Products containing castor oil, capsaicin, or predator urine scents are commercially available. These repellents work by creating an unpleasant taste or odor on the plants or by signaling a perceived danger, encouraging the voles to relocate their activity.
Encouraging natural predators is an effective long-term deterrent that helps suppress population numbers. Raptors like owls and hawks prey heavily on voles, and installing an owl nesting box or raptor perch can increase their presence. Supporting a healthy ecosystem that includes ground predators like snakes and foxes contributes to continuous, natural population control.
Active Trapping and Baiting Techniques
For reducing an established vole population, active trapping remains one of the most efficient control methods. Standard mouse-sized snap traps are effective when placed correctly, and a single active runway should be targeted with multiple traps due to high population density. The trap should be positioned perpendicular to the runway, ensuring the trigger rests directly in the vole’s path of travel.
Baiting the traps can increase success, using a mixture of peanut butter and oatmeal or a small piece of apple or nut. For safety and effectiveness, cover the set trap with an inverted box or container that has a one-inch entry hole cut into each end. This covering protects non-target wildlife and pets from accidentally interacting with the trap while still allowing the vole to enter.
For large-scale infestations, the use of rodenticides, or poison baits, may be warranted, but this requires extreme caution. Specialized baits formulated for voles, such as those containing zinc phosphide or certain anticoagulants, should be used. The product label must confirm it is approved for vole control. These toxicants should only be deployed in tamper-proof bait stations that restrict access to children, pets, and non-target species.
Bait stations should be placed directly along active runways or near burrow entrances. Anticoagulant baits require voles to consume the poison multiple times over several days to be lethal, while single-dose toxicants like zinc phosphide are fast-acting. Following the manufacturer’s instructions for proper placement is important to minimizing the risk of secondary poisoning to predators that might consume a poisoned vole.
Long-Term Habitat Modification
Once a population is under control, making permanent changes to the yard’s environment is the best way to prevent reinfestation. Voles thrive in areas that provide dense cover and easily accessible food sources, so cultural practices that reduce these elements are beneficial. Maintaining a closely mowed lawn removes the tall grasses voles use for cover and exposes them to natural predators.
Removing heavy layers of mulch, especially within three feet of tree and shrub bases, eliminates a common area where voles create shallow tunnels and feed on bark. Eliminating dense ground covers like ivy, weeds, and fallen plant debris reduces the nesting material and protective corridors voles rely on. All spilled birdseed and fallen fruits or vegetables should be promptly cleaned up, as these provide a concentrated food source.
For garden beds and perennial borders, installing a subterranean barrier offers a lasting solution against burrowing voles. This involves sinking a continuous wire mesh fence six to ten inches into the ground around the perimeter. Incorporating coarse materials like crushed stone or gravel into the soil around root systems during planting can make the area physically unappealing for voles attempting to burrow.