The appearance of runways in your lawn and damage to the base of young trees can be a sudden and frustrating discovery, indicating a common problem with voles. These small, herbivorous rodents, often mistaken for field mice, can quickly cause significant damage to gardens, lawns, and landscaping by feeding on plant material, roots, and bark. Successfully managing a vole population requires a two-pronged approach that combines immediate, active removal with long-term, natural prevention methods.
How to Identify Vole Activity
Effective control starts with understanding the difference between a vole, a mole, and a gopher, as their signs of activity are unique. Voles, unlike moles, are herbivores and do not create large, volcano-shaped mounds of soil; their damage is focused on vegetation. The most characteristic sign of a vole presence is the network of surface runways. These are narrow, well-worn paths, one to two inches wide, often visible in the grass or under dense ground cover as they move between feeding areas and burrows.
Vole burrows are small, clean, circular holes, typically one to one-and-a-half inches in diameter, without a noticeable mound of dirt. This is distinct from gophers, which create fan-shaped mounds where the hole is plugged. The most destructive sign of their feeding is “girdling,” where voles chew the bark completely around the base of young trees or shrubs, especially during winter, which effectively kills the plant by interrupting nutrient flow.
Immediate and Active Removal Methods
Trapping is the quickest and most effective natural method for reducing an active vole population. Mouse-sized snap traps are perfectly suited for this task, as voles are roughly the same size and weight as common house mice. A single active area may require placing ten or more traps to achieve rapid control, given how quickly voles reproduce.
Set the snap traps directly into the active surface runways, ensuring the trigger is positioned perpendicular to the direction of travel. Although voles can be caught without bait as they travel their fixed routes, baiting increases the trap’s efficacy. A small amount of peanut butter mixed with rolled oats or a slice of apple or carrot works well to attract their herbivorous diet.
Covering the set traps with an inverted bucket, box, or a piece of wood helps protect non-target animals like birds and pets from accidental triggering. Check traps twice daily and continue trapping until no new voles are caught for several consecutive days. Small live traps can be used, but relocation must be done quickly and in accordance with local regulations to minimize stress on the animal.
Natural Repellents and Passive Deterrents
Once active trapping has reduced the population, natural repellents and passive deterrents can be introduced to make the environment unappealing to any remaining voles. Castor oil is a widely used, natural repellent that irritates a vole’s digestive system, making treated areas unpalatable for foraging. A homemade spray can be created by mixing a half-cup of castor oil with a half-cup of dish soap and blending four to six tablespoons of this concentrate with one gallon of water.
Apply this mixture directly to the soil, active runways, and around the base of vulnerable plants, reapplying after heavy rainfall to maintain effectiveness. Strong odors from botanical sources, such as garlic, chili pepper (capsaicin), and predator urine, can also confuse and repel these small mammals. A pepper spray can be made by combining one tablespoon of cayenne pepper or flakes with dish soap and water, then spraying it directly onto plant foliage and entry points.
Another passive strategy involves encouraging natural predators, although this is a less immediate solution. Voles are a common food source for raptors like owls and hawks, and installing perches or nesting boxes can make your yard more attractive to these helpful species. Additionally, sonic or vibration spikes can be used. These non-chemical devices emit high-frequency sound waves into the ground, creating an irritating environment that can prompt voles to leave the area within one to two weeks.
Long-Term Exclusion and Habitat Modification
Sustained control depends on modifying the habitat to make it less hospitable and installing physical barriers to block access to food sources. Voles are attracted to dense cover, which offers protection from predators and the elements. Regularly mowing the lawn, especially in the fall before snow accumulation, and removing heavy layers of mulch and leaf litter near garden beds or foundations eliminates these secure runways.
For vulnerable trees and shrubs, exclusion is the most reliable long-term solution. Wrap the base of young woody plants with a cylinder of quarter-inch hardware cloth. The cylinder should extend at least 12 inches above the soil line and be pushed a few inches into the ground to prevent voles from burrowing underneath.
For garden beds, a complete perimeter barrier can be installed by digging a trench 6 to 12 inches deep and lining it with the same quarter-inch mesh. The mesh should be bent at a 90-degree angle at the bottom to create an L-shaped barrier, which deters voles from digging directly under the fence line. Eliminating food sources like fallen birdseed and removing unharvested root crops from the garden also drastically reduces the incentive for voles to stay on the property.