Voles are compact, short-tailed rodents often mistaken for common house mice. Their presence in a yard or garden is revealed by distinct signs of their tunneling and feeding habits. These small herbivores spend time near the soil surface, creating an intricate network of pathways for cover and access to food. Identifying these visual cues requires a close inspection of the lawn and garden areas for their unique burrow entrances and travel routes.
Characteristics of Vole Hole Entrances
The physical appearance of a vole burrow entrance is a reliable indicator of their activity. These holes are small, appearing as cleanly cut, round openings in the soil surface, measuring between one and two inches in diameter. This size is roughly comparable to a golf ball or a quarter.
Voles situate these entrances in areas that offer immediate protection from predators, such as near dense shrubs, under mulch beds, or within tall grass. A distinguishing feature is the almost complete absence of excavated dirt surrounding the opening. Unlike other burrowing pests, voles push removed soil into existing tunnels rather than depositing it on the surface.
These entrances access a larger, shallow underground system where voles nest and forage for roots and bulbs. The presence of several small, neat holes lacking a spoil pile confirms a vole population.
Vole Runways and Surface Trails
Beyond the burrow entrances, voles create a distinctive secondary sign known as a surface runway. This is a narrow, well-defined trail in the grass that functions as a protected travel lane. Runways connect burrow entrances, feeding areas, and protective cover, and are a hallmark of meadow and prairie vole species that forage above ground.
These trails are typically one to two inches wide. They are formed because voles use the exact same path repeatedly, clipping vegetation close to the ground as they travel. The result is a shallow, trench-like path of flattened or bare earth, easily seen when the surrounding grass is matted or lifted.
The surface runway system is particularly noticeable after a snow melt, when the trails become exposed beneath the former snow cover. This extensive network of flat trails differentiates vole activity from other subterranean pests. The runways allow voles to move quickly and safely while remaining hidden by surrounding vegetation.
Comparing Vole Signs to Mole and Mouse Damage
Distinguishing vole damage from that of other common burrowing animals, such as moles and mice, is important for effective management. The most significant difference between voles and moles is the appearance of excavated soil and tunnels. Moles, which are insectivores, create distinct volcano-shaped mounds of soil, or “molehills,” as they push dirt up from their deeper, subsurface tunnels.
Mole tunnels are also identifiable by the raised ridges they leave in the lawn, as their main tunnels are dug directly beneath the surface. In contrast, voles do not produce these soil mounds. Instead, voles create flat, narrow surface runways and small, clean entrance holes, which are generally shallower than mole burrows.
When comparing voles to mice, the primary difference lies in the location and type of damage. Voles are stocky herbivores focused on damaging the roots, stems, and bark of outdoor plants. Mice are omnivores more often associated with gnawing on stored food or nesting materials inside structures and do not construct the extensive surface runway systems that voles create in lawns.