Pest Spotlight – Voles

Have you ever noticed raised tunnels or trails in your garden or grass, with small holes in the trails? These are most likely caused by voles, which are small rodents that dig shallow tunnels in the ground. It’s important to choose a vole extermination service that understands the amount of effort required to exterminate voles from a property. Voles can be damaging to lawns and plants. Homeowners prefer Spidexx Pest Control for their homes’ vole control. Here is some information about voles, so you can better understand the treatment process.

All About Voles

Voles are sometimes called meadow or field mice because their primary habitat is in areas with tall grass and/or weeds. Young voles are mostly grey, and their colors will change as they mature. Fully mature voles are around 5-7 inches long, with black/brown/grey hair on their body. They have small furry ears, short legs, stocky bodies, and a short tail. They’re often mistaken for both mice and moles. Mice have longer tails than voles and are smaller in size. Voles are often smaller than moles, which don’t have protruding ears, like voles, but have small eyes and enlarged front teeth. Additionally, voles dig shallower tunnels than moles, which makes them easier to identify.

The two most common types of voles are Meadow and Woodland. Meadow voles will move into residential areas and begin to create tunnels in yards. Woodland voles are less commonly found on residential properties, as they prefer old fields and edges of agricultural properties. Voles are omnivores and feed on grasses and plants, bulbs, rhizomes, tree bark, snails, and grain crops. The most common vole predators include hawks, snakes, house cats, and opossums.

Voles most commonly reproduce during spring and summer, but they can reproduce anytime throughout the year. During their short lifespan of 2 to 16 months, a female vole may produce 1-5 litters, with an average of 3-6 young per litter.

Vole Damage

Ground dwelling voles create tunnel systems to travel and live, which can be damaging to grass, gardens, and trees. They damage plants by feeding on the root system, crops, and the bases of trees. Raised tracks or runs in the yard with several adjacent entry holes are strong indications of vole populations. Meadow vole trails are fairly easy to identify, due to their shallow depth trails, with a width of around 1.5 inches. Woodland voles dig deeper tunnels that leave small piles of dirt outside of the holes. Signs that vole runs are active include vole droppings and freshly cut vegetation. Mold on the runs may indicate the runs are no longer active.

Vole Prevention Tips

In addition to a vole extermination treatment, there are additional ways to prevent voles from living on your property, including:

1. Securing wire fences 18”-24” above the ground around small trees and shrubs.
2. Repeated trimming and cutting of ground cover under 3”-6”, at all times
3. Leaving vegetation 2 feet from tree bases, and surrounding the tree with mulch

Local, Guaranteed Vole Extermination Service with Spidexx

Our 2-month vole extermination service is the #1 choice for homeowners looking to save their garden or lawn from voles. We specialize in identifying, targeting, and exterminating vole populations from homes and businesses.

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