Voles: What Are Voles?
If you have noticed shallow tunnels running through your lawn or found damage to your plants’ root systems, you might be dealing with voles on your property. These small rodents can cause significant damage to yards, gardens, and agricultural areas. While they might look similar to mice at first glance, these pests have their own distinct characteristics and can quickly become a problem if left unchecked.
What are voles?
Voles are small rodents that belong to the subfamily Arvicolinae. Sometimes called meadow mice or field mice, these pests are prolific breeders and can cause extensive damage to lawns, gardens, and orchards.
Unlike other rodents like mice and rats that might invade your home, voles primarily stay outdoors, creating intricate tunnel systems throughout your yard. They feed on plants, particularly focusing on roots, bulbs, and tree bark, which makes them particularly destructive to both ornamental and agricultural areas.
What do voles look like?
Voles are compact rodents with stocky bodies, measuring about 4-8 inches in length, including their tail. They have relatively blunt, rounded snouts, small eyes, and ears that are often partially hidden in their fur.
Their fur is typically brown to grayish-brown, with lighter coloring on their undersides. One of their most distinctive features is their short tail, which is typically shorter than their body length. They have small, but strong claws that they use for digging their elaborate tunnel systems that can ruin your yard.
What are the differences between moles versus voles?
While both moles and voles can damage your lawn, they are quite different animals with distinct behaviors. Moles are insectivores with large front feet designed for digging, while voles are rodents that primarily eat plants.
Mole tunnels are typically deeper and create obvious raised ridges in your lawn, while vole tunnels are shallow. Moles also have distinctive pointed snouts and tiny eyes, whereas voles have more mouse-like features with visible eyes and rounded snouts.
What are the differences between mice versus voles?
Though voles are sometimes called field mice, they have several key differences from regular house mice. Voles have shorter tails, stockier bodies, and smaller ears compared to mice. While mice are known to invade homes and structures, voles usually stay outdoors and create surface tunnels in yards.
Mice are also omnivores, eating a variety of foods including grains and human food, while voles primarily feed on plants. Additionally, voles have a different social structure, often living in colonies, unlike the more solitary house mouse.
Types of voles
Several species of voles can be found throughout North America, and while they share many characteristics, each type has its own distinct habits and habitat preferences. Here are some of the most common species you might encounter in your yard or garden.
Meadow vole
The meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) is one of the most common species in North America. These voles prefer grassy areas and create distinctive surface runways through lawn areas. They are particularly destructive to ornamental plants and trees during winter months when food becomes scarce, often causing significant damage by gnawing on bark and roots.
Prairie voles
Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are typically found in grassland areas and agricultural fields. They are known for their monogamous social structure and tend to live in family groups. These voles create more extensive burrow systems than other species and can be particularly problematic in crop fields, where they feed on roots and stems of various agricultural plants.
Pine vole
Pine voles (Microtus pinetorum) are smaller than other vole species and spend more time underground. They create extensive tunnel systems beneath the soil surface, making them particularly destructive to root systems. These voles are especially problematic in orchards and plant nurseries, where they can cause significant damage to tree roots and bulbs.
Long-tailed vole
The long-tailed vole (Microtus longicaudus) is known by its relatively longer tail compared to other vole species. They are commonly found in mountainous areas and prefer habitats with dense ground cover. These voles are particularly adaptable and can thrive in various environments, from meadows to forested areas.
The life cycle of a vole
Voles are known for their remarkably fast rate at which they reproduce, which is one of the reasons they can become such a significant problem for property owners. Female voles can begin breeding when they’re just one month old, and they can produce litters year-round. Each litter typically contains 3-6 young, though some species can have up to 10 pups at a time.
The gestation period for voles is quite short, lasting only about 21 days. Young voles develop quickly, opening their eyes within a few days of birth and beginning to explore outside the nest within two weeks. They are fully weaned by the time they’re three weeks old. This rapid reproduction means that a single pair of voles can produce up to 100 offspring in a year, leading to quick population growth and major problems for your yard and plants.
However, voles also have a relatively short lifespan, typically living only about 2-16 months in the wild. Despite their short lives, their quick maturation and frequent breeding mean that populations can increase rapidly under the right conditions, which is why monitoring for early signs of vole activity is crucial for preventing infestations.
Are voles dangerous?
While voles aren’t typically aggressive toward humans and rarely bite unless handled, they can pose indirect health risks. Like other rodents, they can carry diseases that might affect humans and pets, including tularemia and certain types of leptospirosis.
However, their primary threat is to your property—they can cause extensive damage to gardens, lawns, and landscaping by feeding on plants and creating tunnel systems that can destroy root structures. This is why it is important to consider bringing a professional in to take a look at your yard if you think you might have a vole problem.
How to prevent a vole infestation
Preventing voles from moving into your yard starts with making your property less attractive to these pests. Remove dense ground cover, keep grass mowed short, and maintain a clear area around the base of trees and shrubs. Mulch should be kept away from tree trunks and plant stems, as this can provide cover for voles.
Installing barriers can also be effective. Use hardware cloth or mesh fencing that extends at least 12 inches below ground level around gardens and valuable plants. In winter, protect young trees with cylinder barriers that extend higher than the expected snow level, as voles can tunnel through snow to reach tree bark.
Regular monitoring of your property for signs of vole activity, such as runways in grass or gnaw marks on plants, can help you catch problems early. Additionally, removing potential food sources and maintaining a tidy yard can make your property less appealing to these persistent pests.
How to get rid of a vole infestation
Dealing with an established vole population requires a comprehensive approach that often combines multiple control methods. For minor infestations, you might start with modifying their habitat by removing ground cover and food sources.
Installing barriers around valuable plants and gardens can help protect them from further damage. Some property owners have success with repellents containing castor oil or predator urine, though these need frequent reapplication to remain effective.
Trapping can be effective for small populations, but it requires proper placement along active runways and persistent monitoring. However, due to voles’ rapid reproduction rate, trapping alone often isn’t usually enough for larger infestations. The challenge with vole control is that if even a few individuals remain, the population can quickly increase.
Consider a professional
For severe infestations, consulting a professional pest control service is often the most effective solution. These experts can develop a comprehensive management plan tailored to your specific situation. They have access to more effective control methods and can implement an approach that addresses both the current infestation and prevents future problems.
Professional pest control services can also help identify entry points and habitat features that might be attracting voles to your property, allowing for more effective long-term control.
Additionally, these professionals can implement strategies that are safe for pets and other wildlife while still effectively targeting the vole population. They can also provide guidance on landscape modifications and preventive measures to help ensure the pests don’t return once they’re eradicated the first time.
If you decide you’re in need of help with a current Vole problem or help with some general pest control preventive measures, At Home Pros can put you in touch with top pest control experts like Terminix and Aptive Environmental. They can help you take care of your vole problem so you don’t have to worry about the pests in your yard.
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