Pest Identification: Voles

Voles, also known as meadow voles or meadow mice, are mouse-like rodents that can damage grass, bulbs, trees, and plant roots. They have longer fur and shorter tails, ranging from 4-9 inches in length. Voles are herbivores, feeding on plants like turfgrass, and can create runways in yards. They are often active at dawn or dusk, seeking shelter in burrows, mulch, tall grass areas, and more. Often confused with moles, voles feed above ground, while moles focus on subterranean activity. Voles can cause noticeable damage in yards, but their impact on turfgrass shoots doesn't disturb the crown tissue and root system. While voles pose no physical danger to humans and pets, their urine and feces can carry diseases. They are prolific breeders, with 5-10 liters per year and 3-6 young per litter. Common signs of vole damage include surface runways, holes in lawns, girdled bark/stems, damaged roots, yellow wilted plants, and stolen bulbs. Recommendations after vole treatment include removing bird feeders, limiting seed, trimming grass low, decreasing ground cover density, trimming shrubs, removing brush piles, and creating a bare patch of ground between the lawn and wooded areas. 

We offer vole control baiting. However, due to the unpredictable outcome of baiting, and due to the voles feeding habits, we are unable to offer any warranty on this service. One trip is usually all that is required unless there are multiple voles. Multiple trips to the property to re-bait are available at a lower cost than the initial visit.