How to Get Rid of Voles 

Last week we examined the presence of those raised trails we sometimes see zigzagging across our lawns, causing our feet to sink into the ground. We concluded that they may be caused by moles, little creatures that live underground and feast on grubs, earthworms and insects. We learned from HGTV how to get rid of moles before they ruin our landscapes. HGTV offers us some advice this week on how to control voles. 

What are voles? Voles are sometimes called field or meadow mice, but they’re actually small rodents that just look like mice. You can recognize them by their tiny eyes, small, mouse-like ears and short tails. Their fur ranges from gray to light brown and they can grow five to eight inches long.

The two main species of voles in North America are prairie voles and meadow voles. Both live only a year or two in the wild, but they’re quite prolific. A female vole in a mild climate can bear up to 12 litters a year.

Voles eat primarily grass stems and blades with their big front teeth, and they love flower bulbs and the fleshy roots of perennials like daylilies and hostas. They can also damage shrubs and trees as they tunnel through their root systems and chew the bark at ground level.

These destructive little pests typically make above-ground “runways” to travel from one place to another. The runways, which are about two inches wide, also connect their underground burrows. Entrance holes to the burrows are about 1 1/2-inches in diameter.

How to control voles? Encourage predators. Owls and hawks eat voles, so invite them to your yard by installing a post 10 to 15 feet high. Add a one or two-inch diameter perch to give them a place to land and survey their surroundings. Foxes and snakes are other natural predators that may show up. If you have a cat or dog, your pet may dig up voles and kill them.

Castor Oil. Voles don’t like castor oil any more than moles do because it makes the soil smell bad to them. Look for a product containing castor oil that’s labeled as a mole and vole repellant. 

Tidy up. Voles conceal themselves in dense vegetation, meadows and weedy spots. Make them unwelcome by mowing your lawn regularly and removing brush. Use only thin layers of mulch and get rid of stacks of wood and piles of debris. Voles don’t like being disturbed, either, so work often in your beds to send them scurrying.

Clean around bird feeders. It would be a shame to stop feeding wild birds because voles are attracted to the seeds, so instead of removing your feeders, keep the ground around them clean.

Put up a physical barrier. Fence your garden with 1/4-inch mesh hardware cloth. Bury it six to 10 inches deep in the ground and let it extend at least one foot above the ground.

Try a natural remedy. Some gardeners swear by putting mothballs into vole burrows or mixing irritants like garlic and ammonia with water and spraying them in the entrances. The downside is that these wash away in the rain and have to be reapplied.

Apply predator urine. Some garden centers and nurseries sell the urine of predators like coyotes and foxes, which is said to repel voles.

Exterminate voles with mouse traps or poison baits. Do this as a last resort, and do not use poisons or any kind of traps around pets or children.

Best wishes for a vole-free lawn and garden!

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, and former Perry High School horticulture instructor. He can be reached at (478)954-1507 or timlewis1@windstream.net.