Just What are Voles and What Are They Doing In My Garden?
Voles, also known as mice, live in field, forest, and shrub habitats. Voles can cause extensive damage when they move into our turf and landscaped gardens in search of food and shelter. Voles do not hibernate and are active throughout the year. They can reproduce year round having many litters per year. Voles usually do not invade homes and should not be confused with the common house mouse.
Voles are often confused with moles. To determine if you have moles or voles or even both, visit here to learn the difference.
What Kind of Vole Do I Have?
There are 23 species of voles throughout the United States with eight species that are most prevalent and cause significant economic damage.
To gain control over the voles in your landscape with the Vole Control Bait Station System, it is most important to determine the category of voles or vole type you have, not necessarily the specific species. The following three categories are based on how the voles forage for food and the signs of their activity.
Below Ground Foraging Vole Type
Voles that are mainly below the ground. They have a network of tunnels underground and under the mulch, and they damage plants from below the ground. They are rarely seen above ground and only have a few burrow openings. (More details/pictures)
Above Ground Foraging Vole Type
Voles that create above ground grassy runways in the turf areas that connect to multiple burrow openings grouped in the same area. They damage lawns by eating the grass to make their clipped runways, as well as gnawing on the bark of trees and shrubs. (More details/pictures)
Characteristics of Voles That Forage Both Above and Below Ground
This category of voles can be controlled as well by using a combination of set-up procedures with the Vole Control Bait Station System.