Bait Station Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some other methods people try to control voles.

Bait under overturned pots:

When you apply the bait under overturned pots, you run the risk of children, non-target animals and pets getting to the bait. It has a tendency to get wet when it rains and this makes it unappealing to the voles. Overturned pots are unsightly in your garden.

Repellents:

Repellents hardly ever cause animals to leave their home territories. The voles are not killed, they just move to other parts of your garden. When it rains, the repellents are diluted or washed off.

Predator urine:

The smell is awful. The voles just move to another part of your garden or neighbors yard and wait until it rains to move back in.

Noise or Vibration makers:

Not effective. Don't cover a large area, and you need to replace batteries regularly. The voles are not killed and they can move to other areas of your garden.

Trapping:

Trapping can be rewarding for some people who like to touch and see a dead vole, but most of us would rather have them die underground where there is no mess to deal with. Also with trapping, you are not likely to kill all the voles in an area and they can quickly repopulate the area.

Gravel tilled into your garden:

This may slow the voles down, but they can still enter the area, live under mulch on top of the heavy soil, and eat your plants. They most likely will move to other parts of your garden and feast. Most people are not able to till in ton after ton of gravel into their entire yard. Also this is not effective for above ground foraging voles such as the meadow vole.

Adopting a hungry cat:

You are lucky if you have a cat that hunts voles. I think they do it only for sport, and not because they prize that certain hosta or daphne. Not every cat has this gift. Also the other problem is that voles are very good at reproduction and multiply very rapidly.

Wire cages around each plant:

This can be very effective especially for your favorite plants. But working with wire is very time consuming and difficult, thus making it not very practical to do this with every single plant in your yard.

The VOLE CONTROL Bait Station System:

The VOLE CONTROL Bait Station System solves the problems the other methods do not. For one, the vole is killed, and a dead vole doesn't make more little voles. The design of the bait station encourages vole activity around it and thus more consumption of bait. It keeps the bait dry longer than placing it on the ground, and it discourages non-target animals from getting the bait as access is difficult. When the voles consume the bait they die under the ground - out of sight and no mess to deal with. The bait stations are essentially invisible in the landscaped garden. Once control is achieved in an area, they can be easily moved to control voles in another area. They can also be left permanently as a safeguard against future vole infestations. Most important, it encourages a systematic approach for vole control.

For below ground foraging voles such as the pine vole, the bait station system can be effective in an area of approximately 1200 square feet. Once control is achieved in that area, then the system may be moved to another active area. It will control up to 3 to 4 areas of activity.

The territory of a colony of above ground foraging voles is larger, covering approximately 10,000 square feet. The VOLE CONTROL Bait Station System will also control 3 to 4 areas of activity.

 

The design of the bait station allows it to be setup in 2 different ways depending on which vole type you may have.

For above ground foraging voles, the Tent Setup Method provides an inviting place for voles to easily enter under the tent away from the threat of predators and then enter the bait station and consume the bait. The Mulch Covered Method is an installation setup that is used when below ground foraging voles need to be controlled. Below ground foraging voles make shallow tunnels under the soil as well as under mulch. The bait station is installed under the mulch and the voles are attracted to the station because of its design.

There are tailored maintenance guidelines for each setup method because each vole type has different foraging habits.

There are a few factors that need to be determined before this question can be answered.

1. The number of colonies or Hotspots of voles present

   It's very important to determine where and how many Hotspots of vole activity you have. See - Find the Voles with a Systematic Search.

   If your landscape has several Hotspots of vole activity, and they are well separated, then one system can be used to get control. If you have more than 3 - 4 Hotspots of vole activity, then it is recommended to have at least 2 VOLE CONTROL Bait Station Systems. The use of additional VOLE CONTROL Bait Station Systems has the advantage of reducing the chances of re-infestation of treated plant beds.

2. The value of the plant material in your landscape

   Unchecked vole activity can cause great damage to the landscaped garden. Much time and effort was spent in designing and planting your landscape. Thousands of dollars have been spent, and the value of your plant material has increased as the plants have grown. At least order the minimum number of bait stations needed, but the more systems you have in place, the less likely your valuable plants will be eaten.

3. The size of your property, and what surrounds it

   If you have a small property, less than a 1/3 acre, with a few Hotspots of vole activity, then one VOLE CONTROL Bait Station System should be enough. If your property is large, and has more than 3 - 4 Hotspots of vole activity, then you should purchase two or more systems. A large property should have several systems setup throughout the property to help stop voles from establishing new colonies.

   Also, what surrounds your property has an influence on how many you should purchase. If your neighbors have vole activity, or you have a natural wooded area nearby, or overgrown grass or pasture areas, then these can be sources of future vole infestations. You may want an extra system to help protect you from any voles that want to set up another colony. It would also be helpful to recommend this product to your neighbors.

4. Time and Patience

   If you have an abundant amount of free time then the minimum number of VOLE CONTROL Bait Station Systems should be sufficient to achieve control. If you want to get rid of these pesky varmints quickly, then the more the better. It will take 6 weeks weeks for below ground foraging voles, or 4 weeks for above ground foraging voles, of proper installation and use before control in one Hotspot is achieved. However, if the directions are not followed, it could take longer, or sufficient control may not be achieved.

5. Budget

   How much are you willing to spend on solving this problem? You can purchase several systems and quickly solve your problem, or you can get the minimum and spend some time and eventually solve your problem. Remember to consider the value of your landscape.

It greatly depends on your willingness to follow the directions and diligently monitor the bait stations. It will take a minimum of 6 weeks for below ground foraging voles, and 4 weeks for above ground foraging voles, with proper installation and use before control in one Hotspot is achieved. However, if the directions are not followed, it could take longer, or even worse, sufficient control may not be achieved. Add the number of Hotspots you have detected, and divide by the number of VOLE CONTROL Bait Station Systems you have or want to order and multiply by 6 weeks.

Example: 3 Hotspots divided by 1 bait station system x 6 weeks = 18 weeks or 4 ½ months.

It may vary slightly depending on the time of year. The voles are more active when the weather is warm and slightly less active during cold months. You should complete the Apple Sign Test once in the Fall and once in early Spring to detect any resurgence in vole activity. If you are surrounded by neighbors who have voles, or natural areas where voles are, then you will have to constantly monitor and control voles that may enter your property.

Three stations grouped together will most efficiently control the voles in the target area. The goal is to achieve control before moving the stations to another target area. If the bait stations are placed individually and scattered throughout your landscape, then the voles can move back into these smaller controlled areas when you move them to another area. By using 3 bait stations in one area, you are focusing your efforts to quickly control that colony of voles

In extremely small planting beds, such as ones that are surrounded by a barrier, like a corner of a building and a walkway, you may use just one bait station.

Recommend to your neighbors that they use the VOLE CONTROL Bait Station System. You will be doing you and themselves a favor. If your neighbors don't do anything to control their vole problem, then it is possible that the voles can move back into your property within 6 months. Thus it is important to keep monitoring with the Apple Sign Test.

Kaput® Rat, Mouse & Vole Bait is the recommended bait to use in the Vole Control Bait Station System because it is labeled for vole control in all states, and is the least toxic to non-target animals of any of the rodenticide baits. Example: A 50 lb. dog would have to consume 4 to 8 ounces of other rodenticides to be lethal while it would have to consume 113.5 ounces of the Kaput product. The Kaput Vole Bait is made up of eight grains that are palatable and easy to manipulate by voles. Acceptance of the grains is better than pelleted baits and its efficacy is 94.7%. It contains a special attractant so even the pickiest vole will find the bait attractive. Voles will begin to die 4 to 5 days after feeding begins so bait shyness is not a problem.

If you follow the instructions for the VOLE CONTROL Bait Station System, approximately 6 - 2 ounce packets of bait should control one Hotspot of vole activity. (12 ounces of bait is about 30 tablespoons. We recommend 3 tablespoons of bait in each of the three bait stations with refills of 3 to 4 times during the monitoring process to control 1 Hotspot of vole activity).

In scientific tests of this rodenticide, 94.7% control was achieved. There is a possibility that the homeowner could achieve perfect control in discrete areas or plant beds, but complete control over an indefinitely long period is unlikely. This is why it is recommended that the homeowner use the Apple Sign Test each 6 months after use of the system to detect possible re-infestation.

Yes, below ground foraging voles do. The voles may eat some of the bait at the bait station, but will take most of the bait back to their nests to cache. It takes several feedings before the animals become sick, at which they return to their nests to die. Because the nests are several inches below the soil surface, there is no discernable odor.

For above ground foraging voles there is a possibility that they may die above ground, but most likely they will go to their nests or under vegetative cover to die.

The active ingredient in Kaput Vole Bait is warfain.  It is quickly metabolized by the vole and does not remain in the liver of the deceased vole as does other poisons.  You can learn more about the bait toxicity here.

Rodents are much more susceptible to warfarin, the active ingredient in Kaput® Rat, Mouse and Vole Bait, than predators or scavengers. A recent rodenticide risk assessment draft report published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, presented warfarin as the lowest risk to mammals and birds of all the anticoagulant type baits. Also it has the lowest secondary risk to birds and mammals. Secondary risks refers to the effects of the poison on an mammal or bird that eats a rodent that has consumed the bait. Warfarin has the least effect on secondary animals.

Warfarin is metabolized in about 42 hours, meaning that the poison should no longer be active in the tissues. A vole may not even be dead before the active ingredient is out of its system. The manufacturer of Kaput Vole Bait, Scimetrics, has indicated that to be lethal, a 50 lb. animal would have to consume over 7 pounds of warfarin to cause death.  In over 19 years, Scimetrics has never had a report of a secondary kill from another animal consuming a rodent that has eaten the bait.  You can learn more about the bait toxicity here.