How To Get Rid Of Voles In Your Lawn

% Castor Oil Vole Repellent

Since castor oil is an active ingredient in many of the granular repellents for how to get rid of voles and other pests, it comes as no surprise we would include pure castor oil on this list. Pure castor oil not only works to get rid of voles in your yard and garden but, when used often enough, will help keep them from returning.

Castor oil also works to rid your lawn of moles, gophers, skunks, and more. Simply pour it along the runways, around your garden, along the perimeter of your yard, and anywhere else you notice vole activity.

Quick Facts What You Should Know About Voles

Voles are related to hamsters and are sometimes kept as pets.

Voles are certainly a nuisance, but they also play an important role in our environment and offer a vital food source to a number of predators. Furthemore, voles live interesting little lives and are quite clever.

Here are a few facts you may not have known about voles.

Meadow Voles Are Mostly Solitary Creatures, But Do Enjoy Companionship

During the spring and summer, meadow voles prefer to do their own thing separate from one another. However, during the winter, meadow voles tend to congregate in groups. Female voles especially have been found to seek out same-sex partnerships when denning in the winter, but male voles also exhibit affiliate behaoir with their same gender during colder months.

Unlike Meadow Voles, Prairie Voles Are Highly Social All Year Round

Adorably, male and female prairie voles den together and raise their young. They have also been studied affectionately grooming each other and even forming life-long relationships.

Voles Are Serious About Breeding

Voles reproduce and they reproduce quickly, which is why its important to know how to get rid of voles once you see you have them in your yard. In fact, voles are some of the most fertile breeders in the rodent family, capable of producing up to ten litters a year, with between three to six young in each litter.

Voles Are Related To Hamsters

Recognizing Vole Activity In Your Garden

Signs of voles in your garden include 1- to 2-inch-wide runways on the surface of your yard. You can spot a vole’s burrow by holes in your lawn or around the base of trees. The grass immediately surrounding the hole will be very short, and, unlike a molehill, there will be no soil mounding around the opening.

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S Guide On How To Get Rid Of Voles In Your Yard

Voles are small mammals that feed primarily on vegetation. They can be found in a variety of habitats, but are most common in marshy areas and thickets.

So voles are tunneling around in your yard and garden, blazing surface trails like mouse pioneers, and killing your plants and grass by nibbling on their root systems. What can be done about it?

The first step is to identify that the species youre dealing with really are voles. Theyre often mistaken for mice or rats, but voles have longer bodies with shorter tails. Voles also have fur-lined cheek pouches that they use to carry food back to their nests.

Voles are smaller than most other mice, usually only growing to a few inches long Also, voles have shorter, furry tails, beady eyes, tiny ears, and relatively wide faces.

But you can identify voles by the presence of above and below ground tunnels if you cant get a good look at one.

If you want to rid your yard of voles, the following 5 steps should help you get started:

Do Voles Carry Diseases?

When To Call A Pro

If you have a full-blown vole infestation, it may be wise to call a professional pest control service. Experts have both the experience and tools required to quickly and effectively banish voles from your yardwhereas it can be a long battle if you take matters into your own hands.

Another good reason to call a professional is if you prize your garden. Voles are notorious for nibbling on woody stems and uprooting flowers. If you dont want to forfeit a full gardening season to voles, it can help to have a professional manage the task of removing them.

If you hire a professional for vole removal, you can expect to pay about $400 to $700 depending on your yard size, your location and the scope of the infestation.

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Wire Tek 1001 Easyset Vole Trap

The Wire Tek Easy Set trap is expert-recommended and catches voles using a spring loaded trigger. This is a lethal trap that kills voles quickly and can be reused as often as needed.

It also does not need to be dug into the lawn and can be simply placed near a runway. This trap isnt only good for those looking for how to get rid of voles but it can also help eradicate a mole and gopher issue as well.

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What Voles Look Like

When mature, they measure 5 to 7 inches with stocky bodies, short legs and short tails. While young voles are uniformly gray, adults are chestnut brown mixed with black, but their underparts are dark gray. They have small eyes and their ears are furred and dont project much. .

As the Colorado State University Extension notes, different species of vole are spread far and wide. Colorado alone hosts eight species of voles, which are often called meadow mice or field mice. Prairie voles, meadow voles, montane voles and sagebrush voles are among those that make their homes there, and other species are spread across the country from Alabama to Oregon.

In Oregons Willamette Valley, theres even an endemic vole species, the gray-tailed vole that evolved there, says Sanchez. Its a strong habitat for voles, which give area homeowners plenty of headaches.

Are voles mice? Definitely not!, commented professional exterminators Fantastic Pest Control UK. Voles and mice are rather cousins than brothers or sisters, the experts add.

Regardless of their names, voles do lunch on home lawns causing vast areas of hard-to-fix damage.

For people who are very much wanting that show lawn, it could potentially be a severe problem, Sanchez says.

Its not just your grass that voles will eat. They also girdle young trees and other woody vegetation by gnawing around the plants bases, says the University of Nebraska Extension.

Problems Caused By Moles

Moles can be a big problem for homeowners. Their tunneling creates unsightly ridges and may uproot plants, damaging or killing them. In addition, they can damage your turfs root system, as raised areas of grass dry out and die. Moles actively feed day and night, all year long. With the ability to tunnel up to 100 feet in a single day , its essential to take action to control moles as soon as you discover them.

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I Must Garden Repellent

I Must Garden Vole Repellent is one of our favorite vole and mole repellents because it is safe to use on gardens and around children and pets. It uses all natural ingredients and can be ordered in different varieties based on your needs.

This product also works throughout different seasons, including winter. Voles are very active during winter and often go unnoticed until spring as they are moving around beneath the snow. We like that this product above helps protect your lawn and property even during the snowy season.

What Is A Shrew

A shrew is a small mammal that is often described as looking like a mouse with a longer nose. Its sharp and spiky teeth, however, are far different from the enlarged incisors of rodents.

With 385 species, the shrew is found throughout the world with the exception of Oceania. Its presence in South America, however, is only due to migration and is limited to the northern half of the Andes. Mole-like in terms of manner and habitat, the shrew discussed here is not to be confused with the otter or elephant shrews of Africa, the tree shrew of Southeast Asia or the extinct West Indies shrew.

A small creature, the typical shrew grows no bigger than the average mouse, though sizes can range depending on the species. The Etruscan shrew, which circles the Mediterranean, swarms Thailand and is also dispersed throughout the Arabian Peninsula, is actually the world’s smallest on-land mammal, averaging 3.5 centimeters and two grams. The Asian house shrew, which is native to Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, has introduced populations in the Philippines and Madagascar. It is the largest of shrew species, growing up to 15 centimeters in length and weighing as much as 100 grams.

The shrew’s main disadvantage is its teeth, which wear down over time. This is unlike rodent incisors, which strengthen throughout the span of life.

You might be wondering: What is a shrew in terms of its threat to lawn and garden owners?

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Are Voles Taking Over Your Sf Bay Area Yard We Can Help

Dont live with voles and the damage they do to your outdoor spaces. Hire a professional pest management company to help.

Here at Smiths Pest Management, we specialize in solutions-based, comprehensive vole control for homeowners in and around the San Francisco Bay Area as well as the Santa Cruz and Monterey areas.

Whether youre trying to protect your garden or wanting to keep your beautiful yard vole-free all winter long, our team can help.

Contact us today to learn more about our professional services or to request an appointment:

When A Shrew Detects Predators Scent It Avoids The Treated Area

How to get rid of shrews in yard. Shrews causing issues in your garden or lawn? Voles and shrews can be trapped and killed with mouse traps. For total shrew control, we recommend removing food sources and trapping at the beginning of april to limit shrew activity and populations.

The traps can be baited with small bits of meat or tuna fish and placed where shrew activity has been noticed. While commercial snap and box traps are available, a simple pit trap may consist of a common gallon jar buried in. Tips on getting rid of shrews.

Mowing the lawn and trimming foliage regularly makes yards less favorable to shrews since the pests prefer areas with plenty of cover. The product safely repels shrews by using predator scent. Fill holes and crevices that could serve as shrew entry points.

While many people dont like this option, it can successfully rid your yard of destructive lawn vermin. Since shrews pick their habitats based on the presence of groundcover, property owners can reduce the possibility of attracting the pests by keeping grass mowed short and shrubbery and ornamental lawn trees trimmed. Essential oils to get rid of shrews.

Keep your lawn cut as short as possible. Clean up plant matter and other garden debris. Traps are a good example of how to get rid of shrews in the garden.

Shrews are repelled by some essential oils. Dont leave pet food where shrews can get into it. Spray your yard to repel insects monthly and dont leave pet food outside.

Pin On Remedies

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Can Voles Transmit Diseases To People

Voles have been known to carry a variety of diseases like rabies, Hantavirus, and Korean hemorrhagic fever. This makes it especially important to keep a safe distance from them in your yard. Even their feces and urine can carry viruses, so be sure to wear closed-toe shoes and gloves if youre working near their runways.

Eliminating Voles In Your Vegetable Garden

Your garden is full of roots, bulbs, insects, slugs, and more. That makes it prime territory for voles who may be lurking about in the vicinity.

Even small mice like voles can climb and jump surprisingly high, and these particular mice can tunnel as well, remember. But nonetheless, protecting plants and garden beds with tight-knit wire mesh will discourage voles from getting at your garden plants.

And again, hot sauce on the plants tends to repel them and keep them from targeting such spicy vegetation. Voles also hate castor oil, so you might try that as well.

Finally, eliminate all weeds and mulch and try to create as much open space between plants and garden sections as possible. Voles dont even like to dart across a foot-wide open spot if they can help it, and given the fondness of local hawks for vole flesh, who can blame them?

These techniques, plus well-set traps, will help end a garden vole infestation. But for information on how to keep voles out of your garden to begin with, follow the provided link!

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Removing Voles With Live Traps

If you prefer not to kill vole pests, you can attempt to trap them in live traps and move them to an appropriate location. However, relocating pest rodents is restricted or prohibited in many areas, so check with local authorities before using live traps.

For best results, use a live trap designed for small rodents that has two openings. Place the trap directly in the path, and parallel to, a well-defined surface runway . Baiting is not always necessary, but you can add peanut butter inside the trap if desired. Check the trap frequently, and relocate any trapped voles to an approved location at least 5 miles from your home.

Volex All Natural Ecoclear Pellets

Because voles are herbivores, you cannot use the same poisons you would use to get rid of moles who eat insects and grubs. Instead, you will need to use something like the above product by VoleX, which helps to kill voles using baited pellets.

We like these pellets because they are biodegradable, safe to use around children and pets, and effective against controlling voles and mice.

And while this product does use natural ingredients, it should still be used as directed and kept away from kids.

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Learn How To Identify Their Damage

Gnaw marks are a telltale sign.

The gnaw marks and girdling damage that voles cause are similar to those caused by many other species of wildlife, particularly rabbits. Because of the voles small size and inconspicuous nature, vole damage is often blamed on other species. Vole girdling is characterized by nonuniform gnaw marks at various angles in irregular patches. In contrast, rabbits clip branches with neat, clean cuts. Vole gnaw marks are about 1/8 inch wide and 3/8 inch long gnaw marks from rabbits are usually larger. Careful examination of the damage can help identify the perpetrator, although often all youll see is that something has eaten the roots of your plants.

The most prominent sign of vole damage in yards and fields is their extensive runway systems. Runways are an inch or so wide, and vegetation is often clipped close to the ground next to well-traveled routes. You may also notice small holes used for entry to the surface. These are generally located at the beginning or end of the tunnel system.

Preventing Damage: Habitat Modification

The best way to control vole damage is to make sure they never set up shop in your lawn in the first place.

There are several ways to keep the little varmints out, especially closing down the buffet table. You definitely dont want to get rid of the lawn, but other grassy plants can go.

• Trim up tall grass and weeds around young trees.
• Move or remove bird feeders. They may give the voles a free lunch.
• Limit grass. Grass is voles preferred habitat, and if you can get creative with your landscape you can remove that option. Voles, ever fearful of predators, are less likely to cross a weed-free area at least 15 feet wide. Do you need to have lawn or grass there? asks Sanchez.
• Mow close in the fall before the snow arrives. Lower the lawn reduces its attraction for voles. The UMass extension recommends mowing extra close that last time.
• Move wood or brush piles, compost piles and other ground cover well away from the lawn.

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