Voles

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Many a home gardener has stepped onto their back porch, fresh coffee in hand, taking in the sound of birdsong, gazing over their yard…. only to see a maze of tunnels crisscrossing the lawn. Is it moles? Voles? Both?!

Unfortunately, it is entirely possible to have both, however, as we turn our backs on winter and gaze forward into the warm winds of spring, it is voles that are most likely ramping up their activities. Voles prefer to munch on plant parts to stay fed, where moles prefer insects. A quick way to remember the difference between voles and moles is ‘V’ for ‘Vegetables’ and ‘M’ for ‘Meat.

Besides runways and open burrows, a giveaway for voles is damage to plants: visible signs of chewing in tall grass, destroyed bulbs, and even in extreme cases or in the presence of a different vole species, tree roots destroyed to the point the dying trunk can be yanked out of the ground with little effort.

Voles can also be prolific: one momma vole can deliver up to 50 young a year. Fortunately, most of these litters are kept in check by natural predators such as foxes and hawks.

To discourage voles, you have a few options: disrupting their preferred roaming conditions, physically excluding them, or baiting them. Voles are comfortable roaming around grassy, protected areas. This may include flower beds with heavy mulching, landscaped areas with tall grasses, and even areas that have been buried under several inches of snow! Keep grass mowed and pull back mulch when possible. For small, valuable ornamentals, such as bulbs and shrubs, consider burying hardware cloth at least six inches below the ground. Others have also found success by covering their planting area with gravel or Perma-Till.

If these methods fail, you can find chemical baits at your local home improvement store that contain an anticoagulant that will kill the voles after several doses. When purchasing these rodenticides, always read the label for proper application, care, and dosage; in North Carolina, the label is law!

If you have any questions about voles in your yard, contact your local extension office!

Selena McKoy is the Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Harnett County.