Voles (6625)

Voles, also known as meadow mice or field mice, eat plants, insects, and the remains of other animals such as birds or chipmunks. In summer, voles store caches of seeds in their system of burrows. In winter, their diet consists of bark chewed from shrubs and tree trunks less than 4 inches in diameter. Voles often scurry back and forth in their tunnels, gathering seeds from beneath bird feeders. Voles are active both day and night gathering enough food to satisfy their voracious appetites.

Voles live on the surface of the ground, creating little round tunnels in grassy vegetation. Often grass clippings are found on the runways. This trail is most noticeable in spring after the snow has melted. Occasionally, voles construct shallow underground tunnels. Voles seldom enter homes but might be observed in farm buildings or garages where grain or hay is stored.

Voles can cause severe damage, especially during winter when they are active under the cover of snow. Voles eat bark from many landscape plants and trees. If the bark is damaged in a complete circle around the trunk or main stem (called girdling), the plant will die.

Damage from voles can be prevented or minimized through the use of habitat modification, mechanical barriers, traps, and poison bait stations.

- Modify the voles' habitat by eliminating food, ground cover, and plant litter.

- Maintain a lawn height of three inches or less.

- Place hardware cloth cylinders (1/4 inch mesh or finer) around the trunks of young trees and shrubs. The cloth cylinder should be dug into the ground at least six inches and should extend well above the anticipated snow level.

- Wrap tree trunks with plastic tree guards.

- Mousetraps, baited with peanut butter, can be effective on a small scale. Place traps adjacent and perpendicular to grassy runways. Cover the traps with a box or shingle, but make sure the trap can still close.

- Rodenticides labeled for outdoor use against voles are not generally cost-effective but they can be used. Rodenticides must be used according to the instructions on the container label. Bait stations should be used with extreme caution because they pose a threat to children, pets, and other non-targeted wild animals and birds.

Hardware cloth, traps, and rodenticides are available at nurseries, hardware, or farm supply stores. In general, modification of habitat and placement of barriers results in the most economical and effective control.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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