What do voles eat in the garden

This is the period when they diversify their diet the most. They also eat any insect they can catch, any winter underground root or vegetable that you might have sown for the spring, and even dead animals. Yes, voles can be even vultures when they need to. The easiest way to prevent a vole infestation is by using any of the vole repelling plants and vegetation we mentioned above.

Together with that, you can also make sure to reduce any of their preferred food sources. Keep all plants, vegetables, and trees that voles might take interest in surrounded by metal fences that go at least 4 or 5 inches deep into the soil.

This will prevent the voles from digging underneath as well as from climbing over the fencing. Additionally, keep whatever grass and other vegetation you have as short as possible. Voles may live in underground tunnels but they also surface quite often to eat the above-ground tubes of many plants.

What do meadow voles eat? What do prairie voles eat? The easiest way to answer that question is to say that all voles eat almost any vegetation they can lay their paws on. You can let a meadow vole, a water vole, a woodland vole, or a prairie vole in your garden, and in all cases, the end result will be negative for your property. Of course, different species have different preferences. For example, woodland voles are especially fond of trees which makes them the Number 1 pest in apple orchards, for example.

Prairie voles are more accustomed to eating grass as this is what they are accustomed to, while meadow voles are keener on agricultural plant species. Had a box turtle lay eggs in flower bed were the voles are! Is it possible they will eat th eggs? If you have severe vole damage in your lawn, hire a professional company that offers turf and ornamental treatments.

Now you want to protect it. Follow these tips to enjoy a healthy, vole-free yard:. With this in mind, one of the easiest ways to control their numbers is through habitat modification.

Remove dense ground cover, keep the lawn mowed, keep mulch light around trees and shrubs, and keep up on snow removal. Voles love to gnaw on the trunks of young trees. To discourage this behavior and remove a favorite food source, wrap the lower trunk of young trees with a guard, like a wire mesh or plastic tubing.

Live vole traps have one purpose: to trap animals without killing or injuring them. Just be sure that you remove the voles as far as possible when you release them, or you may find that they come right back to your property.

Like most sensible animals and people , voles hate the taste and smell of castor oil. Sprinkling a bit of it around your landscaping can deter the rodents. Voles also dislike capsaicin, the potent compound in peppers that makes them taste spicy. To deter voles naturally, mix chopped hot peppers with water and biodegradable dish soap. Spray vole hotspots in your lawn and landscaping with the mixture to prevent voles from nibbling on your plants.

If you want a fast, comprehensive vole removal service, the best option is to hire a professional team. The answer to this question depends on which method you use. While the names sound similar, voles and moles are not the same animals. Although they may both make tunnels in your yard, there are some critical differences between the two. Voles look like field mice.

They are small rodents with round, compact bodies, short tails, ears that lie close to their bodies, and small eyes. Voles are known for their tendency to dig. They make tunnels in the soil and create golf ball-sized exit holes in existing mole tunnels.

Voles eat plants. Like many other rodents, they enjoy a vegetarian diet, gnawing away at the stems of plants and grass blades. Their tunnels tend to be near the surface of a garden or yard because of their preferred food sources. When voles are present on your property, you may notice previously healthy plants keeled over with their roots chewed off.

Once voles establish a colony, they breed quickly, so controlling the spread is essential. Unlike voles, moles are not rodents. Their distinctly-shaped heads and snouts are elongated. They have small eyes and no external ears. Mix with water or soap and water. Apply with a sprayer, repeating after it rains. Traps can be effective if populations are small or are confined to a limited area.

Using a larger number of traps rather than one or a few will yield better results. Place humane traps along vole runways or burrow entrances, using peanut butter as bait. Check traps daily. Relocate voles if allowed in your area. When should you call a professional? Chemical poisons and baits should never be used to control pests of any kind, as they are often ingested by pets and beneficial wildlife. Poisonous pest controls pose a major threat to birds of prey such as eagles, hawks, and owls, as well as many wild mammals as they can become secondarily poisoned by eating an animal that has ingested the poison.

Remedies such as fumigants, flooding, electromagnetic or ultrasonic devices may be less effective or ineffective at controlling voles. When working around areas that voles frequent, make sure to wear close-toed shoes and rubber gloves to avoid possible contact with vole urine and feces.

Voles create an extensive network of shallow underground tunnels 2 inches wide. The most visible indication of their presence is the above-ground burrow openings that are connected by well-used runways, which may be partially obscured by grass or groundcovers.

Voles damage plants above and below ground, eating roots and bulbs when they tunnel and consuming plant stems and leaves when above ground. Dead patches in lawn areas are created where voles create runways and feed on grass. Look for signs including droppings, fresh trails with clipped or trampled grass, and plants that suddenly wilt or die.

There may be gnaw marks on garden plants, vegetables, and around the base of trees and shrubs. Extensive tree root damage can cause dieback of the crown and leaning. These destructive rodents stay active throughout winter, eating plant roots, bulbs and bark while snow cover hides their activities.

Winter damage may not be fully evident until spring when the snow melts and voles become more active. Damage is usually most severe in spring when voles are most active. In many cases, plants will recover on their own once the vole population is under control. Destroy runways and burrows with a shovel or rototiller to discourage new voles from moving in.

Rake up dead grass and replant bare areas with grass seed to restore lawn areas where runways are present. One of the best ways to discourage voles is to make your yard less inviting. Voles need cover to survive and will avoid open areas. They prefer heavy vegetation, as it provides protection from predators.

Keep it neat: Prune shrubs, control weeds, rake leaves and keep lawns mowed.