Voles and Vole Control - Part 11 of 11 - Vole Control Methods

This article may be viewed in its entirety on our website Vole control, Mole control, Gopher control: Crittergetteronline Home. Select your desired link from the "Critter Confused" navigation box on the left.

Please see our Resource Directory for links to retailers who sell many of the Vole Control products mentioned below.

Repellants

• Thiram and Capsaicin are registered as vole repellants.
  
• Predator Odors (Coyote urine, Fox urine, etc.)
  

Toxicants

• There are a number of vole baits available on the market
  

Fumigants

• Aluminum phosphide
  
• Carbon monoxide from engine exhaust
  

Trapping

• Mouse snap traps can be used in very small vole population situations
  

Miscellaneous

• Professional abatement
  
• Owl box installation
  

Acknowledgment:

• O'Brein, John M., 1994. Voles: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Agricultural Programs Coordinator. Nevada Department of Agriculture
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  

Recent Website updates/changes:

Voles and Vole Control - Part 10 of 11 - Vole Damage Prevention - Create Your Own Raised Planter Box Liners

This article may be viewed in its entirety on our website Vole control, Mole control, Gopher control: Crittergetteronline Home. Select your desired link from the "Critter Confused" navigation box on the left.

This preventative measure requires the use of ½-inch hardware fabric, which can be found at most hardware stores (hardware fabric is welded wire mesh similar to "chicken wire" but has smaller hole spacing. It is available in a range of sizes from ¼-inch up and a plethora of lengths and widths.). Tools required are: tin snips (to cut wire to length), roll of utility wire (fine gage, for constructing baskets), pliers, gloves (wire is sharp), and a staple gun (for raised boxes).

I create raised beds using redwood 2x12, retaining wall stock if available. Retaining wall stock or "rough redwood" material tends to be thicker and better suited for ground contact – Do Not Use pressure treated lumber in your garden, the chemicals used to make this material are highly toxic and will poison your plants. I build my raised beds 4-feet wide to facilitate the use of 4-foot wide hardware cloth (largest width available). Boxes may be constructed larger than this dimension, however, the seam between the two sections of hardware cloth will need to be "stitched" together as would be any end seams if it breaks in the center of the box. Once the box is assembled (use galvanized nails), select a top, flip the box upside down and staple the hardware cloth to the box with the longest galvanized staples you can find. Don’t be shy with the staples; use a lot of them. Right side the box and fill with soil. Check the integrity of the wire every couple years and replace when necessary.

Acknowledgment:

• O'Brein, John M., 1994. Voles: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Agricultural Programs Coordinator. Nevada Department of Agriculture
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  

Recent Website updates/changes:

Voles and Vole Control - Part 9 of 11 - Vole Damage Prevention - Create Your Own Plant Baskets

This article may be viewed in its entirety on our website Vole control, Mole control, Gopher control: Crittergetteronline Home. Select your desired link from the "Critter Confused" navigation box on the left.

This preventative measure requires the use of ½-inch hardware fabric, which can be found at most hardware stores (hardware fabric is welded wire mesh similar to "chicken wire" but has smaller hole spacing. It is available in a range of sizes from ¼-inch up and a plethora of lengths and widths.). Tools required are: tin snips (to cut wire to length), roll of utility wire (fine gage, for constructing baskets), pliers, gloves (wire is sharp), and a staple gun (for raised boxes).

I create wire baskets using the ½-inch by 3-foot wide by 25-foot long rolls of hardware fabric described above, which will make six 18-inch baskets. I use the ½-inch mesh because the ¼-inch is too fine, and the 1-inch too large ("chicken wire" is much too large). First, let me mention that some hardware stores carry relatively inexpensive pre-made wire baskets for this exact purpose. If you can find these baskets in the size you require, I would recommend purchasing them as building them yourself is time consuming and a bit of a small battle (the hardware cloth seems to always want to stab me). I try to make my baskets at least twice the current diameter of the pot of the plant to be planted up to a maximum of 18–inches across (each 18-inch diameter basket will require approximately 5 linear feet of hardware cloth).

• Cut the hardware cloth to your desired length, and then cut it again lengthwise so you have two equally sized pieces (two baskets).
  
• Cut two or three pieces of wire 2-inches long, flex the hardware cloth around lengthwise so its ends overlap a bit and form a cylinder. In a couple areas, bend the 2-inch pieces of wire around the ends of the mesh where they overlap to hold the cylinder together.
  
• Cut a section of wire approximately 24-inches long and "stitch" the basket together by looping it through the overlapping holes, cut more wire if necessary. This should result in an 18-inch diameter by 18-inch tall cylinder.
  
• Cut a 24-inch by 24-inch piece of hardware cloth from the roll. Flatten this piece out and lay it on the ground. Select one end of your cylinder to be the top and set the other down centered upon the 24-inch by 24-inch piece.
  
• Cut three or four pieces of wire 2-inches long and use them to tie the bottom piece to the cylinder. Again, cut a 24-inch piece of wire and "stitch" the bottom to the cylinder by looping the wire through the holes. Once completed, bend the excess wire projecting from the cylinder up toward the basket.
  
• Dig a hole of a size that will allow 3-inches of the basket to project above the surface of the soil. Following this guideline will leave enough of the basket exposed for inspection of deterioration: This is critical when using the baskets for planting seasonal plants such as tomatoes, etc. When sufficient evidence of deterioration is noted it will be time to remove the basket and install a new one. The duration of basket longevity is difficult to determine due to differing weather conditions, water composition, soil types, fertilization, basket material composition, and etc. however, 3 to 5 years should be relatively safe.
  

Acknowledgment:

• O'Brein, John M., 1994. Voles: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Agricultural Programs Coordinator. Nevada Department of Agriculture
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  

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Voles and Vole Control - Part 8 of 11 - Vole Damage Prevention

This article may be viewed in its entirety on our website Vole control, Mole control, Gopher control: Crittergetteronline Home. Select your desired link from the "Critter Confused" navigation box on the left.

Because the vole has explosive population growth potential and a voracious appetite, it is especially important to control the vole's numbers in areas where they can proliferate and cause great harm to humans, plants, and livestock.

Many of these techniques are the same preventative measures you would use for other burrowing critters such as gophers, moles, chipmunks, squirrels, woodchucks, shrews, prairie dogs or any other type of burrowing animal - The idea is the same – keep them out! I do just that by creating wire baskets that I set into the ground before planting my new plant; these baskets surround the roots of my small trees and shrubs with a protective barrier that allow the plants to establish themselves and grow large enough that they cannot be threatened by these menacing creatures. Another tactic I employ for the vegetable garden is to staple wire mesh to the bottom of raised redwood boxes, creating an impenetrable barrier to protect my vegetables.

Instructions for Wire Baskets

Instructions for Raised Planter Box Liners

Vegetation Control — elimination of dense shrubbery, grasses, and litter from areas desired to be kept or made vole free will often be successful due to the removal of food and habitation sources for the vole. Mow, spray, till, or graze these areas to keep vole populations to a minimum.

Acknowledgment:

• O'Brein, John M., 1994. Voles: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Agricultural Programs Coordinator. Nevada Department of Agriculture
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  

Voles and Vole Control - Part 7 of 11 - Vole Damage

This article may be viewed in its entirety on our website Vole control, Mole control, Gopher control: Crittergetteronline Home. Select your desired link from the "Critter Confused" navigation box on the left.

The vole is a very prolific breeder and as a result one may find many of these animals eating anything they can get their little paws on. The vole has been known to cause great damage (at times complete) to crops, orchards, and small plants and trees, especially when they reach high population densities.

Like the mouse, the vole can carry disease that can be transferred to humans through food cross-contamination or direct contact.

Like the gopher, the vole can cause extensive damage in levee systems to the level of complete failure in the creation of its underground burrows and tunnels. This great amount of tunneling can also be a large problem in irrigated areas as these tunnels can channel water away from the area it was intended to reach.

Acknowledgment:

• O'Brein, John M., 1994. Voles: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Agricultural Programs Coordinator. Nevada Department of Agriculture
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  

Voles and Vole Control - Part 6 of 11 - Vole Facts

This article may be viewed in its entirety on our website Vole control, Mole control, Gopher control: Crittergetteronline Home. Select your desired link from the "Critter Confused" navigation box on the left.

• The vole is often confused with the mole and gopher due to habitat overlap and similar eating habits - Control methods differ for these three species; many people misidentify their target and often use improper techniques in their abatement efforts.
  
• Some species of vole can be found to inhabit elevations of up to 12,000 ft.
  
• Voles do not hibernate.
  
• Voles can be found active virtually any time of day. In colder climates, the vole tends to be more active during the day in winter. In warmer climates, the vole tends to be nocturnal in summer.
  
• Voles are not sanitary animals – piles of feces will often be found throughout their burrow.
  
• The ears of the vole are smaller in comparison to the mouse.
  
• California and meadow voles will cannibalize the young of other voles if found.
  
• The female California vole will abandon her young if she is exposed the pheromones of an unknown male California vole.
  
• Voles will often "borrow" the burrow of another burrowing creature in its travels.
  
• Most voles will rarely live more than a year.
  
• Meadow voles are aggressive and will attack if cornered or captured.
  

Acknowledgment:

• O'Brein, John M., 1994. Voles: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Agricultural Programs Coordinator. Nevada Department of Agriculture
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  

Voles and Vole Control - Part 5 of 11 - What Voles Eat

This article may be viewed in its entirety on our website Vole control, Mole control, Gopher control: Crittergetteronline Home. Select your desired link from the "Critter Confused" navigation box on the left.

The vole is primarily a herbivore, feeding on roots, leaves, seeds, grasses, fruit, underground fungi, and nearly any type of green plant. The meadow vole is a particularly voracious eater, devouring up to 60% of its bodyweight including insects and the young of other meadow voles. Voles do not hibernate or store caches of food (except possibly the pine vole); many voles will eat bark and twigs during the winter months when green food is scarce.

Acknowledgment:

• O'Brein, John M., 1994. Voles: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Agricultural Programs Coordinator. Nevada Department of Agriculture
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web