Understanding Voles: Behavior, Appearance, and Damage

What Are Voles?

Voles are small, stocky rodents with blunt faces, tiny ears, and short tails. Most species measure between 4 and 8 inches long, including the tail, and weigh about 2 ounces. Voles are herbivores, feeding on roots, bulbs, leaves, seeds, and tree bark. They are active year-round, creating shallow tunnels and above-ground runways.

Vole vs. Mole vs. Mouse

  • Voles: Rodents that eat vegetation, create runways and shallow burrows, and leave cylindrical droppings.
  • Moles: Insectivores with deep tunnels, pointed snouts, and large digging paws; they leave volcano-shaped mounds.
  • Mice: Long tails, pointed snouts, and eat seeds; less destructive to roots than voles.

Signs of Vole Damage

  • Crisscrossing runways or shallow burrows at ground level
  • Chewed plant roots, bulbs, or tree bark
  • Dead patches in lawns and small droppings in runways

Why Your Garden Attracts Voles

Key Factors

  • Vegetation: Dense plants and weeds provide food and cover.
  • Moisture: Wet soil attracts voles for hydration.
  • Cover: Brush piles, tall grass, and mulch offer protection from predators.
  • Population Surges: Mild winters and cyclical population increases can worsen damage.

Prevention: Making Your Garden Less Inviting

Habitat Modification

  • Keep lawns mowed, weeds removed, and leaf litter cleared
  • Prune shrubs away from the ground
  • Apply mulch carefully (1-inch depth only)
  • Create 4-foot debris-free buffers around young trees
  • Collect fallen fruits to reduce food sources

Physical Barriers

  • Install hardware cloth fences: ¼-inch mesh, 12 inches above ground, 6–10 inches buried
  • Wrap tree trunks with wire mesh guards (6 inches underground)
  • Add gravel around planting holes or create raised containers

Encouraging Natural Predators

  • Birds of prey: Hawks and owls
  • Mammals: Foxes, bobcats, coyotes, snakes
  • Domestic cats and dogs (supervised)

Repellents: Driving Voles Away Humanely

Natural Repellents

  • Castor oil, hot peppers, garlic, onions, mint, rosemary, thyme
  • Predator urine sprays or granules

Commercial & Homemade Options

  • Liquid repellents: Spray on soil, mulch, or runways
  • Granular repellents: Sprinkle around burrows and water in
  • Reapply after rain or every 30–90 days

Safety and Effectiveness

  • Choose pet- and child-safe products
  • Avoid excessive capsaicin sprays
  • Effectiveness varies; use alongside prevention strategies

Trapping Voles: Targeted Removal for Small Infestations

Mouse Snap Traps

  • Place perpendicular to vole runways, trigger aligned with path
  • Bait with peanut butter, seeds, or apple slices
  • Cover with PVC for safety from pets

Live Traps

  • Position along well-defined runways
  • Relocate only if local authorities allow
  • Check traps daily

Considerations

  • Not practical for large infestations
  • Wear gloves when handling traps or captured voles

Plants That Help Keep Voles Out of Your Garden

Vole-Resistant Flowers & Bulbs

  • Daffodils, fritillaries, alliums, snowdrops, hyacinths, camassia
  • Lenten roses, salvia, thyme, lavender, lacy phacelia, poppy

Herbs & Vegetables

  • Onions, garlic, chives, garlic chives
  • Castor beans, chili peppers, mountain mint, yerba buena

When to Call a Professional

  • Infestation is widespread or severe
  • DIY methods fail to control voles
  • Quick, eco-friendly removal is needed
  • Professionals can create an integrated pest management plan

Images and Alt Attributes

  1. Vole in a garden tunnel – Alt: Vole in garden tunnel keeping voles out of your garden
  2. Hardware cloth fence protecting plants – Alt: Garden fence to keep voles out of your garden
  3. Daffodils planted as vole deterrent – Alt: Vole-resistant daffodils keeping voles out of your garden