Meadow voles, also known as meadow mice, are small rodents that can destroy your lawn and garden if ignored. No matter what you call them, voles are some of the most difficult outdoor pests to get rid of. They are voracious eaters and will destroy even large trees and shrubs in mere days.
They are also fast reproducers. Every 45 days, just one female can give birth to 10 or more babies. Just like mice, voles are small but they have chunky bodies measuring about seven inches long. With short tails and small, furred ears, they are brown in color with dark gray bellies.
They are not as big as moles, which are larger with clawed front feet. But they are larger than shrews, which are slender and smaller. Hiring a vole exterminator in Cascade is priority #1 if you spot these creatures in your yard.
What Attracts Voles?
From plants to moisture, here’s a look at what is attracting voles to your yard.
- Food sources: Voles are mainly herbivores but they occasionally consume invertebrates. They eat various plant species, including seeds and grasses. They can consume bark and shrubs and even kill whole trees. This is why they infest outdoor spaces with landscaping or gardens that have appealing vegetation. They feast on weeds such as clover and chickweed, which grow unchecked in large lots.
- Moisture: Voles need moisture to survive, so they like areas with streams, ponds, and other wet spaces. Gardens with moist soil or standing water are especially attractive to voles.
- Shelter: Voles are small prey animals and need adequate shelter to stay safe from predators. However, they are also grassland animals, so all they need is just a small amount of grass cover. Voles take cover in gardens with thick vegetation or piles of wood.
Tips for Getting Rid of Voles
It’s always best to partner with a Cascade pest control company when ridding your property of voles, but here’s an overview of how to best remove them.
1. Remove vegetation and shelter
Voles won’t eat out in the open. Instead, they like to hide in thatch and low-growth brush. That’s why habitat modification is the easiest method of removal.
- Remove dense ground cover, trim your lawn, and keep light layers of mulch light around trees.
- Remove wood piles to limit hiding places and remove bird feeders from the yard.
- Rake up dead grass left behind by voles and reseed the area to cover their trails.
2. Protect young trees
Voles will gnaw on the trunks of young trees. Wrap the lower trunk with a guard of some kind, such as wire mesh or plastic tubing. Be sure to bury the base in the soil, and make sure it’s loose enough so as not to restrict the tree’s growth.
3. Contact a professional pest control company
Fast, comprehensive vole removal service in Cascade is assured when you hire professionals.
Eradicate Gophers, Voles, and Ground Squirrels by Eco Pest Control
If voles are plaguing your Cascade yard, or even if you’re unsure what they are, contact us at 208-600-8734. Our Idaho exterminators can provide you with a free quote and set up an in-home inspection to evict those unwanted guests.
