Garden Pest: The Vole

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

We suddenly have lots and lots of holes in our garden, and little seedlings disappearing, as if they were never there. Especially cucumber, watermelon, carrot and radishes. Zucchini has been left alone.

Come to find out from a neighbor that we're being plagued by voles, little rodents that look similar to mice. They dig tunnels like moles, but are closer to the surface.

And suddenly I have lots of produce customers, but still no produce because I have to keep planting seedlings. They are begging for pickling cucumbers. And all tomato plants are gone too.

How on earth can I get rid of the voles? Can I put mouse poison down? Those sound makers sure don't work!

 

[Boogity]

I have had some luck with snakes and cats. Both love to catch voles. One for food and the other for fun. I don't know of any poison that would be safe in a garden and those traps and noise makers are useless on voles. Something I have tried with limited success is to sit quietly at sundown and shoot them with a 22 cal. pistol and bird shot. They're quick and tiny so they are hard targets to hit.

 

[~gd]

We suddenly have lots and lots of holes in our garden, and little seedlings disappearing, as if they were never there. Especially cucumber, watermelon, carrot and radishes. Zucchini has been left alone.

Come to find out from a neighbor that we're being plagued by voles, little rodents that look similar to mice. They dig tunnels like moles, but are closer to the surface.

And suddenly I have lots of produce customers, but still no produce because I have to keep planting seedlings. They are begging for pickling cucumbers. And all tomato plants are gone too.

How on earth can I get rid of the voles? Can I put mouse poison down? Those sound makers sure don't work!

poision peanuts and those wicked spear traps do work [I don't know if these are things you would use] They are fast breeders and a pair can produce 200 in a season, and the young mature very rapidy. just about anything will hunt to eat them. skunks will dig up their tunnels and smaller snakes will go down the tunnels after them, Coons and foxes like to teach team hunting to their young on voles. I don't know if they locate them by sight or by sound but they break into their tunnels on either side of the vole and work toward their prey. Good luck with them.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

We have recently seen a lot of snakes but still ... will try the peanuts. Only thing is if there's dead vole bodies all over, my chickens will eat them and die too. Had the same problem with mice.

 

[Hinotori]

I hate voles. My chickens will kill and eat them. My german shepherd will dig them out and kill them, sometimes eat. So I can't use poison. I've taught the dogs to leave the garter snakes alone. I've considered getting a cat to help out. Or another schipperke since my old ones were killer on rodents and I like them better than terriers.

I don't have an issue much in the garden luckily, but they go in the chicken run and try and steal the food.

I've thought about putting some traps out where the chickens and dog can't get to them. Right now that's probably the easiest method here. The voles seem pretty stupid compared to mice. I've found them dead tangled in bird netting that was put up to keep chickens out of stuff.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Something to think about. Thanks.

 

[Corn Woman]

This is a Jerry Baker recipe for trees so voles don't eat the bark. 1/2 cup castor oil and 1/2 dishwashing liquid in 20 gallons of water and saturate the area. I don't know if it would work for garden crops but with the damage your getting its worth a shot. Good luck.

 

[Boogity]

This is a Jerry Baker recipe for trees so voles don't eat the bark. 1/2 cup castor oil and 1/2 dishwashing liquid in 20 gallons of water and saturate the area. I don't know if it would work for garden crops but with the damage your getting its worth a shot. Good luck.

Hmmmm. Thanks.

 

[Boogity]

Something that I have tried with some success . . . a piece of 1 1/4" PVC about 18" long. De-Con rat poison. Put only a few poison pellets in the pipe, push the pellets to mid-way inside the pipe, lay the pipe down near the vole, mole, chipmunk, or mouse path, make two gigantic U-shaped heavy wire "staples" and staple the pipe to the ground near each end. Dogs, cats, and other larger animals cannot get to the poison and the little critters love the stuff.

 

[Marianne]

Cats - I'll even send you a few.

It took a while, but they took care of my vole problem (plus some other icky critters).