Voles are showing up again in garages, homes and lawns. Voles are small mouse-like rodents that are active through the winter on the surface of the ground underneath the snow. They spend the summer in meadows and other grassy areas and in the fall they move to lawns and may enter homes and other buildings looking for food. For some reason, voles have been observed in lawns since early July this year. Because they are often found in grassy areas, they are often called “meadow mice.” The most common vole-related damage is to grass and ground covers in lawns. They remain active under the snow throughout the winter. As voles feed they create runway systems and nests at ground level, often killing the grass. Voles may also feed on flower bulbs before the ground freezes and they can cause extensive damage to trees and shrubs. Voles usually chew off bark in a ring around the trunk near the soil line, thereby girdling the plant. To discourage voles from returning to your lawn to overwinter, keep the lawn mowed regularly until freezing and remove excessive thatch. You might consider lowering your lawnmower slightly, but be careful not to mow your grass too short as that will subject the crowns to winter damage. Eliminate any weeds, wild grass or litter from around the lawn that may provide food and cover for voles. If active runways are present in the lawn, trapping may be effective. Mouse traps baited with a mixture of peanut butter and rolled oats should be placed adjacent to the runways or in areas where voles are active. There are some poison baits labeled for outdoor use against voles and readily available mouse and rat baits can also be effective. These baits offer the most success in late fall or early winter. Create a bait station by using a soup can, beverage can, or a jar on its side and place about a tablespoon of dry pelleted bait in the station. Place the stations at the base of young trees and shrubs that may be the target of vole damage, near any runways that may be in the lawn and in areas of the lawn that were damaged by voles in previous winters. Check the bait stations several times each week during the fall and replace any spoiled or consumed bait. Keep these stations in place throughout the winter, as the voles will feed under the snow. Be sure to read and follow all directions and precautions on the label of the poison you purchase to use in the bait stations. Protect young trees and shrubs with cylinders of hardware cloth or tree wrap. The hardware cloth mesh should be 1/4 inch, or less, and because voles can dig, should be buried a few inches into the soil. Wrapping the trunks of trees with a commercial tree wrap will also prevent vole damage. It is important that the end of the wrap be placed into the soil and the tree should be wrapped well above the potential snow line. Actually, the trees should be wrapped until just below the first branch, this will also protect the tree from rabbit damage and sunscald. It is important that the grass around fruit trees be cut short to eliminate hiding areas for voles and discourage their activity. The lack of snow for cover limited a lot of vole activity last winter, but with the number that have been seen already and if we get more snow this winter, the damage level could be much greater. Some control measures this fall will help prevent a lot of the disappointment that comes with damaged lawns and girdled trees next spring.
