Voles are small rodents (6 inches in length or so) that are often mistaken for their rodent cousins, mice and moles. Voles have an ability to do significant damage to your lawn and garden, because they’re very resilient creatures that eat just about any plant material they come into contact with. They reproduce rapidly, and live in high density, so they will do their destructive work quickly.
Voles and moles look very similar. The easiest way to tell the difference between the two (besides close-up identification, which can be impractical) is to assess the damage that they do.
Moles build underground tunnels from one are of your property to another and spend most of their lives underground. Voles, on the other hand, live underground in small burrows, but prefer to travel on the surface. Voles cause distinctive “road” patterns in your lawn because they travel the same routes over and over. If you have moles, you will find distinctive dirt mounds (“mole hills”) around your property. Voles don’t make these mounds.
It’s in your best interest to deal with a vole infestation as quickly as possible. Their quick rate or reproduction means a small colony will become a large one very quickly. Voles feed on just about any type of plant, favouring the bark of saplings, grass, roots, and vegetables. They will wreck your lawn and garden rapidly.
Voles like to live and travel under cover. In warm weather months, they’ll hide under leaves, mulch, and anything else left lying around. In the winter, they’ll be comfortably hidden from view in your snow-covered yard.
Poulin’s Pest Control is Western Canada’s number one choice for vermin control. We provide full service pest control solutions that use the latest products and processes, to keep your home and property pest free. There’s no foolin’ with Poulin!