Voles are about to do me in!!! after 50 yrs. gardening..HELP

Audrey L
by Audrey L
  14 answers
  • 3po3 3po3 on Mar 13, 2012
    Here's a good discussion from a while back about voles: http://www.hometalk.com/activity/83454 You can also search for voles at the top of the page for more info.
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Mar 14, 2012
    Audrey, you need to figure out what is attracting them, which is probably grubs, but mouse traps will work to catch them. Bait them with peanut butter and, if you have pets and don't want to leave the traps exposed, tuck them under an overturned flower pot that you have propped up on one side.
  • Patrice H Patrice H on Mar 14, 2012
    Our dogs use to get them - great for us, awful for the yard. Now that our dogs are old and can't keep us Mole or Vole free, we have tried the stink sticks (didn't work), we have tried traps (didn't work), have tried grub control (didn't work). I need help also! Where do you put the mouse traps? inside the hole? We have a large yard so that would be alot of caster oil. Any other ideas?
  • Linda D Linda D on Mar 14, 2012
    They make a Mole windmill that is made of metal, sticks in the ground and as the wind blows the blades, the pole in the ground vibrates. This chases the moles away. Also known to work is a bottle half buried in the ground, wind blows across, causing the bottle to vibrate the ground. And a cheap fix is stick several pinwheels in the areas affected. The same principle as the others apply.
  • Margarita S Margarita S on Mar 14, 2012
    I have used the leftoovers of the smoked fish, placed it in the holewhere they were coming from. Seemed to work. At least for a while.
  • Stefani H Stefani H on Mar 14, 2012
    I have problems with voles too.. They seem to like to eat my tomatoes. I have tried a mole chaser (a stick in the ground that vibrates) and it doesn't work. We have tried traps that didn't work. Any ideas would be helpful!
  • Patricia H Patricia H on Mar 14, 2012
    Poisen peanuts down the holes is what worked for me. It's Moles that eat grubs, Voles eat plant roots, stems from under ground. I had a whole rosebush just fall over after the Voles gnawed through the base underground.
  • Sue Sullivan Sue Sullivan on Mar 14, 2012
    no voles here, but I have eliminated the moles in my yard with Talprid applied by my lawn service guy. It works! Prior to this, I tried smoke bombs, vibration, poison peanuts- you name it! Give your lawn care co. a call and see if they are licensed to apply it. Good luck!
  • Becky H Becky H on Mar 14, 2012
    What are the tell tale signs of these critters??
  • Marcia R Marcia R on Mar 14, 2012
    Patricia H is right. Moles are meat eaters. They like grubs. Voles are actually a meadow mouse...and they eat only vegetation. I had a terrible time with them two yrs ago. I figured out that the bird feeders were what was drawing them to the yard. They will eat the dropped seed...and then move on to other things. A vole tunnels only about two inches under the ground. A mole actually goes underground and tunnels. When it comes up it leaves a large mound of soil. Try the poison peanuts made for moles in the vole tunnels.
  • Kathleen Kathleen on Mar 14, 2012
    Hi Audrey - I can totally understand your problem with Voles! When I had them (which I hope they aren't back this year) I thought I was done gardening - which I absolutely love. They almost destroyed my gardens and probably destroyed well over 75 of my perennials. My saving grace was finding the "Vole Control" website and ordering it. You really should check it out - I did - followed his instructions to the tee and fortunately took care of the problem. I had "12 Hot Spots" where there were dens and I was able to get rid of them. Before I ordered "Vole Control" - I tried everything from smoking them out - traps - even calling in a critter control service and nothing worked. If you have a problem like I had - that's what I would suggest! PS - My problem was so bad that I would lift my Hosta's right out of the ground because the roots were all gone. Also - Voles live through the winter and continue to eat the roots of dormant plants - and continue to multiply! After they have a litter (usually at least 5) they will immediately get pregnant again - no waiting - so if you have them - they are almost impossible to get rid of. Good luck!
  • Catherine S Catherine S on Mar 14, 2012
    We had a really bad problem with them a few years ago, ruining a perfect lawn. I tried various commercial and old remedies, like stuffing cat hair and spicy pepper down the open holes. Eventually they just moved on to the neighbors, and we haven't seen them again in 7 years on our street, but we have seen their work on other streets. Some people say the plant called "spurge" will repel them. I think it's just something you have to live thru.
  • Grandma jean Grandma jean on Mar 20, 2015
    absolutely sure they are voles? In ND they run under the snow as though they are making a race track. Lawns and gardens reveal their runs in the spring. A good landscaping rack (get the kind they use at ballparks to rake up trash) and a quick rake over the tracks usually does it. I just throw grass onto the lawn damage. The dirt runs aren't a problem unless they have nibbled plant roots. That's another project. Ever had them get in your house? They're wily, so watch out!
  • Moxie Moxie on May 02, 2015
    I have used the solar powered vibrating stakes in the past which worked to keep them out of garden areas. I think I hot them from burpee seed on line. They ear slugs so u can also treat your yard for those with spores but it takes a few years to take hold..