Moles Vs Voles In Yard

Moles seem to be much better known but it s really voles causing much of the damage chalked up to moles.

Moles vs voles in yard.

Mole moles voles and groundhogs are often confused with one another because they all burrow beneath the ground. Description of a mole. Often confused with moles these rodents are entirely different. If like jeff in manassas you have moles making tunnels in your lawn and voles eating your spring bulbs and perennial roots a castor oil based mole and vole repellent is the first course of action.

Entrances to mole tunnels may have mounds of excavated soil often called molehills near them. Mole tunnels a mole tunnels underground lifting the soil upwards and making your yard squishy when you walk on it. Voles can also accidentally damage trees and shrubs by burrowing into their root systems causing young specimens to experience die back or to begin to lean. A mole is 4 to 7 inches in length with paddle shaped feet and prominent digging claws.

Vole tunnels voles tunnel under the snow pack in winter but remain above ground and create those highways in the grass you see when it melts. Voles v on the other hand are vegetarians and eat the roots and stems of plants. Bury 1 4 inch hardware cloth in an 18 inch trench and tilt the bottom 4 inches at a 90 degree angle away from the yard to discourage animals from tunneling. These are two entirely different pests yet they re often confused.

The best way to get rid of moles and voles is to keep them away from your lawn and garden in the first place. Damage voles where voles are present the grass is usually eaten to the soil line leaving the crown of the grass plant intact and healthy. Then fill the trench with rock or line it with wire mesh or hardware cloth that has holes no bigger than 3 4 inches wide. For moles dig a trench roughly 6 inches wide and 2 feet deep.

However while moles tend to make large holes like groundhogs do because they excavate soil they often don t leave the lawn. Control methods for one pest may be entirely different from those of another so positive identification is important. An underground barrier around the perimeter of your yard can do just that. The runways they leave behind in the process make for an unsightly lawn although voles do not leave behind big mounds of dirt the way moles do.

Since moles are not the only animal pests responsible for runways in the yard they are often confused with these other pests which include the vole myodes. Moles m are meat eaters and their diet consists of insects grubs and earthworms. Moles have deep below ground tunnels as well as surface tunnels. Other than having similar sounding names and both causing havoc to yards voles and moles have little in common.