Voles generally like to stay outside. ... Voles prefer eating plant materials and generally don't do well indoors. As such, they rarely enter the house. When they do enter your house, you have several options for getting rid of them.

How do you get rid of voles in your house?

One easy way to get rid of voles is to invest in a few snap traps. Place the traps in areas that you know the vole travels. Check these traps frequently and remove any old voles and replace the snack, which can be something like peanut butter crackers, once you set it again.

Can voles damage your foundation?

After the winter thaw, many a homeowner has discovered extensive vole damage around their foundation plantings. ... Fact: Voles aren't particularly difficult to kill; however, state and local regulations often stipulate what they'll allow because of environmental regulations.

Do voles climb walls?

Voles are mostly herbivorous, feeding on a variety of grasses, herbaceous plants, bulbs, and tubers. They eat bark and roots of trees, usually in fall or winter. Voles store seeds and other plant matter in underground chambers. Voles are poor climbers and usually don't enter homes or other buildings.

What are signs of voles?

Signs of voles in your garden include 1- to 2-inch-wide runways on the surface of your yard. You can spot a vole's burrow by holes in your lawn or around the base of trees. The grass immediately surrounding the hole will be very short, and, unlike a molehill, there will be no soil mounding around the opening.

A few facts about voles you might not know

19 related questions found

What is the fastest way to get rid of voles?

Here are a few quick tips:

1. Give the entire lawn surface a gentle rake to break up debris and excrement in vole runways and promote lawn growth.
2. Fill in vole pathways with topsoil.
3. Fertilize and overseed any areas of thin or chewed-down grass.
4. Prune and fertilize trees or shrubs that have been gnawed on by voles.

Do voles come out at night?

Voles may be active day or night, but most activity occurs at dawn and dusk. Their activity is comprised of short, quick visits from the burrow through their runways and back.

How deep is a vole tunnel?

Vole tunnels have openings 1.5 to 2 inches across and are typically hidden beneath mulch, shrubs, or spreading plants. Look for fresh grass clippings or seeds near tunnel entrances. Spongy soil. Some voles burrow and create many shallow tunnels, while other types dig down to a depth of 12 inches.

Will a mole come in your house?

It is unusual to find a mole in the house, but it does happen. Moles create complex tunnels underground, preferring the loose dirt of well-tended yards and gardens. While digging, the pests may get into homes through damaged basement windows or foundation cracks near the soil line.

How many voles live in a colony?

How many voles are in a colony and what makes up a colony? There may be two adults, several juveniles, and a nest with up to 5 babies in a family colony. Adults are thought to defend their home habitat or territory from invasion by other voles.

What is scratching under my house?

Scratching may come from a bird, mouse, rat, or possum. Scratching sounds can be indicative of a bigger problem. ... Biting or gnawing sounds can be heard when rodents sharpen their teeth on plumbing, wiring or cables, or gnaw around entry holes to make them bigger.

How destructive are voles?

Voles are often implicated in damage to young trees and woody ornamentals. Chewing by voles at the base of unprotected stems can cause girdling and result in significant dieback and even plant death. In gardens, voles have been observed to gnaw on roots and crowns causing damage to plants such as parsley and celery.

Are voles aggressive?

One vole will attack others of either sex, though males are generally more aggressive than females. Vigorous aggression by females seems to be largely associated with the last stages of pregnancy and with the subsequent nursing of litters.

Can moles climb walls?

It is possible that the mole is trying to get away from the cold elements outdoors, but the tunnels in the soil can also provide protection. Moles are not designed to be able to climb walls or ceilings as their legs and paws are different than a rat or mouse.

How do you tell if you have moles or voles?

One way to distinguish the difference is by the diet of each animal. Moles “M” are meat-eaters, and their diet consists of insects, grubs, and earthworms. Voles “V”, on the other hand, are vegetarians and eat the roots and stems of plants.

How do I catch a mole in my house?

You can set up a more humane trap at home with things around the house. Mole traps typically come in various forms. You can get a plunger type mole trap that you thrust into the ground. There are also tunnels or tube shaped mole traps that you would need to set well into the ground to catch your mole.

Can moles damage your foundation?

Although the creatures may seem innocuous, they can cause large amounts of damage. "Moles contribute to the freeze-thaw cycle under foundations, slabs and sidewalks," Loven explains. "Their tunnels allow water to accumulate and cracks to begin. This is not something to be blase about."

Do Voles tunnel like moles?

Like moles, voles also tunnel and create runways through your lawn. ... Voles typically tunnel on the surface and eat their way through the grass to get to their burrows. They can also make small runways underneath the surface that are about two inches in diameter.

Can voles climb into raised beds?

I'm still concerned the voles will come up over the top of the raised beds. ... Your only hope is that your voles are so fat from eating your other plants that they won't be able to climb. Fat chance... You could further bolster your beds by erecting a short fence of a stiff wire, such as hardware cloth.

What does vole lawn damage look like?

If it's voles, you'll see patches of gnaw marks with irregular patterns about 1/16th to 1/8th inches wide. Gnawed stems may have a pointed tip, and the roots or tubers may also show the same wear. But voles don't need snow for cover, explains the University of Maryland Extension.

Do coffee grounds repel voles?

Although it is a debated subject, coffee grounds do appear to repel voles in the lawn. Sprinkle some around vole holes in the yard, and watch for any results.

Do voles come back every year?

Active year round, voles multiply rapidly, producing up to 100 offspring annually. With adequate shelter and a plentiful food supply, a colony will thrive. So your first move is to eliminate environments that make voles feel at home: excess brush and mulch, leaf piles, wood stacks, and tall grasses.

Do voles leave tracks?

Tracks of dead grass or rootless plants: Voles will eat delicate grass roots, roots from your flowers or vegetables, or even young shrub/tree roots. They leave behind tracks of dead grass and plants with only the above ground leaves remaining.

What sound does a vole make?

What Does a Vole Sound Like? For these social rodents, vole noises are a primary means of communication. When frightened or in danger, the pests emit chirps similar to those made by mice.