Vole Prevention & Control in Bridgeton, NJ; How to Get Rid of Voles Causing Damage to Your Lawn
Is your yard and garden under attack by voles? Voles are sometimes called meadow mice even though they are not mice. Nonetheless, they do belong to the rodent family. Voles often get confused with mice at first glance because they resemble them so closely. However, unlike a mouse, they have short tails and a blunt round face. Voles are dark brown or grey with a small set of eyes and ears, and grow up to 2 to 3 inches long. Have you seen them? If your garden, garages, and homes have suffered some serious damage, they might be the culprit. It is important to know whether you are dealing with voles or another species of rodent. Voles have their own habits and behaviors that are far different from mice and rats. Controlling voles has its own approach. Ross Environmental Solutions will share a few ways to help rid your garden and home of voles if you find you have them.
Vole Damage
Voles live in burrows in the ground. They are not interested in your home like other rodents, so you will need to look for signs of a vole invasion starting in your yards and gardens. You might already notice chewing marks on tree barks and zigzag trails in your grass and lawns. As small as voles are, they can do a surprising amount of damage. During winter time, voles simply dig deeper and keep chewing. It’s not hard to see vole activity. Another major problem with voles is how fast they can reproduce. Voles can breed up to 6 times a year and have 3 to 6 babies per litter. They grow rather quickly so it is best to react to a vole infestation immediately.
How to Prevent Voles
Prevention is one of the best defenses against any pest and voles are no exception. They love thick shrubs and bushes, so keep the bottoms of plants trimmed and exposed. The same goes for grass. Keeping the grass short removes the ability for voles to travel under cover. Avoid putting mulch close to trees and bushes. Rather, keep mulch at least three feet away. This takes away the vole camouflage. Keeping your yard clean of debris and fallen plant matter will remove their food source. The lack of food will lessen the desire to make themselves at home in your yard. Regularly cultivate the soil to break up any tunnel systems to discourage them from wanting to stay. You can also mix your soil with 10% gravel. The gravel will make it difficult for them to dig their burrows. Voles are a destructive force and love to feed on the bark of trees. To protect your trees, cover them with a mesh wire so the voles can’t get to them. Discouraging a vole is a great way to prevent invasion of this rodent species.
Vole Control
If you have a vole problem, you can also use traps as a method of control however there are not an effective solution for large populations due to time and labor costs. Poisons are not available over the counter to the general public. When you discover that a vole pest is present in your yard you must act quickly before they breed and you have a major infestation. Ross Environmental Solutions can help control voles in your yards. Call us today for all your pest management needs!
