Recognize and drive away forever

the essentials in brief

• Voles live underground and create branched duct systems.
• The animals especially like to eat fleshy plant roots, tubers and root vegetables as well as flower bulbs.
• They are difficult to control, it is best to catch them alive or dead with baited traps.
• The often recommended home remedies for eviction usually do not work.

Recognize voles

First of all: "The" vole does not exist! Instead, the name represents a whole group of rodents that are biologically considered to be a separate zoological subfamily and are therefore closely related to each other. About 150 different species belong to the Arvicolinae, as the voles are scientifically called. Particularly well-known - and annoyingly active in the garden - are field voles and water voles.

The animals do not bear their name for nothing, as they create underground passage systems and practically “dig” their way through the ground. You can often tell that a vole is up to mischief in your garden by the flat, elongated piles of earth interspersed with grass and roots, which are typical of the small rodents. Voles are found almost everywhere in Europe, North America and Asia, although they prefer light to medium-heavy soils - these are simply the easiest to dig. Your garden is particularly at risk if you live in a region with loess soils. These are particularly popular with the pests.

What do voles look like? Appearance and way of life

The great vole is the most common among us

A species that occurs frequently in the garden is the great vole (Arvicola terrestris), which is also known as the Eastern water vole. Earth or root rat is called. The animals belong to the zoological genus of the water voles (lat. Arvicola), which in turn belongs to the voles subfamily (lat. Arvicolinae). Like all voles, this species lives solitary, but reproduces very busily between March and October. Due to their heavy feeding activity, they are among the most unpleasant pests in the home and hobby garden.

This is what voles look like:

• between 12 and 22 inches long
• Weight between 60 and 120 grams
• very different coat colors
• Fur can be light sandy to dark brown
• The ventral side is often lighter in color than the rest of the body
• small, blunt head
• Ears are in the fur, almost invisible
• Tail about half as long as the body
• Tail is slightly curled and hairy short

Water voles prefer moist meadows and soils, which is why they like to settle near a body of water. They dig underground, highly oval ducts with a diameter between six and eight centimeters and create several nest and storage chambers.

Damage image

Voles cause damage to the tubers

Vole infestation is often shown by vegetable plants, fruit trees or ornamental plants such as roses that seem to have wilted for no reason. Often the plants no longer have a hold in the ground due to the eaten away roots and simply fall over or can be easily pulled out. A sudden inclination of nibbled plants is also typical. Depending on the degree of damage, it is usually not possible to save the plants.

Flat, mostly elongated piles of earth also indicate the activities of a vole. These are often confused with molehills, which is why so many gardeners only take action against the vole plague at a late stage. A little further down in the text, we will show you the characteristics by which you can safely distinguish vole and molehills from each other.

What do voles eat?

Voles feed in a purely vegetarian way on roots and on underground tubers such as potatoes, root vegetables and flower bulbs. They also like to eat herbs, aquatic plants and cereals. Fruit and vegetable gardens as well as gardens with many trees and shrubs are particularly at risk. The same applies to forest and tree nurseries, where rodents can also cause great damage.

Digression

These plants are particularly at risk

How deep do voles dig?

Voles usually dig their tunnels very close to the surface of the earth, but they can also go to depths of up to one meter without any problems. In principle, you will find the corridors wherever the animals can easily get their preferred food. Moles, on the other hand, usually dig to a depth between 20 and 30 centimeters below the surface of the earth.

Vole or Mole?

Vole hills are flatter than molehills

Both voles and moles typically throw up heaps of earth, but they differ from one another in terms of their shape. The characteristic distinguishing features in our table show you how to recognize which animal lives in your garden.

If you are unsure, you can use the so-called rooting test to determine which burrower is involved:

1. Expose the corridor from the mound in several places.
2. The length of the exposed area should be about 30 centimeters.

Voles close the open passage within a few hours, in contrast to moles, which then simply continue to dig underneath the open area. You will gain even more security if you put a piece of carrot or other delicacy in the aisle place: This is usually nibbled on by voles, but moles do not stir the vegetables at.

Why is this distinction so important?

Before you start fighting garden dwellers that throw up mounds of earth, you should first check whether it is actually a vole or not a mole. This distinction is important because moles - in contrast to voles - are subject to the Federal Species Protection Ordinance and are therefore neither caught nor killed to be allowed to. In the event of a violation, severe penalties are imminent!

Aside from its protected status, you shouldn't drive the mole out of the garden for another reason: it lets your plants in Rest, but instead prefers to feed on grubs (which in turn can be dangerous for your plants) and other subterranean ones Animals. Ergo, the mole acts as a beneficial insect, on top of that, you can use the raised mound soil for the production of humus-containing potting soil.

Successful prevention of vole infestations

Now of course you don't have to wait until the vole shows itself in your garden and plunders the vegetable patch or gnaws the freshly planted apple tree. Instead, you can play it safe and protect endangered plants from the outset. These methods are suitable for this:

• Wire baskets: Plant bare-rooted plants together with a wire basket to keep the rodents away from the roots when you are planting them. Make sure to use plant baskets with a mesh size between 13 and a maximum of 16 millimeters, and the basket should not be too tight around the roots. You can make such a basket yourself (e.g. from yard goods) or buy it ready-made. Special vole baskets for ornamental shrubs, fruit trees or flower bulbs are available in stores. When planting, the basket should protrude about ten centimeters from the ground so that the vole does not overcome it above ground.
• fencing: If not just individual plants, but an entire garden area - such as a vegetable patch - are to be protected, fencing makes sense. This works in principle exactly like that Plant basket,(€ 12.99 at Amazon *) is only used on a larger area. For this purpose, dig a sturdy wire mesh with a mesh size between 13 and 16 millimeters at least half a meter deep and around the area to be protected in the ground. Here, too, the wire should protrude at least ten centimeters from the ground and the upper edge should also be bent outwards.

Galvanized or not galvanized?

Many hobby gardeners bitterly argue about whether the wire used for vole baskets has to be galvanized or not. Basically, a galvanized wire is naturally protected from corrosion and therefore lasts longer. On the other hand, zinc inhibits the growth of plant roots and thus has a direct impact on plant health. On this point there is no such thing as a single salvation opinion, instead you have to decide for yourself what is more important to you.

These plants keep voles away

Garlic scares off voles

You can also use certain preventative measures Fragrant plants Plant around endangered areas. Some plants are quite unpopular with the small rodents and therefore keep them away quite reliably - but be careful: leave them Do not rely on it alone, because quite a few vole knew nothing of their dislike and despite having the garden their own planted Imperial Crown and Co. looted. You can try these plants:

• Imperial Crown
• garlic
• Onions
• Sweet clover
• Daffodils
• elder
• basil

Alternatively, you can also use walnut leaves, camphor or spruce or Incorporate elder branches into the soil and root area of ​​plants threatened by voles. This is also supposed to keep the small rodents away and is definitely worth a try.

Digression

Do voles have natural predators?

Fight voles effectively

Voles are difficult to get rid of

Once you have voles in your garden, you won't get rid of them anytime soon. The animals are not easy to catch or drive away, which is why you have to try a number of tricks. We took a closer look at the most common tips and recommendations for fighting voles. This section tells you which methods actually work and which you can safely stay away from.

The optimal control time

Of course, you can fight the vole plague all year round. However, the chances of success are greater if you take care of it in the months between October and April. Since voles don't Hibernation keep, they are also active in the cold season. This in turn gives you an advantage when hunting mice, because the animals are due to the winter lack of food more susceptible to laid baits - this would make them plain during the summer months, in times of excess food leave behind.

Home remedies for voles

Voles are considered to be extremely sensitive to smells, which is why strong-smelling remedies are often recommended. These should be poured or placed directly into the corridors at regular, short intervals and thereby drive away the animals. In particular

• (fermented) buttermilk
• high percentage alcohol (e.g. B. Denatured alcohol)
• garlic
• Thuja or walnut tree branches

should help against the rodents. Unfortunately, these home remedies work, if at all, only for a very short time and do not drive the voles away permanently. Even laid out human, cat or dog hair does not prevent the annoying animals from settling in your garden.

Do noises help against voles?

In many advice and internet forums it is recommended to drive away voles with loud noises. The animals have a fine and sensitive hearing and would therefore flee from specially placed ultrasound devices, from glass bottles stuck in the ground or rattle mills. Unfortunately, it's not that simple and such methods have all proven ineffective. You can actually only get rid of the animals with more brutal approaches.

Traps against voles

As a rule, there is no way around catching and / or killing the animals, although these methods are also problematic for various reasons. If you catch the voles alive, you will have to get rid of them somehow - and this can be difficult at times. In this case, it is best to drive the captured animals out of the residential area and release them to nature, for example.

Meadows and light forests are particularly suitable for this, as there is plenty of food here. Move as many kilometers as possible between the inhabited area and the release destination so that the mice or whose offspring do not migrate back to you. Also make sure that the small rodents are not released near cultivated fields: The farmer is just as unhappy with voles as you are, and on top of that he wears an economical one Risk.

Effective bait

If you want to catch voles, you need a good bait. You can set up vole traps without a treat, but the success rate is higher with bait. Pieces of vegetables such as carrots, celery or Jerusalem artichokes (one of the absolute favorite food plants of the small rodents!), which are best used fresh and peel. Bait the trap, prepare it according to the manufacturer's instructions and place it directly in the exposed passage. So that the vole feels safe, close the openings again, for example with a wooden board or a black plastic bucket. It is important that no light falls into the corridor.

You can also purchase and use special vole bait from specialist retailers - either with or without a trap. However, these baits are poisoned and kill the animals, which is allowed but not everyone likes. If this is not a problem for you, you can also prepare poison bait yourself, for example a piece of celery or carrot with rat poison. Make sure, however, that all safety precautions are strictly observed, as these agents are also extremely dangerous for other animals - such as pets - as well as for curious children. Regardless of which bait you want to use: Bring feeding bait preferably in late autumn or early spring, otherwise it will not be accepted.

Set up vole traps correctly

Live traps for rats also catch voles, but only if they have been thoroughly “dehumanized” beforehand

The best solution to controlling a vole infestation in the garden is to use special, commercially available traps. You can choose between live and killing traps, but with live traps you have the problem of "disposing" of the trapped animals. Regardless of whether you are caught alive or dead: give preference to so-called box traps, as they are here actually only voles get lost in it and you therefore don't run the risk of accidentally getting a mole too catch. And this is how you set up the trap:

1. First prepare the trap carefully so that it does not smell like humans.
2. The voles, which are very odor-sensitive, would then no longer accept them.
3. First wash newly purchased traps with a non-perfumed soap (ex. B. Curd soap) to remove any production residues.
4. These could also warn the vole by their unfamiliar smell.
5. In addition, only touch the trap with gardening gloves and never with your bare hands.
6. Then rub them thoroughly with soil.
7. Leave them outside for 24 hours.
8. Now you can use them according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Use multiple vole traps, not just a single one. For a garden with an area of ​​around 500 square meters, plan about 20 traps that you distribute strategically and at regular intervals in the aisles. You should set them up especially in the garden corners. Make sure that box traps only ever have one entrance and that you should therefore always use two with the entrances pointing in different directions.

Check the traps several times a day. Only when no vole appears in it for several days was the measure likely to have been successful.

Digression

Are voles protected?

Chemical antidotes and poison gas

There is also the option of getting rid of the rodents using special poisonous gases or non-toxic fumigation. With so-called repellents you drive away the voles, as they do not like the smell of the gas mixture created by contact with the damp soil. Fumigations with hydrogen phosphide or carbon monoxide, on the other hand, are poisonous and kill the animals. However, depending on the means used, these methods are quite complex and are therefore mostly used in agriculture.

frequently asked Questions

How fast do voles multiply?

The annoying rodents are extremely likely to reproduce: between April and September (depending on the weather, from March and into October) the females throw between three to five times. After a gestation period of only 22 days, four to six young, sometimes even up to ten, are usually born per litter. The young voles themselves are sexually mature within 60 days. In summary, a single female vole gives birth to around 25 cubs each year, which, depending on the date of birth, produce or create more cubs in the same year. can throw.

Where can I find voles nests?

The vole - the animals are loners - creates an underground passage system that usually includes one or two nests. These lie much deeper than the ducts through which the animals get their food. The same applies to the pantries and a special escape tube through which the animal can escape in case of danger.

How many voles live in a burrow?

Voles are usually solitary and do not live in pairs or groups together. Only in the mating season between April and September do the females live together with their young, which, however, quickly grow up and then leave their native nest. The young animals then look for their own territory, which means that a vole plague can spread very quickly. The probability that not only your neighbour's garden but also your own is infested is extremely high.

What do voles do in winter?

Voles do not hibernate, but live a year-round rhythm of two to three hours of activity and a subsequent rest phase of three to four hours. That means, strictly speaking, the animals are neither diurnal nor nocturnal. In particular with winter snowfall and a thick blanket of snow, it can go unnoticed Vole infestations occur when the pests hibernate in the garden under cover of the white blanket Plants resp. whose roots come from. The associated damage is often only visible after the snow has melted in spring.