Overview
Vole Prevention Steps
While voles are very common, you can take some simple steps to help prevent voles from moving into your yard and to prevent any possible damage they could inflict on your plants and yard.
Step
1
General Yard Maintenance & Sanitation
Cleaning up your yard, keeping the grass short, and keeping shrubs and other plants trimmed will help to minimize possible shelter. This helps to prevent voles from creating runways, making your property less desirable to live and forage. Here are some tips to follow:
- Remove wood piles, piles of weeds, clutter, and any other debris that may accumulate in your yard.
- Cut grass regularly, keeping it short
- Keep bushes trimmed up from the ground
- Clean up any accumulated bird seed, or remove bird feeders. This seed attracts voles and other rodents to your yard.
Step
2
Protect Trees to Avoid Damage
Voles can damage trees and woody plants quite badly in the fall and winter when other food is scarce. Protect trees by wrapping trunks in hardware cloth, or setting wire mesh around the tree, at least 18 inches high. Make sure you leave enough room around tree trunks to allow for several years of growth.
Step
3
Use Repellents
To Prevent Voles & Vole Damage
We carry several vole repellent products to help you prevent vole investations. These products contain ingredients that irritate voles, making the treated environment unpleasant. The active ingredients are harmless to the target animals, but use ingredients that will taste or smell bad, or irritate the skin and mucous membranes of the animal. It takes patience and perseverance to use repellents, so keep these tips in mind:
- Repellents are most effective when they're used before you have a vole problem. Consistent preventative applications of repellent products will establish an unpleasant environment for rodents that can help to prevent them moving into your territory.
- The repellent product must be kept fresh so it can be as effective as possible. Replace as often as label allows (usually about every 2 weeks) or after rainfall.
- Repellents can come in liquid or granular formulas. Make sure to follow the directions carefully for the best results.
- Remember that repellents alone are most successful when used in conjunction with other vole prevention methods.
