You may be familiar with grub and insect munching moles, but have you ever heard of voles? These small, mouse-like rodents feed on plant roots, tubers and bulbs, and in the winter on roots and bark, causing significant damage to landscaping large and small throughout your yard.
Vole hole or mole hole?
Identification can be tricky with nuisance wildlife such as voles and moles because they live underground and are rarely seen. Looking at the effects these tunneling terrors have had on your yard can point you in the right direction for the most effective pest control:
- Voles
Much smaller than moles with blunt noses and brown or rust colored fur, voles create broomstick or quarter-sized holes and well-defined, visible “runways” – roadmaps in the surface of your lawn. Runways are typically about two inches wide and trench-like rather than mounded resulting from the consumption of grass blades and the repetitive foot traffic of these rapidly reproducing pests.
- Moles
Larger than voles with black fur and long noses, moles create two types of runways: Feeding tunnels just beneath the surface appearing as raised ridges across your lawn, and deeper runways resulting in mounds piled up on your lawn like little volcanoes. Mounds are a dead giveaway of moles, however voles are well-known for taking over mole runways for their own personal use, so you may be suffering a dual-assault!
Voles victimizing your vegetation? Contact Allison Pest Control today to learn more about our pest control and humane trapping methods and say bon voyage to voles for good.
