Vole Treatment
How Do I Identify A Vole Problem?
Appearance - Voles have a brownish black body fur, and have short legs and tails. They are sometimes called meadow mice, as they are rodents and similar in appearance. They are bigger them mice though, ranging in sizes from 5 to 8 inches. long.
Behavior - Voles become a nuisance because they invade landscaped lawns or gardens, feeding on plants. They are typically found in grassy or weed filled areas where there is plenty of cover. They construct burrows underground to hide from predators.
Why Could I Have Voles?
Voles will eat a variety of plants, so they can easily become a pest in agricultural areas or even residential areas with lots of landscaping and gardens for them to eat.
Why Should I Treat My Vole Problem Immediately?
Voles can destroy your hard worked vegetable or flower garden, causing damage enough to kill plants if left unchecked. They can also be a nuisance with their tunnels and burrows under turf grass, leaving holes in your yard.
How to Get Rid of Voles
Voles and moles are often mistaken for one another. They are quite different; however, they do create quite similar damage. Just as you don't want a mole in your yard, you also need to get rid of voles. Not only will they burrow through your yard, but they also eat plants. Their eating habits can destroy gardens and flowerbeds.
How Do I Spot a Vole Problem?
Voles, like moles, can be hard to spot. They burrow underground, so rarely are seen in your yard. Even when they are seen, many people may mistake them for a mouse. That is actually one of the biggest differences between voles and moles. Voles look distinctly mouse-like, while moles do not.
Other than seeing a vole, you should look for the following signs of a problem.
- Burrows.
Voles burrow underground. Their burrow holes often appear in yards or around trees. There is no soil mounding around a vole burrow. - Vole paths.
Voles make distinctive paths as they burrow through the ground. The paths will be one or two inches wide. They specifically love to burrow in row gardens. - Dead or eaten plants.
Voles eat plants. They will often eat the roots. If you notice dead plants in your yard, pull them up. A lack of root means voles are at work. - Gnaw marks on wood.
Occasionally you will find gnaw markets on woody plants, like young trees. These marks are made by voles.
How Do I Get Rid of Voles?
Voles are extremely destructive. If you love growing vegetables, fruits, or flowers you especially do not want them in your yard. There are several ways to get voles to leave you alone. Here are the most likely to work.
- Use mole poison.
Mole poison, especially the pellets, work for voles as well. Make sure to follow the instructions on the package. Also, you will need to use the poison where pets cannot find the dead voles. Voles who are poisoned may be able to poison a dog or cat that eats its corpse. - Live trap them.
If there are only a few voles in your yard, you may be able to live trap them. This option means you do not have to kill the voles. However, depending on where you release the pest, they may make their way back to your yard. Some locations also have rules about where you can release live-trapped wild animals. - Contact professional help.
It could take many weeks for you to get rid of your vole infestation alone. Professionals can get rid of them much faster and more efficiently. They will have tools and resources not available to the average homeowner. Let GoLocal Pest Control help you find the top vole removal specialists in your area. Now you don't have to find wildlife removal experts yourself. Our database will connect you with the top companies in your area. Visit our website to learn more about our unique process.
How to Prevent Voles
Many homeowners know to be on the lookout for moles. But they don't often know about voles. These digging and burrowing pests look more like mice than moles. They are not blind and are smaller than their burrowing cousins. However, they can do just as much, or more, damage to your yard.
A single vole can cause big problems. Their tunnels footpaths can crisscross each other, which will leave unsightly lines in your yard. Plus, voles are vegetation, which is bad news for gardeners. It is best to keep this annoying pest out of your yard in the first place. In the rest of this article, we will give you tips about how to do just that.
Why Do I Have Voles?
Voles are looking for specific conditions in a yard. If your yard meets these conditions, then it will likely end up with a vole problem.
- Shelter.
Like other rodents, voles prefer yards with lots of shelters. Unlike mice or rats, voles will not enter human homes. However, they do prefer yards with lots of bushes, tall grass, and other debris to hide under. Yards with lots of hiding places will attract voles. - Food.
Voles eat vegetation. They will gnaw on trees and shrubs. They are especially damaging to gardens. Yards with lots of plants for the voles to eat could end up with a problem.
How Do I Prevent Voles?
Obviously, you do not want to remove all vegetation from your yard just to prevent voles. That would be silly. You may also not want to remove your shrubs, bushes, or other outdoor fixtures. But there are some important things you can do to keep voles out of your yard.
- Use chemicals or live traps.
Chemical repellents and pesticides are available to help control your vole population. However, you will want to be careful using these products if you have children or pets. If your pet gets ahold of a vole who died after eating poison, your pet could be poisoned as well.
If chemical solutions are not for you, you could always try live traps. These work best for small vole problems. If you have a lot of voles, you may not be able to catch them fast enough to prevent the issue from expanding.
- Try fencing.
Keeping the voles out of your yard in eh first place is a great solution. The best way to do this is to install a good fence. Mesh, wire fencing is the best way to prevent voles. You can bury the fence around the perimeter of your yard. You can also use the mesh to protect trees or shrubs from voles. - Contact a good exterminator.
None of the vole prevention options are permanent. If you want a permanent solution, you will need to contact a good exterminator. The experts at GoLocal Pest Control are here to help you find the best company in your area. Give us your zip code, and you will have plenty of options at your fingertips.
What Do Voles Look Like?
Voles are often confused with moles. These even have a very similar name. But moles and voles are not even in the same family. Voles are rodents while moles are talpids, which is the same family as shrews. When you see these two burrowing pests side by side, it is easy to notice their differences.
However, because they live mostly underground, you may not know what a vole looks like. In the rest of this article, we will give you that information. The more you know about voles, the better you will be able to protect your yard and plants against them.
How Many Species of Vole Are There?
There are about 155 vole species in the world. They are found in Europe, Asia, and North America. They are extremely common in North America. Their range goes from Alaska to Mexico and Guatemala. It doesn't matter where you live in the continental United States, you will likely encounter a vole at some point.
Voles are so common in the U.S., that there are many different species of them. There are about 23 species to be exact. The most common vole species in the U.S. are as follows.
- Prairie vole
- Meadow vole
- Long-tailed vole
- Pine vole
- Montane vole
- Oregon vole
- California vole
What Do Voles Look Like?
Voles are most closely related to hamsters and lemmings. They are often called field mice or meadow mice in the United States. This colloquial name is very apt, as voles look very similar to mice.
They are usually 3-9 inches long. Voles have short tails and very oval and compact bodies. Their eyes and ears are small. Their ears, especially, are hidden in the fur of their bodies. Most vole species are brown to black. Their snouts are short and blunt.
The characteristics described above do not vary among the different vole species. But color, size, and habitat do vary. Let's look at each of the common vole species in a little more detail.
- Prairie vole:
These are small voles found in the middle of the U.S. The upper part of their body is covered in gray-brown fur and their undercarriage has yellow-brown fur. - Meadow vole:
Meadow voles are a larger vole species. They usually grow to 6 inches in length. They have dark brown feet and fur and a gray undercarriage. - Long-tailed vole:
Long-tailed voles have a long tail. They are usually 7 inches long and have a three-inch tail. Their fur is gray-brown. - Pine vole:
These voles are found in the eastern U.S. They are usually 3-5.5 inches long and have red-brown fur. - Montane vole:
These are medium-sized voles. They live in the Montana range. They have a brown or black back and white undercarriage. - Oregon vole:
The Oregon vole is mostly found in Oregon. It lives almost completely underground. Its fur is dark brown or black, and its body is 5.5-6.5 inches long. - California vole:
These voles are found throughout California. They are 5-7 inches long and have olive or brown fur.
Voles can do a lot of damage to your yard. You want to get rid of them as soon as possible. To do that you need the help of an exterminator and GoLocal Pest Control. Contact us today.
How to Find an Exterminator to Help with Voles
Voles are often confused with moles. These two pests are extremely different, but their similarities in the name do not do them any favors. One thing both moles and voles have in common is their ability to cause a lot of damage to yards.
To protect your property from vole damage, you need to find a good exterminator. The best companies will be found in your local area. If you are new to pest control companies, follow the advice in this article. It will; help you narrow down your choices.
What Should I Look for in a Vole Exterminator?
Voles are a common pest. They are an animal that most exterminators can remove. To ensure the voles do not return to your yard, you need to find the best company possible.
It is always better to interview potential pest control companies before hiring one. Try asking the questions detailed below. They are a great way to separate the great exterminators from the just okay ones.
- How often do you treat vole infestations?
- Can I have multiple voles in my yard?
- What does your vole treatment look like?
- How long will it take for me to see the results?
- Do I need to continue with vole treatments after the existing animals are removed?
- Is your treatment toxic to humans or animals?
What Should I Expect from Vole Exterminators?
Although they are very different than moles, voles can be exterminated in similar ways. As with all pest control visits, the exterminator will begin with an investigation. This helps the technician determine the severity of your vole problem and where the voles are tunneling.
The exterminator will go over the results of the inspection with you. Then they will begin their treatment. Treatment for voles often involves traps and poison. If you have pets, make sure the technician does not use poison that is toxic to your pets. They may also need to be careful about where they put the traps.
The best vole removal companies will remove the dead voles from the traps and dispose of them. This is often called "full service" vole removal. Some companies do not perform this service. If you don't feel like removing the dead bodies yourself, make sure the exterminator you choose is full service.
Finally, the technician will discuss ways that you can protect your yard and landscaping from more vole invasions. They may also want to schedule a follow-up appointment to ensure the voles have not returned.
How Do I Find an Exterminator to Help with Voles?
Local exterminators are going to be your best bet for the top vole removal services. You don't have to find these companies alone, however. At GoLocal Pest Control, we are here to help you find the best vole exterminators in your area. All of our recommendations are pre-screened. You can trust the results of our location finder. No matter where you live, you can have a vole-free yard. Contact us today to learn more.