However, these products can be very expensive. I tried one of these products, and it worked very well. Voles will flee an area that smells of predator urine. Many products mimic the odor of predator urine to deter voles. This must be reapplied frequently and after rain. Pour some in vole holes and tunnels, and work in the soil around plants to protect them. On a calm day, spread around areas where vole activity has been seen. Hot chili powder or cayenne pepper powder can be used to deter voles because it is unpleasant to them. This works very well when sprayed in the vole holes and tunnels and over the affected area.Ĭapsaicin is the main ingredient in chili peppers that causes irritation. Some of the castor oil products come in a convenient spray bottle that can be sprayed over a wide area. I have used several of these products by various manufacturers. Sprinkle around the base of plants and work in the soil around plants to protect them from vole damage. Spread around areas where vole activity has been seen. Most castor oil granules last up to three months, and then must be reapplied. The pellets or granules smell, taste, and feel bad to the voles. The castor bean plant is poisonous to animals and humans and is avoided by voles. Make sure that the holes of the wire mesh are small enough to prevent voles from fitting through but are large enough to allow roots to spread out of the mesh. When planting new plants, encase the root ball in wire mesh before planting. I created a raised bed encased in wire mesh on the bottom and sides where I plant the tulips every year. This method is the only way I can grow tulips in my garden without the voles eating them all. Make sure the holes of the wire mesh are small enough to prevent voles from fitting through to the bulbs. When planting bulbs, encase them in a wire mesh cage. Plant bulbs surrounded by sharp gravel, and then backfill with soil. Sharp granite chips (chicken grit), crushed oyster shells, and VoleBloc from Permatill work to deter voles indefinitely when placed around the base and roots of plants.įor existing plants, dig the sharp gravel product down to a depth of 10 to 12 inches and about 3 inches wide around the plant.įor new plants, pour two inches of the sharp gravel product on the bottom of the planting hole, and surround the plant root with a 3 to 4 inch wide channel of the sharp gravel to the top of the soil surface. Use sharp gravel around plants and bulbs because voles do not like digging around sharp edges. These runways and burrows protect them from predators. They sometimes use the existing runways created by moles. They dig runways near the surface of the ground, and create deep underground burrows. Voles eat grasses, seeds, roots, leaves, bark, bulbs, tubers, nuts, berries, and fungi. Voles are a food source for many predatory birds, snakes, foxes, and cats. Mycorrhizal fungi, a soil nutrient, is dispersed by the vole. Their habits and behaviors ensure that nutrients are spread and integrated into the upper layers of soil.
Pine voles or woodland voles nest underground and meadow voles nest above ground.Īlthough voles can be pests, they do have a role in nature. To avoid predators, voles limit their time above ground by burrowing near the base of a plant and feasting on the roots until there is nothing left.
They can multiply very quickly if they find an area that can provide enough food. Young voles reach maturity at one month of age and can have up to 10 litters a year with five to 10 in each litter. It is sometimes referred to as a field mouse or meadow mouse. The vole is a small rodent that resembles a mouse. Her photographs illustrate the exact kind of damage I experience in my garden as well. I do not have any photographs of the damage voles caused in my garden, but Clare at Curbstone Valley Farm has some very good photographs of the damage they have caused in her garden. I am still learning and experimenting and would love to hear about any other methods gardeners have tried with success. Although I have some experience deterring these persistent creatures, I would not say I am an expert. I still may find a nibbled hosta or some vole holes, but, for the most part, I feel I have them under control.cross my fingers in hope. For the last few years, I have been able to keep them at bay.
I spent a lot of time researching their behavior and methods of controlling them. Before I gave up, I decided to find out as much as I could about their behavior and deterrents to try to control them.
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