Voles Voles are a lot like mice in that they live in fields, forest and shrub habitats. Voles do not hibernate so they can do damage to your yard or gardens all year long. Furthermore, voles reproduce year round with many litters.
Voles are small rodents that grow to 4-8 inches depending on species. They can have 5-10 litters per year. Gestation takes for 3 weeks and the young voles reach sexual maturity in a month. Needless to say, vole populations can rapidly grow within a very short period of time. Since litters average 5-10 young, a single vole in the yard can become 50 or more in less then a year.
There are many species of voles (23 in the United States & 70 worldwide) and they are divided into these groupings:
Below ground foraging voles develop a network of tunnels and damage plants and roots form below the surface.
Above ground foraging voles create grassy runways in turf areas connecting multiple burrows by eating grass. The also gnaw on the bark of trees and shrubs to do damage.
Control: There are so many ways to control and eliminate voles ranging from humane methods to killing them. It is important to get control of them before they cause too much damage. |