whatever’s bugging you.
Adam’s keeps voles from damaging your lawn.
Voles, also known as field mice or lawn rodents, are small brown rodents that are about the size and shape of a mouse with a short tail. Minnesota has several species of vole, the most common being the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogastor).
Voles create both above-ground and underground passageways in the soil, while feeding mostly on vegetation, causing damage to not only your grass, but also your gardens and flowerbeds. Voles can also harm small trees and shrubs by chewing on the bark.
Voles Treatment Options
One-time Rodent Control
Adam’s thoroughly inspects your lawn and garden for indications of a vole infestations. Adam’s then exterminates voles with traps and/or bait, depending on the extent of the infestation and level of vole control desired. One-time service is warranted for 6 months (Townhomes and condominiums warranted for 1 month.)
Premier Rodent Prevention
Never have voles again! Many of our rodent customers prefer Adam’s Premier Rodent Prevention service because it provides year-round prevention of voles and other rodents. After elimination of rodents from your lawn, Adam’s ongoing service focuses on preventing future infestations by baiting voles with rodeticide inside tamper-resistant bait stations placed securely around affected areas, such as under decks, under bushes, and along fence or tree lines. Two services per year, typically performed in the spring and fall.
Premier Home Pest Prevention
Adam’s best value for prevention and control of common household pests, including voles! Adam’s Premier Home Pest Prevention service provides year-round pest prevention with a minimum of four visits throughout the year. Service visits focus on the exterior of your home, where most pest problems originate. And should a pest problem ever occur between scheduled visits, the plan includes additional treatments at no additional charge. This program includes common household pests like spiders, centipedes, sow bugs, and roaches and seasonal pests like wasps, boxelder bugs, ants, and multicolored Asian lady beetles, as well as voles.
More About Voles
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE VOLES?
- Voles create both above-ground and underground passageways in the soil. Criss-crossing surface runways are one of the easiest ways to identify a vole infestation. If you are seeing destructive activity in your lawn in springtime, it is more likely a vole.
- Voles feed mostly on vegetation, causing damage to not only your grass but also to your gardens and flowerbeds.
WHAT DO VOLES LOOK LIKE?
- Voles are small rodents approximately 3 to 5 inches long
- Voles have thick, furry coats that can range in color from brown to gray
- Voles have short tails and short legs
ARE VOLES DANGEROUS?
- Voles are not physically dangerous to people.
- Voles can carry Zoonotic disease through their urine and feces.
- Voles host fleas and ticks.
CAN MY YARD BE DAMAGED BY VOLES?
- Voles destroy landscaping, killing as much as 50% of a lawn over a winter.
- Voles will also destroy flower beds, girdle fruit trees, and kill vegetable gardens from the roots up.
- Voles will also dig small holes approximately 1 inch in diameter to reach tubers and bulbs.
- Voles will chew the bark of trees and shrubs. Look for ¼ inch side-by-side grooves in the wood near the ground, left by the vole’s front teeth.
WHY ARE VOLES IN MY YARD?
- Voles are attracted to landscaping with long grass, lots of ground cover, and heavily mulched planting beds.
- Grass or crops that are left long in the fall and then covered by snow can also attract voles.
- Voles very rarely enter buildings, but may end up inside a building by accident.
WHAT DO VOLES EAT?
- Voles like to nibble on the bark of fruit trees, ornamental plants, and plants in vegetable gardens.
- They usually eat grasses and weeds, but they also relish insects like gypsy moths, snails, and the remains of dead animals.
- In the fall, voles gather and store seeds, bulbs, tubers, and rhizomes.
WHAT IS THE LIFECYCLE OF VOLES?
- A vole can have many (5-10) litters of three to six young in a year.
- Vole populations have natural peak cycles of 3-5 years.
- Natural predators of voles include owls, foxes, wolves, weasels, shrews, and snakes.
- Voles do not hibernate. In the winter, they look for food under the snow, thus not noticng any damage until spring when the snow has melted.
WHAT CAN I DO TO KEEP VOLES OUT OF MY YARD?
- Remove woodpiles and debris from around your yard that can provide shelter for voles.
- Keep grass trimmed short, especially before winter, and bushes trimmed up from the ground.
- Keep bird seed from accumulating beneath bird feeders.
- Encircle small trees and bushes with a light-colored tree guard that goes below the surface and is taller than the snow line.