Voles in Lawn?

Q.  Once the snow melted from that last big storm I notice mounds of soil, shallow burrows and meandering, shallow runways in the lawn where the grass was eaten away.   I haven’t found the critter responsible, but I suspect voles. 

A.  Sounds like classic vole damage. A small, mouse-like rodent with an appetite for your favorite plants.   I’ve been battling them since early October in my perennial beds. They love to feed on the crowns of perennials and the bark of shrubs and young trees at and below the soil level. The result is perennials with only the tops remaining. The feeding damage to young trees and shrub stems can remove the bark all the way around the stems, effectively girdling and killing those stems. In the lawn area the shallow, meandering runways can be topped off with some compost or topsoil and the surrounding turf will fill in the damaged areas next spring once growth resumes. 

Getting rid of these little buggers can be problematic in that they reproduce at a prodigious rate.  I’ve tried many methods including sonic stakes, predator urine, traps, and repellants but never toxic baits.  The successful methods for me have been granular repellants (which are typically a non-toxic castor oil product) in combination with old-fashioned mouse traps baited with peanut butter. The Liquid Fence brand of repellant seems to work the best for me and is the longest-lasting once applied.  Just be sure to use the granule form of whatever brand you choose.

Finally, be persistent.  Keep up your control efforts for at least 3 weeks after you stop seeing fresh vole activity.

Read our Q & As with Keith Funk answering common Colorado gardening questions here. You can also hear him on the Garden Wise Radio Show on Legends 810AM.