I'm a new member of the "I hate voles" club.

When planting my garden, I noticed two holes coming under the fence from the neighbor's yard. The first was quite large - a bit over 2" diameter; the second was smaller, closer to 1" dia.

Then last night my DH pointed out more of these holes/tunnels in the grassyard along the fenceline.

Voles. We have voles!!

And they're slowly moving into the yard at night. (Our two dogs and cat are inside at night.)

My 'indoor' Abyssinian cat has becone an incredible hunter. He goes outside every day — and brings me home an average of one mouse, shrew, or vole each day. And some days he has brought as many as three kills!

The opposite side of the yard is fine; there's a Great Dane living in that yard. Unfortunately the side of the yard that our veggie garden is on faces a neighbor without cats/dogs. He complains regularly about tunnels and hills (voles and moles). Perhaps his population has outgrown his yard and is coming over?

Anyway, I've spent the morning looking at Vole Control solutions online and have deduced:

• Traps – Probably aren't my thing. Will have to discuss w/DH to see if he'd be willing to remove dead critters from them.

• Poisons – Aren't an option; they could harm the cat and other creatures.

• Owls – Well, there are owls around, but they're kept plenty busy in the wildlife/watershed area behind us. And I'm already concerned about them messing with the cat.

• Barriers – This is what I'm thinking of doing: burying 12" deep along the fenceline between the neighbor and us. Though I have read a little about a few voles being persnickity and digging a little deeper...ours are all just digging ~3-4" down… so far!

• Electronic devices – Read they don't work so won't bother trying them.

• Urine deterrents – Has anyone had experience with these? The only good thing I could find was on the manufacturer's and vendors' Web sites. I'd rather go with recommendation from other gardeners.

• Remove high grasses – Got to talk to our Homeowners Association about that one. They are supposed to cut the high grass in the wildlifewater area at least 2×/year and it hasn't been cut it in nearly a year.

...any one else want to join the club?
...anyone else have otherbetter ideas on curbing the population?

I wish I could help! The vole babies are leaving the nests now and like you my cat is bringing me "presents" every day. Alive and very active ones. They are pretty easy to catch in the house but then what? And if they manage to slip into a heater vent I get the creeps wondering what they're doing! NOT LOL. I've got natural land behind my back fence on RR property and watershed across the street so I guess I just have to accept them along with the slugs. Perfection is boring, no?

Ewww scary if they were to get into the vents.

Our Golden Retriever is also doing his part -- if he sees one, he rolls on it until he snaps it's little spine/neck. Nothing quite like 107# of pressure on a little rodent.

We also have natural land and a water overflow reservoir directly behind our house. This morning I sent an e-mail to our Homeowners' Assoc and the City's Public Works Dept notifying them of the problem. There's been an ongoing issue about who (city, developer, or association) maintains/cuts the grassy area behind our lot, now the grass is waist-high and the rodents are out of control, venturing into our yards.

Our neigbhor has sprayed weed killer along his fenceline to help keep both weeds and rodents at bay. We have avoided such as that's just not enviro-friendly.

But if we could get that back wetland area trimmed, at least the neighborhood cats, not to mention nighttime owls and other predatory birds, could help with the rodent control.

Oy.

I HATE VOLES!!

Well, since I have NO EARTHLY IDEA WHAT a "vole" IS, I could not comment. If they are anything like moles, have you tried Ed Humes castor oil cure??

Regards;
bluelytes

Voles are essentially meadow/prairie mice. They burrow like moles but you don't generally see hills. You just walk through your yard and start falling into their tunnels. They can make a yard quite dangerous.

Although they are cute, Voles are nasty little creatures because they eat your plants' roots (trees, flowers, veggies), veggies (tomatoes, beans, etc.), and bulb.s They also carry disease.

Ours are big -- full-grown at 4 to 7 inches.

Here's a nice article about voles, with photos:
http://www.pestcontrol-products.com/rodent/voles.htm

I have opportunistic voles here in Olympia - they follow the tunnel network created by the hill building moles .....and whereas the moles DO disrupt roots and cause plant death that way, it is the voles that dine heartily on the tulips and such. Having instant wilt hit a huge tulip planting that was in full bloom made a believer out of me - as I dug down to the bulbs and found them nearly devoured! (Moles eat worms and insects - they are not herbivores)

TIFF,
Thanx!! I never heard of them. Maybe they are like moles and will FLEE from castor oil??


WANN,
Those are NOT voles, they are evergreen students, lol

Best;
bluelytes

I'm in the "Please Control the Vole" group. Watering today (isn't it cool to have to water for a change BTW?) I have found about 10 new holes like Tiffany's, about an inch in diameter, throughout the flower gardens. Little furry monsters! It's always amazing to be watering and see a cavern open up where an unnoticed tunnel once was. Grrrr.

The good news is I did find a dead mole on our hill while mowing the other day. He's still there LOL baking in the sun, so I suppose I should have a little varmint funeral and a proper burial before I stink up the entire area. Could have been our Golden Retriever doing some work for a change, or perhaps the neighbor spaniel. Either way, Vita Bones for everyone-except Mr. Mole!

ROFL at that Evergreen Students comment, blue! I went to Olympia for "Super Saturday" last weekend...many of those students look like herbivores.

Maybe we could sacrifice them instead of Star Trek virgins for more days of sunshine?

i fill the holes with propane and then detonate, i dont know if the explosion kills or the lack of oxygen, but its fairly effective and loads of fun if you dont live in town. and if you decide to try it -be very careful please.. Caleb

Wow Caleb, talk about an extreme sport!

TIFF,
You were here and you did NOT SAY nothing!!?? :(( So much for my buying you lunch, :P Maybe next time you will think twice about NOT making the proper notifications.

Best,
bluelytes

CGAR,
I'd be QUIET about that if I were you. ATF may pay YOU a visit like they did to the Branch Dividians, lol. I thinkk they would calll that bomb manufacturing. ;) But I say if it WORKS, full steam ahead!! Tell the FEDS to go........well, you know about where the sun dont shine, lolrof.


Best;
bluelytes

Actually, my DH was with me. That means we drove 35 minutes to Olympia, 30 minutes to do a walk-through the festival, then 35 mintes back home. LOL!!

Obviously he's not a big festival-goer. Good thing I was just going to check it out to see if it would be worthwhile to apply to be a vendor there next year!

(My verdict: It's not for my handicrafts. Too many Indian and Chinese imports to compete with.)

Marion.................speaking of Star Trek, we even saw Klingons and Romulans at Evergreen College last Saturday. Hahahaha! The funniest thing was the Romulan guy in glasses. I don't think I ever saw an alien race on Star Trek in corrective lenses!

TIFF,
Of course not, they all have access to Retinox 5. Figure THAT ONE out, lol.

Best;
bluelytes

Blue - I do believe the Evergreen students need a course in proper tunneling. They might just decide to stay underground. Perhaps the Feds could join them there!
(BTW, would salt work?)

Cgarvin - I am sitting here crying from laughing so hard. I had an extreme visual of your described highly effective pest control. How I wish you could post a video....

Thanks for the chuckles! K

I actually got the idea after reading about a teenager who went into business for himself killing moles/voles/ and gophers with his rodentanator (which appeared to be a modified weed burner torch) he would fill the holes up with propane and oxygen mix, then stand back and detonate. the whole story was in a newspapaer called "Farm Show" so then I (very carefully) tried straight propane which without the oxygen mix doesnt explode but burns out with a big whoosh, and convieniently sucks all the air out of the hole when it burns. it kind of sounds like when you throw gas on the burn pile wait a few then light. any way I declared war on the voles as they decimated my beds eating the tulips, cannas, colocasias, lilies, artichokes, and the root of my medlar tree so that it fell over.... kill them all
Caleb

KATY,
We could only be SO lucky re: STAY underground, lol. Agree re: put FEDS IN with the greeners, lol.

Best;
bluelytes

You definitely have just cause to pick a bone with the voles then CGAR.

Bluelytes, don't tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine ..... they'll end up in Western WA with us!

Tiff, you're right. There's no corrective lenses on alien races, or pot bellies for that matter! Although their tricorders do look a bit like my kids portable games ....

My daughter and I had a chat at her school last month about boys. I was at the award ceremony for "Student of the Month" and I pointed out boys my daughter should be nice to ... all glasses wearing, skinny geeks. My rationale: They are more respectful (and appreciative!) of girls, they do your homework, and they make more money on down the road. She just rolled her eyes and said "OK Mom."

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming on TVN (The Vole Network). Up next, CGAR will show you how to get that perfect WWWHOOOOOOSHHHH without burning off your eyebrows. After that, we have an action-packed documentary on sacrificing virgins to the volcano to get more of this wonderful sunshine.

90 degrees even in scenic Preston WA. I'm in hog heaven except for that part about standing out in unrelenting sun and heat for 6 hours on the business end of a hose.

FYI: The dead mole on the hill is a mere shadow of his former self: no time for a proer burial yet. I call him 'The Fool on the Hill' now LOL! We'll see who's laughing when it hits 100 tomorrow.... I might change my name to Foolchella

Marionslaten: you give good adivce to your daughter: you know Bill Gates' history....

Cgarvin I'd like to hire you and your propane set-up. Last time I dallied with explosives it was to stupidly use white gas leftover from camping to ignite a burn pile. Very effective stuff!~ POOF. The moles are taking over my entire yard.

im just using a regular propane plumbing torch, just dont light it, turn it on and put the end in the hole let it run for a minute or two , pull it out shut it off and use a long reach bic and light it up. however b sure to have a hose handy as the grass dries out, oh and you probably wont have any hair left on you hands when you done.. b careful and have fun Caleb

I definately need to join the club. I've got what look like raised tunnels in both my front and back yard right through my best plants. I did have moles last year but their tunnels looked different and they came up in my grass. These are in my dirt beds. I have some kind of spray that has pepper,etc., in it and have sprayed it on the areas but it doesn't seem to deter them. Has anyone had anything that has been successful? Thanks, Donna

Caleb, does the "whooosh" cause damage to any plants growing over/next to the tunnels? I'm intrigued but I don't want to cause more damage than the voles doing this.

other than a little burn around the exit holes it doesnt damage anything. with the dry season starting make sure youve got a hose handy to douse any spots that start to burn. it usually blows itself out but Ive been doing it in the winter. best of luck. Caleb

Regarding propane ... Sounds to me like timing is important - because what would be the point if the mole or the vole was somewhere else???? The tunnel network is incredible. My pop used to sit in a lawn chair, w/ his morning cuppa coffee, and a sharp shovel. When the hill humping began - good bye mole. Voles? Nope - he never found those. Had a friend who used to put dynamite in mole runs - with a wire to a battery - and he blew up many of them ...he had more than 20 blasted hides attached to the shed wall - also blew up his hand - and also scared the "you know" out of his wife when one blew just as she turned on the key in the car. He is dead now (motorcycle crash) and I bet the moles are having fun once again. It IS a jungle out there and in the end, the bacteria, flies, molds, and moles WILL win......until then, it is just a balancing act in which we all have a role.

the best part about doing it in the winter is the edges of the holes get frosted from the little buggers breathing and you know which holes to fill, incedentally you could pump co2 or carbon monoxide into the holes. i saw a tailpipe hose adaptor at the hardware store, just hook to you car and pump the fumes down the holes. but with the price of gas propane is cheaper, but the others arent flammable and will settle into the holes. good luck Caleb

You have some courage. Anything dealing with propane or other explosives and vermin takes guts.

In real life, does it look anything like this photo on this site:
http://www.sparlings.com/gasline/rodenator.html

I think my neighbors, as well as the Homeowners Association, would have a fit if we were to use such measures. Actually, I bet it'd blow out portions of the fence the critters are tunneling under. LOL!

For now, I'll stick with home remedies like castor oil mixtures and netted wire barriers.

LOL - Tiffanya - yeah - great site - thanks!!! Great idea as long as one is sure there are no tunnels UNDER the house or sidewalk or around important shrubs. I also blanched a little at the bad science of referring to a mole as a rodent, as it surely isn't. Mole doesn't care what ya' call it, of course. Moles are in the Class Insectivora and voles are in the Class Rodentia. It is all about the teeth ...most folks are somewhat familiar w/ teeth of rodents - but few would know (or care) that Insectivora teeth are quite different.

I was watching the Channel 4 garden guys talking about mole control ....and it was funny as one kept referring to the traps as the only thing that works, while the other one kept reminding him that the voters in WA state made it illegal to use traps such as this. I don't know if anyone is "doing time" for mole control, however.

Re: Channel 4 -- That is very funny. We mole problems three years ago. At that time I had checked with local agricultural and hardware stores for remedies; at four locations I was told similar "We have traps; they are the most effective means of mole control. However, it is illegal to trap moles in our State."

How we resolved it... we got a Golden Retriever. Haven't had any problems with moles since then.
...knock on wood...

The voles seem to have quieted down in activity since the heat started. I bet they're just waiting until my veggies are big and tastey. Evil critters.

;-}

thats the device I originally read about, when I get time Im going to build one, as straight propane doesnt collapse the burrows, and it doesnt till for you, looks like mixed gas is the way to go . Caleb

Another NW gardener swears by male urine placed into the mole holes/tunnels. It's the old predator scent thing that drives the moles away. Seems safe enough: no explosions, no traps. But I bet there's not a Homeowners' Association on earth who would approve it!

I've got new severe mole activity by my compost pile. Maybe a dozen new hills in just a few days. Must be lots of worms there. They're everywhere!

Has anyone tried Talprid, the new worm- shaped bait that kills moles? I would need to spend and arm and a leg to get enough 'baits' for all my mole areas.
http://www.pestcontrolamerica.com/servlet/the-Talpirid--dsh--Moles/Categories?gclid=CP_T-fnp7IUCFU8eJAod0TwpwQ

Poochella - to heck w/ the price of Talprid - how do you think that would compare w/ the price of securing a urine provider? LOL I think Talprid would be MUCH cheaper at 10x the price. Now, don't get me wrong - I like that urine producing gender - but I also like lobster and dolphins. Doesn't mean I want to live w/ them! Too much upkeep - high maintenance organisms!

grins from a former resident of Issaquah AND Upper Preston ......

Vicki

Ain't that the truth!! LOL Dotti

POOCH,
How'd you get male mole urine?? Its gotta be TOUGH to put THAT small of a foley catheter into his tiny little...well, you know, ;) :) LOL

Best;
blueytes

Hey - I am finally able to stop laughing over the comments above related to Greeners, Klingons, herbivores and the ATF. I live in the Evergreen area, and every "Stuper Saturday", we high tail it out of town. Don't you love what they did with the Evergreen Parkway? A couple million in tax dollars so they could dig up the second traffic lane and occasional overflow parking area to plant with assorted weeds and one season wildflowers. So far I've only seen possibly a dozen bicyclists using the new and improved bike lane (one at a time, over the course of a year). This has forced all of the additional cars onto our narrow county road - great idea! Now they want to dig up and re-do the other end of the perfectly good parkway because they have additional tax money they want to spend disrupting those of us who (GASP!) actually drive cars. Can't wait!

On the issue of moles and voles, I posted this a year ago, but my favorite method is to just take used cat litter, put it down in the holes and water well. I also distribute it routinely along the edge of my property line at the woods and it has decreased activity substantially. It's a cheap renewable resource! LOL NO mole hills since they first appeared in spring. They do come back each spring, but this encourages them to go elsewhere.

LOL. I am picturing asking my DH, "Honey, will you go pee in the vole holes?" ROFLMAO!! He would think I had truly gone insane.

Used cat litter...interesting idea. That's free and we have some.

Used cat litter -- good idea. Let's them know a predator is around. I'm sure my DH and son would GLADLY mark their territories outside if given the chance. Between them and our little male dog, I don't know who would dehydrate first .....

I got litter - I got litter -I got litter - who could want for anything more??? Yeah .......here we go and both my kitties are gender correct - uh, well, they "used" to be.