“I could use some advice,” writes Jeff in Manassas. In our yard, a mole (or several moles, based on appearances) has made a home. They’ve taken up residence in the grass and flower beds, and we’re at a loss as to how to politely request that they leave. Anything you can do to assist would be fantastic!”
Now: Moles (with a M) dig raised tunnels in lawns that you can collapse by stomping on them, but they don’t harm plants in any other way. Voles (with a V) devour underground plant parts like spring bulbs and (particularly) the roots of plants like hostas, creating small runway-like tracks on the surface of lawns.
Moles vs. voles
When someone from Manassas writes in, seeking for help with “moles,” I invariably inquire, “Do you have moles?” Or perhaps voles?
Moles are blind and strange-looking creatures that are rarely seen by humans. They are carnivorous and dwell underground, consuming exclusively beetle grubs, earthworms, and cicada larvae. They don’t eat any plants. However, their extensive tunnels can wreak havoc on a lawn. (True gophers, as depicted in the classic film “Caddyshack,” are perhaps the most vexing of such underground pests.) But, thankfully, they don’t exist in our area.)
Voles are shrew-like critters with dark fur that are the size of mice. They have a high fecundity and are occasionally spotted aboveground. Those who suffer from them usually notice their trampled-down tracks in lawns. Their food is also underground, like that of moles. However, they are vegetarians, and the voracious bugs prefer spring bulbs such as tulips and perennial roots.
Jeff exclaims, “Oh joy.” “I suppose we have both,” says the narrator. Our spring bulbs and perennials are vanishing because we have so many raised tunnels in the yard.”
Vibrating stakes are just a waste of good batteries
Jeff has both moles and voles in Manassas. “We tried using the stakes that send out a pulse (which didn’t work) and don’t know what to do next,” he writes.
Jeff, your experience is not unusual. From the indoor ones offered to purportedly ward off mice and roaches to your vibrating stakes to the huge ones sold to repel deer, I’ve never seen evidence that any type of “electronic pest repeller” works. They are, nonetheless, all around us. They’re also commonplace.
What is the reason for this? Liquid and granular herbicides and insecticides (organic or chemical) must have been proven effective to be permitted for sale, according to federal law. Unfortunately, “devices” are exempt from federal regulations and do not need to be proven beneficial; they can be sold for any reason. However, every actual research of these gadgets that I’ve ever seen has failed.
(I had a great time with these things a long time ago.) A wrangler from the local insect zoo escorted a huge clear glass tube full of cockroaches to the studio for a local TV reporter. She flipped the tube over, waited a minute for the roaches to spread out, and then put on an electric roach repeller and held it near one end of the tube. The roaches all swarmed to the tube’s far end. It’s a good thing she wasn’t holding the glass tube because it would have turned into one of the most thrilling TV moments ever…)
No ‘worms’ & no gum either
Poison gummy worms designed to be hurled into mole runs are next on the list of things not to attempt. Because moles only consume live, warm food (and because they’re blind, they can’t notice the ingenious disguise), these items are only a threat to little children who may mistake them for candy.
The classic “Juicy Fruit gum down the hole” technique is the same way. Although it was one of my boyhood favorites, right up there with Bazooka Bubble Gum, neither moles nor voles will find the gum appealing. (Not the hard, stale slab that came inside every pack of baseball cards, but the penny candy version with the Bazooka Joe comic and your fortune wrapped around it.) That inedible splinter only served to tarnish and depreciate the value of your 1952 Mickey Mantle.)
Give them a dose of castor oil
Although neither insect is easy to eradicate, the first step should be to spray the afflicted areas with a castor oil-based mole and vole repellent. These repellents, which are available in both liquid and granular form at most garden centers and home stores, are designed to give your subsoil a foul odor. The castor oil will not damage the bugs directly, but it will send them to your neighbor’s grass if you use a strong enough concentration.
Mole and vole repellents based on castor oil are harmless to humans, pets, and other animals. They cannot, however, be replaced with human-grade castor oil. Castor oil has been treated to make it odorless. You want the most powerful subsurface odor imaginable.
This entails purchasing the product with the largest concentration of active component and applying it liberally. Don’t succumb to the temptation to dilute.
Mole and vole elimination
If, like Jeff in Manassas, you have moles digging tunnels in your lawn and voles devouring your spring bulbs and perennial roots, the first line of defense is a castor oil-based mole and vole repellent. Both pests should be sent packing if the concentration is high enough.
Mouse traps baited with peanut butter can then be used to catch any remaining voles. In this case, the newer battery-powered electric traps would be ideal because they pose no hazard to birds. (Here’s an example from an online vendor.) They’re also available on the shelf at most garden centers, home improvement stores, and hardware stores.)
Mole Zap is a new device designed to put moles to sleep. The name implies that it electrocutes the underground terrors, but it simply floods their tunnels with CO2, putting them to sleep.
Finally, a simple crossbeam positioned 5 to 6 feet above the ground, known as a raptor perch, can attract a remarkable number of owls, the most common predator of voles.
What animal eats the roots of hostas?
Voles and mice may be deterred from eating hosta leaves by cayenne pepper. Voles, on the other hand, are a greater threat to hosta roots because they tunnel underground. Voles can be deterred by clearing the area of weeds and rubbish, as well as burying a steel mesh cylinder partially underground around each hosta.
Family Plot, a YouTuber, illustrates how to protect hosta roots from voles by around them with pebbles:
What is eating my hosta roots?
The letter “M” stands for meat-eating moles, such as grubs and earthworms. Voles that like to munch on vegetables, such as plant components, are designated by the letter “V.”
When you can pull out or watch a plant collapse over because there are no roots anchoring it in the earth, you can pretty much conclude you have voles in your yard. Mr. Vole eats entire root systems and will occasionally work his way up the plant, devouring bark, leaves, and stems.
Will moles eat hosta roots?
A vole or a pocket gopher is likely to be the culprit if your hostas are being aggressively devoured by a tunneling vertebrate. These rodent-like pests are known for devouring a broad variety of vegetables and ornamental plants, as well as girdling trees. It’s unlikely that you’ll see these pests munching on your plants unless you keep an eye out at night. Building a fence around your hostas and burying about 2 feet of fence wire underneath is the best way to safeguard them. You can slowly trap the problem animals while your hostas are protected.
Do coffee grounds repel voles?
Coffee grinds are also an excellent natural approach to safeguard our lawns and gardens. Voles, gophers, and mice are among the rodents that they can deter. The finest natural vole repellent is coffee grounds.
Many individuals have no idea what to do if they have a vole or mole infestation in their lawns or gardens. Because they don’t want to damage the critters, they almost always lose hope and quit caring.
Coffee grounds can be useful in this situation because they will not damage the animals and will just dissuade voles from returning.
What is a natural repellent for voles?
You’ve put in a lot of effort to build a lovely outside area. You now want to safeguard it. To have a healthy, vole-free yard, follow these guidelines:
Remove vegetation
Voles prefer not to eat in the open. With this in mind, habitat alteration is one of the most straightforward strategies to reduce their numbers. Remove dense ground cover, keep the lawn trimmed, use light mulch around trees and bushes, and remove snow as needed.
Protect young trees
Voles enjoy gnawing on young tree trunks. Wrap the bottom trunk of young trees with a protection, such as wire mesh or plastic tubing, to discourage this behavior and remove a favored food source.
Use live traps
The goal of live vole traps is to capture animals without killing or hurting them. Although live traps aren’t the ideal option for severe vole infestations, they’re a terrific way to keep vole numbers under control or eliminate a few individual animals. Simply make sure that you release the voles as far away from your property as possible, or they may return to your property.
Use natural repellants
Voles, like other rational creatures (and people), despise the taste and odor of castor oil. Rodents might be deterred by sprinkling a little amount of it around your landscaping. Voles are also put off by capsaicin, a powerful chemical found in peppers that gives them their spicy flavor. Mix chopped hot peppers with water and biodegradable dish soap to naturally repel voles. To keep voles from nibbling on your plants, spray the mixture on vole hotspots in your lawn and landscaping.
What does vole look like?
Voles have short tails, compact heavy bodies, small eyes, and partially hidden ears, similar to field mice. Voles have large orange teeth for biting plant roots and stems and are 5 to 8 inches long. In previously built mole tunnels, these opportunists will excavate golf ball-sized exit holes. A plant can be lovely one day and then fall over with its roots gnawed away the next. Because a vole colony might have several occupants, habitat modification is critical for managing them.
What keeps animals away from hostas?
Garlic, predatory eggs, and urine all have powerful scents that dissuade deer and other animals from eating your hostas and other garden plants. Just remember to use aroma deterrents on a regular basis to keep them working.
What is eating my plants roots?
Plant root pests include root maggots, fungus gnat larvae, root aphids, root mealybugs, and root weevils. These bugs, unlike other species of garden pests, do not feed on leaves. Instead, they burrow into the earth and eat through plant roots, causing extensive damage and depriving the plants of water and nutrition.
As a result of root eating bugs, plant health typically deteriorates, resulting in wilting and yellowing leaves, stunted development, and even death.
Root pests can be difficult to eradicate once they’ve infested your garden, so using an integrated pest control plan to keep them away from your plants is the best approach to avoid an infestation.
Do voles eat roots of plants?
Voles are a pest that can usually be identified by the signs they leave behind. Here are several signs that you may have a vole infestation:
- In the lawn, there are trails. Voles leave 1- to 2-inch-wide runways or ruts in the lawn as they travel the same paths. Following a snowy winter, these runways are most visible. Voles are protected by the snow, which allows them to run through and eat grass all winter.
- Cats. Keep an eye out for cats that sit in one spot and catch something small over and over. Voles are so plentiful that cats don’t have to go far to find a meal.
- In the dirt, there are holes. Vole tunnels are typically hidden beneath mulch, shrubs, or spreading plants, with openings ranging from 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. Near tunnel entrances, look for fresh grass clippings or seeds.
- Soil that is spongy. Some voles burrow and construct a plethora of shallow tunnels, while others dig to a depth of 12 inches. When you walk on the soil, the tunnels give it a spongy effect. Mole and chipmunk tunnels are very popular with voles.
- Plants that have collapsed. Voles eat mostly plants. They prefer to eat roots, tubers, and bulbs, putting crops like onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, and beets in jeopardy. Plant tops fall when the roots are removed. Voles also chew the crowns of plants, causing the tops to fall over.
- Harvest has been ruined. Seeds and fruits, such as beans, corn, and berries, are also favorites of voles.
- Sighting by sight. Voles skitter across the ground, quickly moving from one refuge to the next. If the grass is long in the summer, you may notice what appears to be a ripple moving through it. A vole is frequently the source of the ripple (though it may be a snake)
What is vole damage?
Voles can wreak havoc on small shrubs and trees. They can have many litters in a year, and there is a population boom every 3 to 5 years. In the spring, lawn damage is most obvious. Yard cleaning, reseeding grass, tree guards, trapping, and pesticide treatment can all help to prevent and manage vole damage.