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Voles live in large numbers in our regions, in both cities and rural areas. Here’s how to protect your yard from this small rodent capable of plowing your lawn and killing your trees and shrubs without you even suspecting it.
A vole is about 15 cm in length and can quite easily be mistaken for a mouse. However, its fur is different (dark brown with a greyish belly, which turns white in winter), its ears are shorter and its tail is smaller and furry. Also, its head and nose are rounded.
There are over 150 vole species in the northern hemisphere. In Canada, the most common species is the meadow vole.
From spring to fall, when food is plentiful, voles generally go unnoticed. It is when food begins to run out that they become a real problem.
In winter, voles become bolder. They dig tunnels in the snow and temporarily become diurnal. With their sharp hearing, only foxes can still catch them under the snow.
The female matures in less than a month and is very prolific. It can give birth to 10 generations each year.
Voles rarely live more than a year. Typically, the population will increase for 3 to 6 years, then drop dramatically. Their presence is barely noticeable the following years.
Voles build a complex network of burrows and galleries under the lawn. Invisible in winter, the damage is observable when the snow melts.
The grass in their many paths is cut short, your perennials have been uprooted. Worse still, voles have fed on the bark of your trees and shrubs all winter, under the snow cover. Their work is easily recognizable: the irregular tooth marks are located very close to the ground, at varying angles.
Voles have difficulty chewing at the bark of large trees, but they cause irreparable damage to shrubs and young trees. They are particularly fond of fruit trees whose bark, possibly sweeter, remains thin, even once the tree has matured.
You probably have a vole infestation if you notice the following on your property:
GOOD TO KNOW: Unlike other plants, lawns usually recover quite quickly, but those who want a perfect lawn still find it annoying.
The main problem with voles is the damage they cause is only visible in the spring, and it is then too late to act. Here’s why prevention is preferable.
Many problems can be avoided by eliminating all potential sources of food.
GOOD TO KNOW: Some experts recommend not cleaning the vegetable garden and flower beds until spring so that voles can continue to feed there in winter instead of attacking trees, bulbs and the roots of perennials.