Vole

Voles in Madison Wisconsin

Voles are small rodents that can cause damage to lawns, gardens, and crops. They are often confused with mice, but they have some distinctive features that can help you identify them.

How to Identify Voles

Voles are brown in color and have large stocky bodies, short noses and ears that are usually tucked away. They measure about 6 inches in length from tip of nose to end of tail and weigh approximately 1 oz. Their droppings are around 1/6” in length, tapered on one end, and contain grass and other clippings.

Voles have four toes on their front feet and five toes on their hind feet. They have long incisors that grow continuously and are used for gnawing on plant material. They have poor eyesight and rely on their sense of smell and touch to navigate.

Voles Lifecycle

Voles have a short lifespan and a high reproductive rate. Their gestation lasts 20 to 23 days and they can produce up to 10 litters per year, with an average of 4-6 pups each. Voles are born pink and hairless, with closed eyes and ears. Fur begins to appear by three days, and young are completely furred except for the belly by seven days.

The average meadow vole lifespan is less than one month due to high mortality of young. The maximum lifespan in the wild is 16 months. Breeding often ceases in January and starts again in March. The population increases rapidly through summer and fall.

Voles Habits

Voles are active year-round and mostly nocturnal. They live in moist dense grassland with substantial amounts of plant litter. They create extensive tunnel systems under the ground or under the snow, with multiple entrances and exits. They also make surface runways that connect their burrows with food sources.

Voles feed on seeds, tree needles, bark, green vegetation (grass, clover, etc.), and insects. Voles do not feed out in the open but prefer to stay close to cover. They store food in their burrows for winter use.

Voles rarely inhabit structures. When they do, it is usually due to finding an area to warm up in. Voles can be found on any level of a structure, including in attics and walls.

How to Control Voles

Voles can cause significant damage to lawns, gardens, and crops by feeding on roots, bulbs, tubers, stems, leaves, fruits, nuts, and bark. They can also girdle trees and shrubs by chewing off the bark around the base. Voles can also transmit diseases such as tularemia, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, and hantavirus.

To prevent or reduce vole damage, you can use a combination of methods such as habitat modification, exclusion, repellents, trapping, and poisoning. Some of these methods are:

The most effective method of control would come from a professional pest control company like Kwik Kill Pest Control. We have years of experience in controlling rodents such as voles and would gladly put our know how to work to eliminate your vole problems.

Kwik Kill Services to Control Voles

Additional Resources

https://wildlifedamage.cals.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/289/2020/10/WildlifeDamage-Vole-6-2020.pdf
https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/vole-damage
https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/voles/pest-notes/