Voles can cause a lot of damage in the garden because they feed on roots and are particularly fond of nibbling on vegetables. Therefore, you should act quickly if you discover a vole in your garden. Find out below whether it is necessary to kill the vole, which methods are available and which alternatives are available.

Poison baits are a less animal-friendly option

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A vole rarely comes in pairs

The good news first: Unlike rats, voles are loners and only come in pairs during the mating season. So if you spot a vole in the garden, you don't have to worry about having to drive out a whole horde.

Can you kill a vole?

Yes, a vole may be killed. It is not threatened with extinction and is not under nature protection. Unlike the mole: Moles are threatened with extinction and are also extremely useful for our soils. Therefore, you should definitely make sure that you are dealing with a vole and not a mole.

Kill vole: The options

Specialist shops offer three different measures against voles that lead to their killing: poisoned baits, classic mouse traps and vole waste traps.

poison bait

Poison baits are placed in the burrows of the vole, where it eats the bait and dies within a few hours. The big disadvantage is that the bait can also harm other animals. Be sure to remove it after the vole ingests it.

mousetrap

Everyone knows the classic mousetrap: the mouse eats the bait, the trap is triggered and jumps onto the mouse's neck. The problem here is that the mouse is not always killed immediately, which is why death can be slow and painful.

vole trap

The vole waste trap is also placed in the vole's burrows. A motion detector triggers the trap. The vole is said to die immediately from the force of the explosion. Non-instantaneous death and suffering of the animal are still possible; in addition, carelessness can result in injuries to people.

The better alternative: drive away voles

Due to the disadvantages and potential suffering of the vole, we strongly advise against killing the vole. There are numerous other methods of repelling voles. This includes:

  • strong odors such as liquor, butyric acid or liquid manure
  • ultrasonic devices
  • vole gas
  • Drive away with deterrent plants like garlic or sweet clover
  • Set barriers e.g. with wire baskets

tips

Alternatively, you can catch the vole with a live trap.

Category:

Animals in the garden