Winter has come and has hidden the garden under a white blanket of snow. Now you finally have peace from garden pests like the vole, right? Find out below if the vole hibernates and how to combat it during the winter.
Voles are also active in winter
Do voles hibernate?
Unlike many wild mammals and reptiles, the vole does not hibernate. It is active all year round. It is therefore particularly harmful in winter: since the food supply is scarce, it eats what is available, and in winter these are mainly the roots of fruit trees and winter vegetables.
moles in winter
The mole is also one of the winter-active animals and is often confused with the vole. Moles are protected and must not be killed under any circumstances. So make sure your uninvited guest is a vole and not a mole.
Control vole in winter
The good news is: A vole can be fought in winter just like any other time of year. In fact, the vole is much more likely to become trapped in the winter when food is scarcer and they have to take what is available. There are a number of methods that can be used to control voles:
- Keep vole away with wire
- Gas vole with carbide rocks (the gas will repel the voles, but won't kill them)
- Drive away with deterrent plants such as garlic, sweet clover or cruciferous spurge
- Drive away with stink bombs made from human and animal hair
- Live trap for voles
- Put a cat on the vole
Less recommended methods that lead to vole death:
- poison vole
- Set up a vole shot trap
tips
Voles are loners. So if you've caught a vole, you can sit back, relax and enjoy your winter veggies.