Voles dig underground burrows that they use to dwell, move about, and store food. The tunnels can be surprisingly long and branched. Learn below how to recognize vole burrows and how to distinguish them from moles.

Voles throw piles of dirt next to the entrances into the vole exits

The burrow system of the vole

Voles live alone. The sophisticated tunnel system that they dig all by themselves is all the more impressive. The corridors of the vole are usually about 5cm wide and up to 8cm high, depending on the size of the vole species. Voles usually create a nest equipped with soft materials and a pantry. A vole burrow can be up to 25m long, in rare cases even longer.

Mounds of dirt over the aisles

Like moles, voles throw up mounds of dirt at the entrances to the tunnels. In contrast to moles, however, voles rarely dig more than five mounds of earth, which are also significantly flatter than those of moles. Moles usually have their entrance hole in the middle of their pile; Vole exits start next to the pile.

Damage caused by voles

Unlike moles, voles don't just deal "optical" damage. Voles are herbivores and will nibble on just about any roots that come their way. All vegetables, fruit trees and clematis are particularly popular with voles.

Set traps in gears

Vole traps are usually placed directly in the aisles. To do this, you'll need to expose the entrance a bit so the trap will fit in. While vole pincer traps are only placed in the entrance from above, vole traps and other types of traps must be placed in the aisles. Natural control agents such as stink bombs, plants or manure should also be given directly to the aisles.

tips

Before setting a killing trap, you should make sure your garden dweller is actually a vole. Moles are protected and must not be killed.

Category:

Animals in the garden