A vole in the lawn is not a pleasant thing. It not only destroys the beautiful appearance of the lawn, but also eats roots and vegetables. Find out below how to recognize a vole in the lawn and how to get rid of the animals.
With all killing traps there is a risk that the vole will not die immediately, but will perish in agony from injuries
Identify voles in the lawn
A vole can be recognized by several characteristics in the lawn:
- Small piles with entrances, similar to molehills, only slightly smaller
- Corridors just below the lawn that cave in when you step on them
- Nibbled roots and dying plants due to root damage
Drive vole out of the lawn
Voles love their homes, so they need to be strongly persuaded to move. All measures must therefore be carried out repeatedly over a longer period of time. It is also advisable to combine different methods to increase the likelihood that the vole will run away. The most effective expulsion measures include:
- Inject strong odors from enemies (cats, dogs), essential oils, or butyric acid into the aisles
- Build your own vole scarecrow
- Grow plants that smell unpleasant to voles
- Flood vole exits
The use of an ultrasonic device is less recommended, since the "noise" is also unpleasant for other animals such as the beneficial bats.
catch vole
Another option is to catch the vole in the lawn. To do this, use a live trap from a specialist retailer. If the live trap is equipped correctly and placed in the lawn in such a way that no human odor sticks to it, this method can lead to success. The trap must be checked several times a day so that the vole does not starve to death or die of thirst if it is caught successfully.
kill vole
A less animal-friendly method is to kill the vole. Since this is not under protection, this is permitted, but it is not a recommended measure. Among the killing traps there are pincer traps that crush the vole and, in the worst case, do not kill it immediately, so that the vole dies an agonizingly slow death. On the other hand, there are shot traps, which pose a great danger to pets and children and which must be set up correctly to avoid injuries. Classic mouse traps with a snap trigger are extremely animal-unfriendly, as an agonizing death is quite likely. Therefore, this method should be avoided at all costs.
tips
Be careful mole!!! Make sure the animal in the lawn is actually a vole. Moles are protected and must not be killed under any circumstances!