Voles can be real rats when it comes to yard damage

I thought this week I would discuss voles (meadow mice). These little creatures are a real pain in the butt for those of us who plant gardens.

Voles are small, mouse-like rodents that live throughout the Northwest. Voles  eat plants, whereas moles eat worms and grubs. Voles can cause lots of yard and lawn damage, not to mention damage to gardens, trees, new plantings, and other vegetation just planted.

Voles are small, weighing one to two ounces as fully grown adults. Their length varies from 4 to 6 inches.

There are several positive things about voles — voles are a food source for many predators, including owls, hawks, coyotes, foxes and eagles. Secondly, they don’t climb, so they generally don’t come inside of homes unless your cat brings one home.

Their life expectancy in the wild generally ranges from two to four months, some live up to 16 months. Not surprising, voles are very prolific. They generally produce three to five offspring per litter and have 10 to 12 litters a year. Their gestation period is 21 days.

Voles construct surface runways that are easy to recognize by the tunneling debris left behind. Small holes (burrows) lead to underground runways and nesting areas.

What I usually do is dig out one of the tunnels and place a mouse trap in it and cover the hole with a piece of plywood. I bait the trap with peanut butter and oatmeal mixed. They love it. I check my traps daily.

If you choose not to trap you can use bait. Anticoagulants interfere with the animal’s blood-clotting ability and eventually bleed out causing death. Normally the animal feeds on the bait for five days before it expires. If you use bait be careful because dogs and cats will eat the dead rodent causing them health problems.

Some folks say let nature control the voles and it will; however, around homes with gardens, the natural constraints that will limit voles does not apply because of the increase in food source available.

When cleaning with any cleaning product, wear eye protection and rubber gloves to protect your hands. If you would like to share a cleaning idea or concept with the reading audience, call Ed at NWES (255-2266), e-mail them to nwees@hughes.net  or send them to Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church Street, Sandpoint, ID 83864, Attn: What Would Ed Do? For more information about Ed, and his new handyman services, check him out at NWEES.COM.

n Copy written by Edmond E. Madan, certified forensic, fire, flood, mold inspection and remediation/restoration contractor. Ed is the president of Northwest Environmental Services, Inc.