7 Reliable Ways to Get Rid of Voles. Say ‘Farewell’ to the Rodents Once and for All!
They look so cute. And yet they can ruin any garden. They look like a ginger-brown fluffy version of a mouse, but they are much more dangerous for
Garden gourmets
Voles are 4-inch long rodents. They are herbivores and the adult ones can go on without eating for up to 5 days. Due to their culinary preferences they pose a great threat to all gardens. They bite roots and eat seeds of fruit and vegetables. They also bite off bark and make 2-inch wide tunnels underground. They often eat also the green parts of plants.
What can we do once we notice them in our garden?
Below you will find some of the most effective ways of eradicating these little creatures. If you use a few at the same time, your success chances will certainly grow.
#1 Liquid repellents
Garden centers offer a number of liquid repellents. They contain water and scented oils. These agents are environmentally-friendly although their smell is unbearable for voles. Just pour a dose into their tunnel, clog it with soil and that’s it.
#2 Protection mesh
Voles love bulb plants and soft bark of young trees. To protect them against the rodents, bulb plants need to grow in special baskets (made of wire as voles can’t bite through it). The trees have to be wrapped with a special cover.
#3 Nasty mint
There are plants that voles simply can’t stand. They run away from garlic, mint, black currant, spurge, castor oil plant, mustard or crown imperial.
#4 Bad smells
Another idea is to put inside their tunnels a few smashed cloves of garlic, a few rubbed elderberry leaves or walnut leaves. These smells also repel voles and do no harm to the soil or plants growing there (as opposed to some of synthetic agents).
#5 Live traps
Another thing some garden centers offer is a live trap adjusted to the size of voles. You can put one in their tunnel and wait until the animal gets caught to take it as far away from your garden as you only wish.
#6 Sound repellents
There are sound that voles are afraid of. You can make one by putting an aluminum can on a metal pin stuck into the ground. Of course there are some professional sound repellents powered by a solar battery that you can find in most garden centers.
#7 Natural enemies
Your cat or dog (or your neighbors’ pets) can also scare voles away. Just let the pets run freely in your garden.
