Got Voles?!!!
#19
That's vole damage.   

Voles do not eat grubs.   There are 2 species of voles in my area.  Pine voles live in the forests and girdle roots.  Meadow voles live off the grass.   


Moles are in the shrew family and are carnivores, eating, worms, grubs, and insects.
Matt

If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
-Jack Handy

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#20
So that damage is from them eating their way through the yard? That's the first time I've seen damage like that.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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#21
Thanks, All!
I found this product called Vole Scram from SiteOne (formerly Lesco) that I’m going to try.  It’s granular and non-toxic and can be applied with a lawn spreader.
Fingers crossed!
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#22
(02-17-2021, 01:57 PM)KevMel Wrote: Thanks, All!
I found this product called Bole Scram from SiteOne (formerly Leacock) that I’m going to try.  It’s granular and non-toxic and can be applied with a lawn spreader.
Fingers crossed!

We got rid of ours with mousetraps and a piece of an aluminum downspout (less than $20 total investment).  Cut a few sections of the downspout about 18" - 24" long and cut off one of the skinny sides to create a tunnel.  Place 2 traps on the grooves/paths they created and cover with the tunnel so they are inside at either end (facing towards each entrance).  I actually drilled a hole in each trap and secured them to the ground with a long framing nail but that may be overkill.  I secured the tunnels to the ground by bending some insulation support wires on top of the tunnels and pressing them into the ground (cutting up a wire hanger would work as well).  Voles like to stick to the paths they make so it's pretty easy to trap/kill them this way (no need to use bait but you can use peanut butter if you like).  Place the tunnels close to the beginning and end of their paths (definitely one right near the garden bed/bush in your picture).  You'll probably get a few the first night.  Check and set new traps every day or two.    

We had it bad like yours the first year--didn't know we had any until the snow melted and saw all of the damage from their paths.  They were coming from our next-door neighbor's bush.  Got most of them the first year and there were hardly any paths the next year.  None the 3rd.  I was told they like longer grass so I've been cutting the grass very short at the end of each season.  I haven't had to set any traps (no voles anymore) in about 6 or 7 years.  Good luck!
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#23
Applied camphor oil granules. Seemed to move them next door. Our ruts ceased. Theirs started but I haven’t found anything except the flat spring traps that work
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#24
(02-17-2021, 09:27 AM)EatenByLimestone Wrote: That's vole damage.   

Voles do not eat grubs.   There are 2 species of voles in my area.  Pine voles live in the forests and girdle roots.  Meadow voles live off the grass.   


Moles are in the shrew family and are carnivores, eating, worms, grubs, and insects.

Wow, thank you.

GrubX for Moles.
RoundUp for Voles
Neil Summers Home Inspections




I came to a stop sign and a skanky tweaker chick in a tube top climbed out of the brush and propositioned me.  She looked like she didn't have any teeth so I counted that as a plus.


... Kizar Sosay





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#25
(02-17-2021, 06:59 PM)Cut Twice? Wrote: We got rid of ours with mousetraps and a piece of an aluminum downspout (less than $20 total investment).  Cut a few sections of the downspout about 18" - 24" long and cut off one of the skinny sides to create a tunnel.  Place 2 traps on the grooves/paths they created and cover with the tunnel so they are inside at either end (facing towards each entrance).  I actually drilled a hole in each trap and secured them to the ground with a long framing nail but that may be overkill.  I secured the tunnels to the ground by bending some insulation support wires on top of the tunnels and pressing them into the ground (cutting up a wire hanger would work as well).  Voles like to stick to the paths they make so it's pretty easy to trap/kill them this way (no need to use bait but you can use peanut butter if you like).  Place the tunnels close to the beginning and end of their paths (definitely one right near the garden bed/bush in your picture).  You'll probably get a few the first night.  Check and set new traps every day or two.    

We had it bad like yours the first year--didn't know we had any until the snow melted and saw all of the damage from their paths.  They were coming from our next-door neighbor's bush.  Got most of them the first year and there were hardly any paths the next year.  None the 3rd.  I was told they like longer grass so I've been cutting the grass very short at the end of each season.  I haven't had to set any traps (no voles anymore) in about 6 or 7 years.  Good luck!
Thanks for all of this great and detailed advice!  I guess I'll be making a run to Home Depot this weekend to pickup some supplies for my traps.  -  Much appreciated!
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#26
I didn't try too hard to get rid of ours, and they didn't care about the dogs trying to dig them up.  When we moved in there were groundhogs living under the woodpile, so the voles just took over when the groundhogs realized their cover was blown. The groundhogs left luxury accommodations for the voles.  What got rid of them was snakes.  Which you might think would be worse, but they are less obtrusive around here than the voles. OTOH, if I lived 1/2 mile west, closer to the forest, those snakes would be rattlers, so that wouldn't be great.
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