Q: "I believe that voles are feeding on and injuring some of my plants over winter. How can I get rid of them?" A: The meadow vole, also known as the meadow or field mouse, is a fairly common inhabitant of fruit and ornamental plantings, and can become a pest and injure these plants in fall and winter by feeding on them. Voles have stocky bodies, short legs, short tails, and their eyes are small and ears partially hidden. They are brown or gray in color, though several color variations exist. Voles are active day and night all year round. Voles damage plants by their feeding and tunneling - the tunneling can also ruin lawns. Voles will chew the bark from fruit and ornamental woody plants, especially in fall and winter, when other food sources become more limited. If voles completely girdle stems and trunks, plants may be killed, while partial girdling creates wounds for borers and disease organisms to enter, as well as weakening the plant itself. The best way to manage voles is to remove vegetative cover. Keep weeds and dense brush away from shrub and tree trunks, and be sure that mulch is not piled against trunks. Protect stems and trunks in late autumn with plastic collars cut in a spiral fashion so they can be slipped around tree trunks. Cylindrical tree guards made from one-quarter inch hardware cloth can also be used as a barrier around young tree trunks to exclude voles. Since voles also dig, place the bottom of the guard so that it is six inches below the soil surface, if possible. Secure the guard to the soil. There are a few rodent repellents on the market, and these can be applied to trunks and stems in late fall. (Source: OSU)
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 19:00:01 +0000
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