Volesare small rodents that cause great damage to our gardens. They eat seeds and fruit, damage plant roots and flower bulbs, and gnaw the bark of young trees in the orchard. Therefore, it is worth learning to recognizedamage caused by volesand learnhow to get rid of voles from the gardento stop their destructive activity. We suggestthe best way to get rid of voles , which will allow you to get rid of them in just a few days!
How to get rid of voles from the garden?
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What does a voles look like?
Voles(Myodes) are small mammals belonging to the subfamily of the voles. The genus bank vole includes several species, but in Poland, in the natural environment, only the bank volley (Myodes glareolus) is found.
The bank volley, also sometimes incorrectly referred to as field voles, is quite a nuisance garden pest, often confused with other rodents, such as likefield mouse(Apodemus agrarius), or the grubber (Arvicola), as well asshrew(Soricini), which is not a rodent at all. What's more, the shrew is also not a pest, but our ally in the fight against harmful insects and snails, protected by species.
It is therefore worth learningto distinguish voles from other animals similar to themNot only because their living environment, harmfulness and methods of combating them differ slightly, but also so as not to kill the useful shrews.
Vole ruda
Red vole(Myodes glareolus) is one of the most numerous representatives of the hamster family rodents and this species most often feeds in our gardens. It is a very small mammal, reaching up to 15 cm in length (up to 10 cm in the length of the body and 5 cm in the length of the tail). In Poland, it occurs throughout the country. He leads a night-time lifestyle.
Vole ruda - Myodes glareolus
Fig. depositphotos.com
Vole ore can weigh between 10 and 38 grams, and therefore very little. Its mouth is slightly pointed and has a mustache.On the back, the hair of the bank voles is gray with a reddish tinge(hence the name of the bank voles), while the sides and abdominal part are gray. The tail of the bank voles is two-colored, covered with scales.
Vole and field mouse - differences
Volumes are often mistaken for mice, so learnhow to distinguish a voles from a mouse Well, compared to mice, voles are smaller, they also have shorter tails and feet, and a denser and softer fur. The latter is related to the small size of the voles, which requires a thicker layer of thermal insulation.
Vole and field mouse - differences
Fig. pixabay.com
The voles will rummage only in the gardenand there is no fear that they will brood like mice in the house or farm buildings. In turn, damage caused by voles is sometimes confused with damage caused by moles. However, by making holes in the ground and digging corridors,voles do not make mounds like moles
Black bank vole …? Not! It's a shrew!
Recently, a lot of people ask us about the black vole. Gardeners complain thatblack voles not only roam the garden but also infiltrate houses , gazebos and other buildings.
Meanwhile, there is no such species as the black volley.A similar animal with black fur is the shrew. And it is probablyincorrectly referred to as black vole
The shrew is a mammal from the family of shrews(Soricidae). Two species are commonly found in Poland: the little shrew (Sorex minutus) and the velvet shrew (Sorex araneus). The maximum length of shrews is about 12 cm (including the tail) and weighs only a few grams. They are characterized by a brown-gray color of the back, butthe velvet shrew may change its color to almost black in autumnProbably its appearance is the source of the erroneous term black voles. A characteristic feature of the shrew's appearance is its elongated, pointed snout.
Velvet shrew - Sorex araneus
Fig. depositphotos.com
If we see such a black animal in our house or in the garden gazebo, it will definitely not be a voles, becausevoles do not enter houses , and they feed only in the field.Shrews, on the other hand, are partially protected and work for the benefit of gardeners by eating snails and pests. Unlike voles,shrews do not bore tunnels and thus do not damage plantsThey do, however, occupy minks left by other small animals.
Asshrews do not hibernate all year round , they often appear in our homes in the fall and winter, where they look for food. Therefore, when fighting mice, make sure that they are really mice. If it turns out that they are shrews, it is better not to kill them, but to catch them in a living trap and release them into their natural habitat, which are forests and meadows. However, live-traps need to be checked several times a day, because the shrew dies if left without food, even for a few hours.
What damage do voles cause in the garden?
The voles build a system of corridorsrunning just underground. They are usually numerous, highly branched, and form a complex network with many outlets.Voles do not like to dig tunnels in too dense soil, so prefer less dense soils or dig a corridor in the litter. This last information is quite important, becauseavoiding a thick layer of bedding on flowerbeds is one of the ways to fight volesBut more on that in a moment: -)
A red vole next to his mink
Fig. Andreas Eichler, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
These animals can also climb the trunks and branches of trees and shrubs. What is very importantvoles do not hibernateand are active all year round. In the fall, they build special winter nests. In spring and summer, voles feed on seeds, larvae, insects, tree buds, tree bark, leaves, lichens, etc. In winter, voles eat aboveground, non-lignified parts of plants, fruits, seeds, various rhizomes, and sometimes invertebrates.
The most noticeddamage from volesis eaten seeds, tubers, rhizomes and flower bulbs.The bark of trees and shrubs is damaged mainly in winter, when voles lack other food. When we observe this type of damage in the garden, it is worth consideringhow to get rid of voles from the gardenand find out the best ways to deal with voles.
Ways to get rid of voles from the garden
In order to get rid of voles from the garden, it is worth considering several methods used simultaneouslyUsually no method of applying voles in isolation will be completely effective. However, if we use several methods at once, we can make the voles' life so difficult that they will leave our garden for good.
Good to know!
However, before we discuss the methods of controlling voles in gardens, I would like to point out that you should focus only on removing them from the garden.Although voles are harmful in gardens, we should not kill them, because they play a very important role in natureFew people know that voles constitute as much as 36% of the food of other animals inhabiting Polish forests.Some foresters even say that the forest ecosystem is even dependent on these small creatures. So let's chase the voles away, avoiding killing them and using poison.
1. Destroy the tunnels and sprinkle cinnamon on the voles
First of all, you should regularly check whether there are new tunnels built by voles.Vole tunnels should be blocked or flooded with waterDigging all the soil in the garden also helps.
Although we have not found scientific studies confirming that thishome remedy for voles it worked, many people recommend sprinkling cinnamon. This may make sense because many pests do not like the strong aroma of this spice. Cinnamon in the garden also has many other interesting uses. It is therefore worth tryingcinnamon for volesand pour some of this spice into the burrow you find.
2. Avoid a thick layer of bedding
Although mulching the soil is beneficial for many plants and reduces the growth of weeds, do not use too thick a layer of mulch in flower beds and flower beds, as it is an invitation to voles. This method of treating voles will be especially effectivewhen we have very heavy clay soil in the garden. Well, the bank vole then fails to dig corridors in such compact soil and dug them just under the mulch. The lack of this bedding will be a great difficulty for voles. In order to avoid gnawing the trunks of fruit trees and shrubs, the soil in the orchard should not be mulched at all (keeping black fallow).
3. Make it difficult for voles to access plants
In order to protect the trunks of fruit trees from access to voles , it is worth wrapping them tightly with straw or using plastic orchard covers. In this way, we mainly protect young trees, recently planted, because their soft bark becomes the delicacy of voles. It is also necessary to regularly remove weeds.Plant the flower bulbs in special baskets and casings , which will make it difficult for the voles to access. However, because plastic casings are sometimes bitten by voles, it is worth looking for slightly more solid wire casings (preferably made of galvanized steel wire, which will not rust so quickly).
4. Plant volley repellent plants
A very effectivemethod to get rid of volesis to plant the garden with plants that voles don't like. Such plants include: garlic (both traditional garlic, decorative garlic and bear's garlic work well), imperial crown, spurge, melilot, castor, mustard, mint, black currant.When we discover a new tunnel , it is worth putting a thuja twig, walnut leaves or garlic cloves into the inlet. Dried lilac shoots cut during flowering, about 15 cm long, are also effective.
5. Use natural enemies of voles
The natural enemies of voles are various birds of prey , so it is worth inviting the birds to the garden, for example by sticking a few long poles into the ground, which will be a vantage point for the birds. Cats and dogs are also effectiveallies in the fight against voles So let's take your favorite pet with you to the plot.
6. Sound deterrents for voles
Anotherway to get rid of voles from the gardenis to build a sound repeller yourself. Such a sound deterrent can be made by digging a bottle at an angle. The wind, falling into the bottle, will make a wailing sound that scares the voles away. The stores also have specialacoustic deterrents against rodentsSolar devices that do not require connection to the electricity are very practical. They emit inaudible sounds and vibrations that scare away moles, voles and other rodents.
7. Smoke candles for voles
Another possible way to usefor voles is to use smoke candlesThe candle should be lit and placed in an active burrow or vole corridor. The smoke produced contains a biocidal active substance which settles in the tunnel, deterring the pest.The effectiveness of this method, however, requires us to conduct constant observations in order to find the tunnels currently used by voles. It is also associated with contamination of the environment with substances emitted from the candle. Therefore, let's not abuse this method.
8. Apply natural voles remedy
As a last resortto get rid of voles from the garden, many people use anti-rodent chemicalsIt should be remembered, however, that the poisons contained in them are very toxic and can also harm other animals in
Therefore, instead of using poison, we recommend spraying the garden with a natural KRETOMAX preparationIt contains natural substances obtained from plants, such as : Castor oil (obtained from castor oil), lavender oil and garlic extract. It is therefore based on natural substances derived from plants that repel voles. By the way, spraying KRETOMAX will also get rid of moles.One package of KRETOMAX voles preparation is enough to spray 300m² of the garden. This allows you to protect the entire garden, and not only selectively individual plants or beds. Thanks to thisthe effectiveness of repelling voles is very highand you can quickly get rid of them from the garden.
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Katarzyna Matuszak
