Most homeowners in Glen Ridge never see a vole. They're small, quick and spend their time hidden under grass, mulch and snow. What you notice is the damage: narrow, winding trails worn into the lawn, shrubs that suddenly die back and bark chewed away right at ground level. Below, we'll explain what voles are, how to tell them from mice and moles, what damage they cause and how to protect your yard. If the damage is spreading, our outdoor pest control team can inspect your lawn and landscaping and put a plan in place.
What Voles Are
Voles are small rodents, sometimes called meadow mice or field mice. They have stocky bodies, short tails, small eyes and small ears that are partly hidden in their fur. Their fur is usually brown or gray.
Voles are plant-eaters. They eat grasses, roots, bulbs, tubers, seeds and the bark of trees and shrubs. They're active year-round, day and night, and they don't hibernate. Under snow cover, they keep feeding on grass and bark out of sight, which is why the damage often shows up all at once in early spring.
Two types cause most yard damage in the Northeast. Meadow voles live mostly above ground and make runways through grass. Pine voles live mostly underground in shallow tunnels and feed on roots.
Why Voles Show Up In Your Yard
Voles go where there's cover and food close together. Thick mulch piled around shrubs, dense groundcover, tall grass along fences and borders, and brush piles all give them protection from hawks, owls, cats and foxes. A lawn left long going into winter gives them a sheltered place to feed under the snow. Bulb beds, vegetable gardens and young trees supply the food. Vole numbers also rise and fall from year to year, so a yard that had no trouble last season can have noticeable damage this one.
Signs Of Voles In Your Yard
- Surface runways. Narrow, winding trails worn through the grass. They're easiest to see right after snow melts.
- Small burrow openings. Clean, small holes in the lawn or garden beds, often connected by runways.
- Chewed bark. Irregular gnaw marks at the base of trees and shrubs, sometimes all the way around the trunk.
- Dying plants. Shrubs, perennials or bulbs that wilt or pull up easily because their roots have been eaten.
- Droppings. Small, rice-shaped droppings and bits of clipped grass along the runways.
Vole, Mouse Or Mole?
All three get blamed for each other's damage. Here's how to tell them apart.
| Vole | Mouse | Mole | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | Stocky, short tail, small ears | Slender, long tail, large ears | Velvety fur, large paddle-like front feet |
| Diet | Plants, roots, bark | Seeds, grains, almost anything | Earthworms, grubs, insects |
| Yard signs | Surface runways, chewed bark | Rarely damages lawns | Raised ridges and dirt mounds |
| Comes indoors? | Rarely | Often, especially in fall | No |
If you're seeing raised ridges and mounds instead of runways, our post on the star-nosed mole vs. eastern mole explains what moles are up to. And if a small rodent is getting into the house, it's more likely a mouse; see deer mouse vs. white-footed mouse.
What Damage Do Voles Cause?
Voles don't threaten your house the way mice or rats can. Their damage is to your landscaping.
- Girdled trees and shrubs. When voles chew bark all the way around a trunk near the ground, the plant can die. Young trees and shrubs are the most at risk.
- Root damage. Pine voles feed on roots underground, so plants decline without any obvious cause above ground.
- Lawn trails. Runways leave brown, matted stripes across the lawn, especially in late winter and early spring.
- Lost bulbs and vegetables. Bulbs, root crops and tubers can disappear from beds.
Voles rarely bite unless they're handled. As with any wild rodent, don't touch them or their droppings with bare hands.
How To Protect Your Yard From Voles
- Pull mulch back. Keep mulch a few inches away from the base of trees and shrubs, and don't pile it up against trunks. Thick mulch gives voles cover right where they feed.
- Mow and trim. Keep grass mowed, especially going into winter, and cut back dense groundcover and tall weeds near beds.
- Guard young trees. Wrap the base of young trees with hardware cloth cylinders pushed slightly into the soil.
- Protect bulbs. Plant bulbs in wire baskets or beds lined with hardware cloth.
- Clean up cover and food. Remove brush piles, fallen fruit and spilled birdseed.
When To Call A Professional
Call a professional if voles are damaging shrubs or trees, if you can't tell whether you're dealing with voles, moles or mice, or if the problem keeps coming back after you've cleaned up cover. EcoFusion's NJ DEP-licensed technicians use Integrated Pest Management to confirm the culprit, target the active areas and recommend landscape changes that make your yard less inviting.
Voles are small, but their damage adds up quietly under the grass and snow. If you're finding runways in the lawn or chewed bark on shrubs around your Glen Ridge home, pull back the mulch, trim the cover and protect your young plants. If the damage keeps spreading, EcoFusion Pest Control can help you get ahead of it.