Voles over the winter do a number on my new yard

[18 inch Crappie]

They hit my new sod yard I worked so hard to put in 2 years ago. I raked up the dead grass they dug up. But it looks like h#LL. Will it come back or do I have to do some work besides get a big barn cat.

[Charley]

Yes it will. Go around and step on the areas they hit to compact it down.

To control them you have to use a grub killer they eat the grubs in the roots of your grass. Go to menards or hd.and get some. It goes on your garden hose and spay your yard. They seem to be the worst in Aug. on. Its called Triazicide works real good.

[LwnmwnMan2]

You can also get products called Dylox or Merit.

[18 inch Crappie]

But it should come back?

[LwnmwnMan2]

Yes, if you feel more comfortable, you could just re-seed some of those areas, just not alot of seed.

Although, you have about a month before you should really working over the yard. It's still quite early before you can do anything.

[Bigbartguy]

mine was completely torn up by the voles last winter. I found their ground hole and set up mousetraps and nailed'em.

noticed the Vole tracks as soon as the snow melted. I didnt do a thing and my grass looked fine in a month.

[katoguy]

These are from a couple years ago. Darn little buggers. (Notice how they got my lawn which had a healthy dose of fertilizer in the fall, but not my neighbor's yard which is brown).

[Bass_Bully]

When is the best time to put down these grub killer products? I've been having problems the last couple winters with voles but I can't find the hole from where they are starting. Do they leave the area during the summer and return in the winter?

[katoguy]

My vole problem had nothing to do with grubs. (I have heard of mole problems due to grubs, not voles and grubs.)

Most, not all, of voles are vegetarians.

[Tom7227]

From the ag extension service:

Voles

Voles, also known as meadow mice or field mice, eat plants, insects, and the remains of other animals such as birds or chipmunks. In summer, voles store caches of seeds in their system of burrows. In winter, their diet consists of bark chewed from shrubs and tree trunks less than 4 inches in diameter. Voles often scurry back and forth in their under-the-snow tunnels, gathering seeds from beneath bird feeders. Voles are active both day and night gathering enough food to satisfy their voracious appetites.

Voles live on the surface of the ground, creating little round tunnels in grassy vegetation. Often grass clippings are found on the runways. This trail is most noticeable in spring after the snow has melted. Occasionally, voles construct shallow underground tunnels. Voles seldom enter homes but might be observed in farm buildings or garages where grain or hay is stored.

Voles can cause severe damage, especially during winter when they are active under the cover of snow. Voles eat bark from many landscape plants and trees. If the bark is damaged in a complete circle around the trunk or main stem (called girdling) the plant will die.

CONTROL

Damage from voles can be prevented or minimized through the use of habitat modification, mechanical barriers, traps, and poison bait stations.

Modify the voles' habitat by eliminating food, ground cover and plant litter.

Maintain a lawn height of three inches or less.

Place hardware cloth cylinders (1/4 inch mesh or finer) around the trunks of young trees and shrubs. The cloth cylinder should be dug into the ground at least six inches and should extend well above the anticipated snow level.

Wrap tree trunks with plastic tree guards.

Mousetraps, baited with peanut butter, can be effective on a small scale. Place traps adjacent and perpendicular to grassy runways.

Rodenticides labeled for outdoor use against voles are not generally cost effective but they can be used. Rodenticides must be used according to the instructions on the container label. Bait stations should be used with extreme caution because they pose a threat to children, pets and other non-target wild animals and birds.

Hardware cloth, traps, and rodenticides are available at nurseries, hardware, or farm supply stores. In general, modification of habitat and placement of barriers results in the most economical and effective control.