The Meadow Mouse!

Moles and Voles are often confused as being the same critter, but they aren't. Moles tunnel in turf and raise the dirt while voles usually make a 1 to 2-inch-wide pathway on top of the turf. According to the National Wildlife Control Operators Association, voles sometimes do tunnel underground making entrance and exit holes about the size of a quarter. About 90% of a mole's diet is earthworms leaving only 10% being grubs or other insects. A vole's diet consists of green plants, roots, insects and their own feces to extract more nutrients from plants and roots that have been digested. Moles do not normally eat bulbs, but they can uproot them. The culprit that eats bulbs and vegetation is the vole. Vole breeding can occur year-round yielding an average of 4 per litter. Moles have 2-6 pups between late February thru early June. Repellents are not very effective with either moles or voles, and poisons may work although poisons endanger non- target species like owls, hawks, skunks, coyotes, cats, and dogs through secondary poisoning. Trapping is a favorite method of control for both moles and voles. Control methods that don't work very well for voles or moles are decoys and ultrasonic devices since they are not dependent of the sense of hearing or sense of touch like other turf pests.