Who would have thought that one of the smallest yet most menacing creatures could move into your garden? Voles, about the size of a mouse, carve paths of destruction that resemble a much larger and fearsome rodent. They create an extensive tunnel system in the ground and gnaw the roots of shrubs, perennials and even vegetables and fruit trees. In particularHostas (heartleaf lilies)and tulip bulbs are real treats for voles. The annoying rodents can therefore cause a lot of damage in a garden and sometimes even eat entire flower beds empty. Gardeners report losing over 300 tulip bulbs in one winter. To ensure that your carefully planted garden doesn't disappear as quickly as you created it, you should take action. You can find out here which plants help against voles and how to get rid of them without poison or traps.
Point one: get to know the enemy
Learn as much as you can about vole behavior to find out how to get rid of them. Continue learning and experimenting with methods that other gardeners have tried with success.
The vole is a small rodent that resembles a mouse. It is sometimes also referred to as a field or meadow vole. Young voles reach sexual maturity at one month of age and can have up to 10 litters per year, with five to ten babies per litter. They can reproduce very quickly if they find an area that provides enough food. Forest voles nest underground and meadow voles nest above ground. Voles can live from two to 16 months.
To avoid predation, the voles limit their time above ground by burrowing near the base of a plant and feeding on the roots until there is nothing left.
Environmental benefits
Although voles can be a gardener's nightmare, they play an important role in nature. Their habits and behaviors ensure that nutrients are distributed and integrated into the upper layers of the soil. For example, mycorrhizal fungi, a soil nutrient, are transferred from plant to plant by voles. Voles are also a food source for many birds of prey, snakes, foxes and cats.
habits and behaviors
Voles eat grasses, seeds, roots, leaves, bark, bulbs, tubers, nuts, berries and mushrooms. They dig tunnels to a depth of between five centimeters and one meter. Sometimes they use the burrow systems created by moles.They form small mounds of earth at the entrances, in whose side is the mouse hole. Voles are primarily nocturnal, but they sometimes come out during the day as well. Predators of voles include: hawks, owls, kestrels, cats, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, snakes, badgers, weasels, skunks and minks.
This is how you can get rid of voles without poison
Which plants don't voles go to?
Some bulb flowers
While many flower bulbs are a delicacy for voles, certain species make the rodents turn up their noses in disgust. Researchers at Cornell University found that some species of allium, Italian arum (Arum italicum), daffodils (Narcissus) and Armenian grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) keep voles away from the garden. Not all of the bulbs mentioned are completely resistant to voles, but they offer far better protection against the rodents than other plants.
Daffodilshelp very effectively against voles. They contain various alkaloids that are toxic to most mammals. So if youDaffodils everywherePlanting in the planting beds and around the fruit trees will make your garden less attractive to voles. The daffodil “La Riante” in particular is praised as the best remedy against voles.
Fragrant herbs
The scent of the herbs is perceived as unpleasant by the vole. It is not known exactly which fragrance is responsible for the repelling effect so that it can be used in finished mice repellents. Gardeners have had good experiences with rosemary, peppermint, thyme and basil.
Rosemarydeters voles. I once planted a few tulip bulbs around a rosemary plant. The voles ate all the bulbs in the garden bed except the bulbs near the rosemary plant.
The real sage(Salvia officinalis) also has a good reputation when it comes to driving voles out of the garden. In addition to being used as a spice and medicinal plant, it can also be used as an ornamental plant. The Salvia officinalis family includes various varieties such as 'Purpurascens', 'Rosacea', 'Tricolor' and 'Icterina', which surprise with their diversity.
Due to their onion aroma, different types ofOrnamental garlic (Allium)excellent plants against voles and also look beautiful. The large purple-violet flower balls of the 'Globemaster' or 'Gladiator' varieties, for example, impressively attract everyone's attention. The Schubert's ornamental leek (Allium schubertii), whose flowers look like pink fireworks, is also extremely decorative. Most alliums grow well in zones 4 to 9.
* Lavender supposedly doesn't help, because the “Lockwood Lavender Farm” from the USAreport on their blogthat they also had major problems with voles in their lavender field in 2011.
*Garlic doesn't help either.
DieSpurge plant(Cross-leaved spurge, Euphorbia lathyris) is often described as particularly effective against voles. However, it is important to have several plants so that the spurge can have its effect in the flower or vegetable bed. Just be careful that the sap of spurge plants can also cause skin irritation in humans. If you have children who like to play in the garden, it might be better to avoid such poisonous plant species.
Sharp-edged grit
Use sharp-edged grit around plants and bulbs, as voles don't like to dig around sharp edges. Spread granite grit or crushed mussel and oyster shells around the soil and roots of plants to keep voles away.
For existing plants:Dig out the soil around the plant 10 to 12 inches deep and about 3 inches wide and fill the hole with grit.
For young plants and bulb flowers:After preparing a hole for the plant, cover the bottom with a 2-inch layer of grit. Then insert the plant and then fill up the chippings around the plant roots. The “protective channel” created from grit should be around 8 to 10 cm wide. Then fill the planting hole with soil.
Wire mesh vole basket
You can perfectly protect your freshly planted flower bulbs with a wire vole basket. Make sure the holes in the wire mesh are small enough so that voles cannot fit through. This is the only way to prevent the new tulips from becoming mouse food. Another option would be to create a raised bed for tulips, the entire interior of which is lined with a fine mesh to prevent voles. You should pull the wire mesh up the walls by 10 to 20 cm.
If you want to plant new plants, cover the root ball with wire mesh before planting. Make sure the holes in the wire mesh are small enough that the voles cannot fit through, but large enough for the roots to spread out of the mesh. This method is not recommended for trees.
Get rid of voles with home remedies
Capsaicin is the substance that gives chilies, chili peppers and peppers their typical spiciness. Hot chili powder or cayenne pepper powder can be used to repel voles as it is unpleasant for them. Distribute it in garden areas where you have observed vole activity. Sprinkle some into vole holes and tunnels and work it into the soil around plants to protect them. You need to repeat this frequently, especially after rainfall.
Castor Oil Spray
Castor oil was used as a natural insect repellent in ancient Greece. This remedy also deters raccoons, moles, and voles from wandering around your yard. Fill a spray bottle with castor oil and spray it into the holes or onto the areas of the garden you want to protect from voles. Reapply if you see damage in your yard again or after it rains. Optionally, you can also mix 2 tablespoons of castor oil with 10 to 12 drops of thyme, rosemary, or peppermint essential oil.
Used cat litter
Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston have found that forRodents stink like enemy robbers. Regardless of whether they were lions, coyotes, lynxes or cats – an identical scent molecule was isolated in the urine of the predators, which rats and mice perceived and reacted to in a very similar way. The mice in the test avoided areas where they recognized the scent and the proportion of the stress hormone in the rats' blood increased.
So if you have a domestic cat, you can use used cat litter to get rid of mice. You can also make your own version using natural bedding materials such as corn, wheat, and walnut shell granules so that they can easily break down over time. Place these urine clumps in vole holes as a deterrent. However, it is not recommended to use homemade cat litter in your vegetable or herb garden or on edible plants.
Attract owls and birds of prey
If you don't have many trees in your yard that birds of prey can use as perches, erect perches about 10 to 15 feet tall near areas where you have vole activity. AddNesting boxes for owls and hawksto attract them to your garden.
However, avoid placing bird feeders over mulched areas or near stepping stones and walls, as leftover bird food that has fallen onto the ground attracts voles. If the bird feeder is over mulch, the voles will tunnel under the mulch to get to the bird seed. They also nibble on nearby plants and bulbs. They also tunnel under stepping stones or next to walls, perhaps even creating holes in the ground. If you still want to hang a bird feeder, a tree over a grassy area would be a better option.
