Since voles are not the only animal pests responsible for runways in lawn and garden areas they are often confused with other pests you d like to get rid of namely moles because both moles and voles are rarely seen it makes more sense to base identification on the signs they leave behind rather than on how the animals look.
Voles holes in yard.
These small burrowing animals are best known for the harm they cause to turf and landscaping.
The only visible evidence of a vole burrow is the neat exit holes an inch or two across.
Voles may travel through mole tunnels but also dig their own burrows.
Moles have a mainly carnivorous diet.
They help plow the soil and eat grubs and insects.
Voles look like mice.
Over the winter the pests live underground and create runways on the surface of yards to connect their burrow entrances.
Voles mainly eat stems and blades of lawn grass so it s usually vole tunnels that you ll see near the surface of the yard.
Property owners with this pest issue may find vole holes in the lawn and disorderly pathways of grass.
Some are commonly called meadow mice or pine mice.
Voles similar to other rodents have a mainly vegetarian diet.
Vole holes can be right out in the open or cleverly hidden under foliage or debris in the garden.
Protect your plants by fencing the area with a half inch of mesh hardware cloth at least 12 inches above the ground and buried 6 to 10 inches deep suggests the old farmer s almanac.