Governator Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 So after the snow melted last week I was left with tracks/tunnels all over my property. I'll have to take a picture to show the damage, it's pretty drastic. Two days ago we looked in the backyard and saw a cat there, cute we thought. Then POUNCE, leaps towards the edge of the remaining snow crust and looks back at us with a rodent in it's mouth and then ran off After watching a couple of the holes shortly after we see one pop its head out and back in again. I did some research and these are definitely voles, also known as field mice. They aren't actually mice, just a rodent that look similar and have similar reproduction cycles. Anyway, we've setup traps around the edges of the house and already got one. I'm hoping the cat comes back and picks up another few lol. I need to get rid of these buggers quick so I can work on fixing the lawn that's wrecked this Spring. Anyone got tips to get rid of these things other than just traps? I'm worried this could be a long process. I also don't want to poison the lawn because of the outdoor cats around here. I've thought about flooding the holes with water to either drown them or cage them at the exit holes. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ketchenany Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Visions of Caddy Shack went through my head!. Get some of those poison cages (I see them around industrial buildings) that only they can enter may be a solution. If the holes are deep drop in right in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Chewing gum, works for me Rob C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 If you've got a video camera handy... 100LL av gas in every tunnel you can find and light with a wick. Just don't be surprised when one of your wife's prize bushes goes off like a rocket... they like to eat the roots. Generally how you can tell the difference between voles and moles. Voles eat shrub roots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Chewing gum, works for me Rob C What the hey !!! Ok....How does chewing gum work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banger68 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 A couple good mousers will take care of those. But then you have to put up with the cats screwing around at 4:00 in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTHM Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 This will fix em! http://www.rodentblaster.com/media.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) These guys don't know what they're talking about. Buy a huge bag of steel shot and mix it in with some birdseed. Place it in bowls around your yard. The voles will ingest the shot and become too heavy to move fast. Dispatch them quickly with a mallet. Edited March 23, 2011 by solopaddler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 The only answer is to saturate your grass with gasoline and light it on fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) Dispatch them quickly with a mallet. Like this.. http://www.quickflashgames.com/games/whac-a-mole_v1/ Edited March 23, 2011 by irishfield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Like this.. http://www.quickflas...whac-a-mole_v1/ Whats your high score Wayne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Like this.. http://www.quickflashgames.com/games/whac-a-mole_v1/ Carl Spackler endorsed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Whats your high score Wayne. 580 so far! lol 100LL is the trick though.. not as volitile as regular gas, regardless of what movies show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 They're tricky little devils! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 These guys don't know what they're talking about. Buy a huge bag of steel shot and mix it in with some birdseed. Place it in bowls around your yard. The voles will ingest the shot and become too heavy to move fast. Dispatch them quickly with a mallet. too funny........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ketchenany Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 The only answer is to saturate your grass with gasoline and light it on fire. Tried that on our farm just outside Alliston many years back. The weather station guys near Baxter came over and weren't happy, tires in the high grass did darken the skies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Take a picture. I have a feeling you do not have voles. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattletrap2 Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 This is a bad year for them for sure. Last year there were hardly any. I would think the heavier snow cover this winter had a lot to do with their population explosion. Our yard is a total right off as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 This is a bad year for them for sure. Last year there were hardly any. I would think the heavier snow cover this winter had a lot to do with their population explosion. Our yard is a total right off as well. Lots of snow, and no thaws for long periods of time. They establish a colony under the snow, until we get a melt, or rain, then they have to start over again. Good for other wildlife though!! S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry Esocid Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 As somebody mentioned earlier, the best thing to do is to get 1 or 2 of those plastic bait stations you see along industrial buildings so you can safely put some poison outside. I think I've seen them before at some Home Hardware, Canadian Tire, etc., or you can sometimes buy them from a pest control office. The blocks of poison are secured inside so they can't be dragged out, and cats, etc. can't get to the poison inside. The poisons you get in the store (one with bromidialone is best) don't build up a lot in fatty tissue, so a cat, etc. would have to eat a lot of voles before it's dangerous. In 6 years in pest control this is the easiest, most effective and safest way I know of. There's other stuff you can try, like deterrents like ammonia or cayenne pepper, but I don't find they work that well. This will work for voles, but not for moles. Snap traps really shouldn't be used outside, they can really hurt other wildlife like birds, the cat, etc. good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bailey Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 Simply cutting the grass will take care of them, there is an optimum height for them, can't quite remember what it is. But keep it short and you won't have a problem with them. Outside of that, what's the problem? They aren't disease vectors, they won't invade your home looking for food in the pantry, and they won't keep you up all night with drunken parties. Harmless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jer_H Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 I too have meadow voles on my property. In response to the above post, although they may not invade your home, they have completely destroyed my once beatuiful lawn. They are far from harmless to anyone who prides themselves on having a nicely manicured lawn. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've tried snap traps along their route with no success yet. What bait are you using in the trap which you caught one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bailey Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 (edited) ...they have completely destroyed my once beatuiful lawn. Then you're probably keeping the grass too long. Microtus pennsylvanicus needs a certain depth to the grass so that they can create 'runways' through it, basically tunnels in overhanging grass that allow them to transit the area without being seen by predators. Keeping the grass shorter foils their plans. Another problem could be with predators. If there is an insufficient population of snakes, hawks, owls, foxes, etc., then meadow vole numbers can explode. Edited March 25, 2011 by Dave Bailey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 These guys don't know what they're talking about. Buy a huge bag of steel shot and mix it in with some birdseed. Place it in bowls around your yard. The voles will ingest the shot and become too heavy to move fast. Dispatch them quickly with a mallet. OR just go around with a magnet to collect them.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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