Voles: Biology, Damage, and Control

Instructor: Stephen Vantassel

Voles are known by a variety of names, meadow mice or field mice for example. Voles are rodents, meaning they like to chew on things, but they rarely enter structures and are primarily a pest in landscape settings. But they are often confused with mice by many homeowners. The damage caused by voles is to the grass and other plants in the landscape and garden and is most noticeable after the snow melts in northern climates. This course will cover the basics of vole identification, biology, and damage as well as several control methods including trapping and rodenticide use.

After completing this course participants will be able to:

• Correctly distinguish between a vole, a shrew, and a mouse.
• Identify vole damage in grass, garden, and landscape areas.
• Outline the different types of rodenticides labeled for controlling voles.
• Discuss the different types of traps and how to set them.