Vole Update

A few hours after my last post, we caught another vole. That brought the total to 4 voles caught and released in about 18 hours! Yay!

Chris and I spent the night at Roar and Snore at the San Diego Wild Animal Park on Saturday, so we made sure that the traps were removed while we were away. When we got back early Sunday evening, we placed the traps back out. Within an hour, we had caught another vole.

I'm noticing that the 'runways' that they use are looking messy. From watching them, I've learned that an active 'runway' appears well-worn, and the voles keep it clear of debris. So if you put stuff on the 'runway', or try to destroy an active 'runway', the voles will clean it up in no time at all.

Today I will be installing hardware cloth along the fence to create a physical barrier for the voles. And to make things more challenging for them, we're going to rake the debris on the adjacent property about 15 feet away from our fence. Since no one is keeping the property clear, the least we should be able to do is move their debris away from our property. Removing the debris will make it challenging for the voles to move into our yard, because they won't have any cover. They don't like being out in the open. It feels good that we're getting a handle on this! :)

Rodent Redemption

Our traps arrived late yesterday afternoon, and we set them out in areas where the voles frequent. We ordered 2 of them (Safeguard Humane Rodent Trap). Traps come in various sizes for all different types of critters, from mice to coyotes.

Three hours after setting the traps (10:00pm), Chris and I decided to check them to see if anything had gone in the traps. We were so excited- like kids checking if Santa left presents under the tree. Sure enough, we caught a vole in one of the traps! We drove the vole to a small pond about two miles from where we live and set it free under cover of brush.

Early this morning, we checked the other trap, and it also had a vole in it!
We released it in the same spot as the other vole. I reset both traps when we got home. An hour later, I checked the traps, and we had caught another vole! That's THREE in 12 hours! I drove the vole to the same place as its 'friends' and let it go.

If there's a drawback to the humane traps, it's that they need to be checked every few hours. It would be just as cruel to allow one to die of hunger, thirst, or exposure in a trap. It's so worth it, though! I feel like we've redeemed ourselves by relocating the critters instead of snuffing them. :)

Changing Our Plan of Attack

Last weekend, I witnessed a vole get stuck on a sticky board in our yard. It was one of the most disturbing sights I have ever seen. I am choosing not to go into detail, since I don't think that words could accurately describe the horror of the sight. At any rate, seeing what I saw was enough to change my mind about using the sticky boards to eradicate the voles. No creature deserves to die like that. The whole incident has given me nightmares.

So I did some research, and found traps for voles that are humane. They allow us to catch the little guys alive, so that we can release them elsewhere. We bought two of them, along with special bait to entice them into the trap. I feel confident that the voles will go into these traps. Voles tend to run on 'autopilot' when they are scurrying around, and they use well-defined paths that they do not stray from. That's how we caught the first vole on the sticky trap. So we simply place the trap in a covered area along one of the runways, and voila! We've caught a vole!

In addition to the traps, we've also decided to rodent-proof our fence along the areas where voles tend to enter. Basically, this requires taking hardware cloth (with 1/2" holes) and attaching it to the fence at the bottom. We have to bury the cloth about 8 inches into the ground, and leave at least 12 inches above the ground. Voles aren't climbers, so they won't climb up over the barrier. Voles also don't dig very deep into the ground (only an inch or so), so this should effectively block them from tunneling under and into the yard.

The source of all the voles is the property that is adjacent to ours. It's a wooded vacant lot that has not been cleaned up in... well, forever! There is a large amount of dead branches, weeds, and dead trees, which provides plenty of cover and habitat for the voles. They come into our yard when we water the plants or run irrigation. So we're also contacting the county's code enforcement to have them come out and issue an abatement notice to clean up the lot. Hopefully if they clean up their area, the voles will move elsewhere!

Death to the Voles

I've been at war with certain rodents in my garden for the past three months. Gophers, and worst of all... voles. We have at least three gophers and six voles that have taken up residence in my formerly lush garden. Since my yard is fenced, their natural predators (coyotes) cannot assist to reduce/eliminate the population.

To get rid of them, first I would collapse the holes/tunnels to the best of my ability and fill them in with rock. This convinced them to dig new openings around the rocks. I cut back all excessive growth off my plants and cut my grass short to remove hiding places.

I tried placing blood meal in the areas where they were digging/eating my plants. This works to keep them away for a few days, then it wears off. Blood meal gets expensive to reapply every few days, so it wasn't a long-term option.

I then tried cayenne pepper. This worked to keep them from digging in the flower beds, but not from eating my plants. This wears off in a few days, as well.

I then bought fox/bobcat urine granules that is supposed to repel them. It actually worked to repel them in areas where I placed it, but the critters just moved to other areas of my yard and dug the heck out of it. It didn't keep them away from my plants, either.

While I would prefer to simply shoo the critters to some other area, we've finally decided to hire someone to take care of things. I am exhausted at trying to fight this battle! The exterminator arrived and gassed the holes, as well as placed bait for them. The bait is designed to cause hemorrhaging, which leads to death. I am very conflicted about getting rid of them this way, but they are destroying my yard!

A week and a half later, the voles are still scampering around the yard. As if to taunt us, they have now dug more holes than ever! We spent $185 for nothing. Chris had a meltdown.

I called the pest company and told them to come back out immediately. They did.

Now they're gassing the holes and laying out glue boards. For some reason, getting rid of them by gassing them doesn't seem to bother me much. They fall asleep and die. No problem.

But glue boards... I'm having a tough time thinking of the critters just stuck on a board, not being able to move, terrified, dying a slow, slow death. It seems like torture, but we've got no other choice at the moment. I don't like it at all.

The only good thing I can think of (other than we'll be rid of the voles), is that they will be an easy meal for the coyotes. We're going to dispose of the dead rodents on an adjacent property where coyotes frequent. If they coyotes don't take them, I know the ravens will.

Somehow, though, it doesn't make me feel better about the process.