tenaciousg
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Got Voles?!? How do I get them out of my garden?

I have an infestation of voles. They burrow into my raised beds and have young. I have holes everywhere. I've tried baited mouse traps, gum, rat traps, catnip (to draw cats), and those noise zappers. Nothing works. They keep on eating my root crops (beets, parsnips, and sweet potatoes) from the ground to the leaves. Does anyone out there know how to get rid of voles?

www.growseedlingsnow.com

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digitS'
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Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 1:10 pm
Location: ID/WA! border

Small dog?

I have caught them with baited mouse traps and flooded their burrows with slow trickles of water from the hose. Sometimes I don't know voles are there until a coyote comes through and digs them out. I see the neighbor's tomcat with them. The big veggie garden will never be free of voles because they are in the other neighbor's lawn and in the neighboring alfalfa fields.

It sounds like you have even more of a problem. Maybe you can make it a neighborhood project to beat down their population numbers ..?

Steve

tenaciousg
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Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 7:11 pm

Hi Steve,
Thanks for the reply! With what did you bait the traps? I'd love a small dog, but I work during the day. Not an option. :(

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digitS'
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Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 1:10 pm
Location: ID/WA! border

Weelll ..

. raisins dipped in peanut butter ;) ..

. seems to be irresistible.

Steve

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Gary350
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Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

When I lived in Illinois my Grandfather had those he called them field mice. They were every where in all the fields but none near the house or garden. Grandpa had cats they could hear the tiny animals in the tunnels and dig them up to eat. Cats could still find the voles in 8" of snow I use to watch the cats stand and listen. Cats could hear them and move closer and closer then suddenly dig 1 up and eat it.

I have 3 cats they are my gardens best friend. Cats keep everything out of the garden. When my corn gets ripe squirrels are not a problem cats keep the squirrels away. Birds do not peck the tomatoes cats sleep in the shade of the garden plants & birds stay away. My yard is full of moles so far cats are not bothering the moles, I hope it stays that way. My 14 year old cat use to dig up the moles she died last summer. Moles eat, slugs, cut worms, wasp larve, anything that lives in the soil. My garden is full of fishing worms must be too many worms for moles to eat all of them.



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