Voles, also known as meadow mice, are small, pudgy rodents that live in grassy areas, a preference that often lands them in the yards and gardens of Salt Lake City homes.
Although voles are furry, friendly-looking critters, they cause extensive damage to lawns due to their burrowing behaviors and plants and trees, as they feed on roots, tubers, and bulbs. Voles can also carry many diseases, such as tularemia and rabies, and bring parasites onto properties, like ticks, fleas, and mites. Although they aren't aggressive, these rodents can also bite, and it’s rare for them to bite people.
Read on to learn about what voles in Salt Lake City look like, how you get voles in your yard and signs of voles in your garden. We also offer a key suggestion on keeping voles away—for good.
What Does A Vole In Salt Lake City Look Like?
Voles are similar to field mice, with broad, rounded bodies. Voles have small eyes, blunt noses, short, furry tails, partially hidden ears, and protruding orange teeth. Voles measure five to eight inches long, including their tail, and have coarse, thick fur that is brown or gray.
How Do You Get Voles In Your Yard?
The truth is that any Salt Lake City yard space is susceptible to attracting voles, as no single identifier determines what may draw voles to yards. If they like your property, they’ll stick around.
However, there are a few factors that may draw them to your yard or garden, such as:
- Overgrown brush, uncut grass, and a yard that’s rife with weeds
- Fallen debris, such as twigs and branches, and leaf piles
- Piles of firewood or woodpiles surrounding trees and gardens
- A lack of fencing around yards or gardens
- Trees that lack a protective skirt
Signs Of Voles In Your Garden
If you suspect you may have voles in your Salt Lake City garden, there are four significant signs that you’re likely to notice in time:
- Runway trails across your lawn; “runway” is the term used to describe the tunnels that voles burrow throughout lawns. These pests begin their tunnels close to the surface and closer to food sources (grass stems and blades), causing one to two-inch-wide grassless depressions in your yard. Damage from tunnels is made worse by the voles’ foot traffic.
- Vole burrows or holes around the base of trees or in the lawn.
- Damage to plants, such as gnaw marks on bark or chewing on the base of stems. Voles are primarily known to chew on celery and parsley and root vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots. When voles gnaw on plants, they leave a signature pointed tip.
- Dead plants that, when lifted, appear to be missing their roots.
How To Keep Voles Away For Good!
Voles are the kind of pest that you don’t want infesting your yard space. Seeing the snowmelt only to reveal a pattern of vole tunnels is an unsettling possibility—but the professionals at Pest Pro Pest Control can ensure that doesn’t happen.
Pest Pro Pest Control is a local, family-owned, and operated business that’s been providing pest control services to Salt Lake City residents for 12 years. We pride ourselves on providing fast, safe, and effective pest control service, and we always put the needs of our customers first.
If you suspect you have voles on your Salt Lake City property, call Pest Pro Pest Control today.