Benjamin Collette

Moles and Voles, Oh My! — Written By Rob Hawk and updated by Melissa Vaughn and Chumper Walker Woodland or Pine Vole rodent Voles eat roots from garden vegetables, bulbs, and bark. You most likely deal with pine and meadow voles. Meadow voles spend most of their time above ground while pine/woodland voles are more burrow dwelling and usually have an extensive subsurface trail system that is excavated about 1 to 2 inches deep. These burrows open to the surface and often connect to above-ground runways. These burrows are small since voles are the size of plump mice. They can be a serious outdoor pest, damaging the root system on many landscape and garden plants or even girdling trees when feeding on their bark. The best way to control a vole epidemic is to set large spring loaded mice traps baited with apple slices or peanut butter near the tunnels. You can also discourage voles from invading your yard by keeping the grass mowed short and reducing the amount of thatch in the lawn. There are also poisons that can be used to kill voles but one must consider potential risks with pets, children, or non-target animals. Read the label in its entirety before using any vole poison products to avoid illegal usage and/or unintended harms. Mole Moles have large paddle-like forefeet used for digging. Image by Michael David Hill, Wikimedia Moles eat insects, worms, and other invertebrates living in your soil. Moles are not considered rodents. The tell-tale sign of moles is the visible ridges that are seen as a result of tunneling in the lawn. There is a tendency to try to control moles by applying grub killer to your lawn. Sometimes this isn’t a recommended approach since moles eat more than just grubs. The star-nosed mole, found mostly in the mountains and coastal plains, is listed as a NC Special Concern Specie and is protected by law. Reference NC law 15A NCAC 10B .0106 WILDLIFE TAKEN FOR DEPREDATIONS, found on the NCDA website for more info. The eastern mole and the hairy-tailed mole are under consideration for designation as pests. Currently, the use of poison is not labeled for moles in North Carolina. A easy control method is to simply put on your heavy boots and stomp on the ridge tunnels to flatten them. In the meantime, trapping is the recommended avenue for mole control. Article submitted by Chumper Walker, EBCI NC Cooperative Extension Director Original Article by Rob Hawk, Swain and Jackson County NCCE Director

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Recent Posts by Benjamin Collette

June 2021 EBCI Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Newsletter

May 2021 EBCI Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Newsletter

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