Vole problems in my garden

[cjp1953]

I'm having a problem with ether moles or voles digging in my garden.I'm seeing small holes about 2 inches deep all over my garden.From what I read moles leave mounds of dirt and voles leave holes.Looking on line on ways to get rid of them I have seen many different things offered.One I saw was a windmill that sends vibrations into the ground.Has anyone tried this?I have to admit I like windmills and things that spin in the wind but really need something that will work.I have see that human urine would be effective and that by far would be the cheapest.I need to drink more water anyway.Seems like this might be a bad year for pests.I have seen them in the past in my garden but have never seen so many holes.Any ideas and things that have worked for your garden you could share would be of great interest.My wife first rolled her eyes at me on the urine and is not crazy about a windmill.But this is war and I take my tomatoes and peppers very seriously.I had posted last week thinking it was Chipmunks because I had seen them around the garden but I did kill a vole or mole the other evening.I could not tell what it was for sure but it was not a mouse.

[kath]

Hate voles...cute but horrible pests. Probably what you killed because moles look very unlike a mouse- paddle-like feet, pointy snout, and hardly have eyes. Tried trapping with mouse traps- they like peanut butter- works better in the colder weather, I think- we killed a lot in the fall/winter but they came back. Vibration devices didn't have lasting effects even though I thought they worked at first. Never heard about urine in the holes- would be willing to try that but don't often find the holes, just the damage. Read that they LOVE landscape fabric and their arrival did coincide with the beginning of it's use here. Needless to say, the scuffle hoe is now getting a weekly workout because I won't use the fabric any more. I've taken to building lots of raised beds lined with hardware cloth- that's how desperate I am- heard they can't/won't climb 12" and won't fit through a 1/2" square. Will let you know how that goes...
My sympathies, for sure...

[cjp1953]

Originally Posted by kath

Hate voles...cute but horrible pests. Probably what you killed because moles look very unlike a mouse- paddle-like feet, pointy snout, and hardly have eyes. Tried trapping with mouse traps- they like peanut butter- works better in the colder weather, I think- we killed a lot in the fall/winter but they came back. Vibration devices didn't have lasting effects even though I thought they worked at first. Never heard about urine in the holes- would be willing to try that but don't often find the holes, just the damage. Read that they LOVE landscape fabric and their arrival did coincide with the beginning of it's use here. Needless to say, the scuffle hoe is now getting a weekly workout because I won't use the fabric any more. I've taken to building lots of raised beds lined with hardware cloth- that's how desperate I am- heard they can't/won't climb 12" and won't fit through a 1/2" square. Will let you know how that goes...
My sympathies, for sure...

Thanks,I read that there is a pellet that contains coyote urine they sell at some of the garden centers but I would think you would have to apply after every rain.I never had so many holes and I have had this garden in it's location for 25 years.Might just that kind of year for pests.But this article I read said you could use human urine.Wife said she would not help me fill the bottle.I need to start drinking more water ........

[eyegrotom]

I had the same problem but they don't seem to bother the beans or pepper plants and some years they would leave the melon plants alone I tired every thing from windmill to the solar spikes you put in the ground that make noise off and on, they all worked for a little bit, some longer than others. Finally I made raised beds with wire mesh bottoms for most all things. I still plant beans in the ground.

[kath]

Originally Posted by eyegrotom

Finally I made raised beds with wire mesh bottoms for most all things. I still plant beans in the ground.

Glad to hear that seems to work! My plan for next year is only to have Irish potatoes, peas and sweet corn in the open ground. Oh, and trellised tomatoes, cukes, butternuts and sweet potatoes. If they still pose a problem, then more raised beds will go in.

[Farmette]

I've had what I think are voles eat beets, potatoes and sweet potatoes. The raised beds have wire mesh bottoms and that has not deterred them. Potatoes grown in the raised beds and in ground were similarly damaged. Putting mesh on the bottoms as well as a removable mesh framed fence saved the beets and I am considering that for the larger 4 x 10 ft. Raised beds.

[kath]

Originally Posted by Farmette

I've had what I think are voles eat beets, potatoes and sweet potatoes. The raised beds have wire mesh bottoms and that has not deterred them. Potatoes grown in the raised beds and in ground were similarly damaged. Putting mesh on the bottoms as well as a removable mesh framed fence saved the beets and I am considering that for the larger 4 x 10 ft. Raised beds.

Will not be sharing this news with DH...and will pray that the voles in our hood are less determined than the ones in yours.

[zipcode]

Once the population grows, which will happen in a nice dry year, they will eat everything.
Emerging beans - cut to the ground 100%. I put now plastic bottles around them. Sometimes cucumber transplants. Parsley is a big hit. Even juicier weeds sometimes get cut. Root vegetables, of course.
They don't bother the tomato plants, they have that specific smell.
I will have to start some vitamin D treatment or something.

[b54red]

Get a couple of miniature dachshunds. Of course for the first year they will really mess up your garden and the lawn but they are persistent in going after rodents in the ground and very good at finding them. They seem to be able to sense them and dig right down to them whereas some other dogs will dig up a huge patch searching for them without success. My neighbor behind my garden had problems with them but their two large dogs persisted in hunting them all they did was turn the yard into a minefield of large holes and dead spots.

We haven't had a problem with any kind of ground rodents since after the first year we got our first miniature dachshunds. They did make a mess of both the yard and garden for that first year or so but it was nice to find a little vole or mole or two or three every day on the doorstep for the first few weeks of their hunting. It didn't take too long to fill in the fairly small holes they dug and the yard and garden returned to normal except when a stray one decided to try their luck on our property. Now the little hunters concentrate on chipmunks and squirrels but even they avoid our yard for the most part even though the dachshunds are not good at catching squirrels they never stop trying.

Bill