If that backyard pest isn’t a mouse, it might be a vole

By Zoey McGee  |  Manor Ink

Though often called a “field mouse” or “meadow mouse,” the vole is no mouse at all. But you could say the vole shares the same destructive qualities as its relative, the mouse. Yes, the vole is not as cute and innocent as it may look.

Voles have small, stocky, furry, mouselike bodies. They have a large head, small ears and eyes, and a blunt, round nose. Like I said, they are cute.

This rodent is primarily herbivorous. Because of the vole’s high metabolism, it regularly consumes the same amount as it weighs. It eats seeds, leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, grasses and other green vegetation. But voles will also gnaw on trunks and roots from various plants, which is what makes them destructive. Due to these critters eating the trunks and roots of plants, they can severely harm lawns, gardens, orchards, forests, lawn plants and more.

Voles are active all year round. They can be found in areas with heavy ground cover, such as fields with lots of grass and weeds, but can also be found at stream and pond banks, pastures, hay fields and – unfortunately – in your backyard. Their home range is usually an acre or less. Once a suitable habitat is found, voles will build runway systems above and below ground and will create nests out of woven grasses and other materials.

Voles don’t have a specific breeding season, but they breed mostly during the spring and summer. A female can have from one to five litters per year, which can consist of up to 11 young. However, only about ten percent survive past the first week. Baby voles grow quickly and are weaned at 21 days old. Adults have a short life and only live about two to 16 months.