Do you have a pest in your garden and don't know exactly who is causing mischief? Below we will explain to you which traces and damage you can use to recognize a vole infestation and how you can distinguish the small rodents from moles or rats.
How do I recognize vole tracks in the garden?
Vole tracks in the garden are evidenced by flat mounds with side entrances and damage to plant roots, leading to death. These tracks are different from molehills with central entrances and rats that do not build mounds.
Detecting vole infestations
Voles can be recognized by two types of tracks: their burrow and their damage. If you examine both, you can tell with certainty whether you have a vole, a rat or a mole in your garden.
Vole construction
Voles raise mounds, similar to moles. In contrast to moles, however, they dig significantly fewer entrances into their burrows and throw the mounds less high. The entrance is next to the pile; in moles it is in the middle. Rats, on the other hand, don't build mounds; the entrances to their burrow are flat and round.
Vole damage
Voles are herbivores, moles are carnivores and rats are omnivores. Moles feed primarily on garden pests such as grubs, caterpillars or snails, which is why a mole is very useful in the garden. Voles, on the other hand, cause a lot of damage: They nibble on vegetables and plant roots from below, silently causing them to die. Rats prefer to feed on leftover food, insects and seeds. They don't bother drilling tunnels under vegetable beds to nibble on the roots from below.
Summary
Are you suffering from eaten roots and dead plants? You have a vole in your garden! Do you see brown-black animals around 20cm tall with long tails running across your compost? Rats probably live in your area. Numerous mounds in the lawn but no damage to vegetable plants indicate the presence of a mole.
Tips: You can fight rats and voles with traps. Live traps are more animal-friendly. These are also a good option for the mole. Moles are protected and must not be killed!
