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Little-TON - Colorado

Introduction

Voles are small rodents that measure 4 to 8.5 inches long and weigh 0.8 to 3 ounces and vary in color from brown to gray. They are pudgy, with blunt faces and small eyes, small and sometimes inconspicuous ears, short legs, and a short (the long-tailed vole is an exception) and scantily haired tail.

Eight species of voles are found widely throughout various ecosystems of Colorado, in heavy ground cover of grasses, grass-like plants, and litter.

Southern red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi) are found in moist and well-developed coniferous forests. They are most abundant in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) stands, usually between 8,000 and 11,000 feet.

Meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) primarily occur along the Front Range and southcentral Colorado. They tend to live in or near damp marshy areas or wet meadows.

Montane voles (Microtus montanus) primarily are found in the western half of Colorado in moist meadows and valleys and in grassy areas from 6,000 feet to above timberline.

Long-tailed voles (Microtus longicaudus) occur just below 5,000 feet elevation to above timberline in the western half of Colorado. They are most abundant in streamside meadows.

Mexican voles (Microtus mexicanus) are associated with grassy areas of Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of southwest Colorado in Mesa Verde National Park.

Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are found along streams and irrigated lands in northeastern Colorado.

3/13/2012 12:01:21 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Sagebrush voles (Lemmiscus curtatus) occupy the driest of all vole habitats in Colorado. They occur between 5,000 and 9,000 feet in the northwest.

Heather voles (Phenacomys intermedius) are found from 7,000 to 12,000 feet in the forested mountains of central Colorado. They occupy a variety of habitats but are most abundant along streams.

Voles eat a variety of grasses, forbs and agricultural and garden crops. They also eat bark on trees and shrubs, especially during fall and winter. While they prefer young, succulent trees and plants, they can change their diet to meet their nutritional needs.

Biology, Reproduction and Behavior

Voles are active day and night throughout the year and do not hibernate. They usually live between two and six months. Their home ranges usually are less than one-fourth acre and vary with season, food supply and population density. Voles construct many surface runways and underground tunnels with numerous burrow entrances. A single burrow may contain several adults and young.

3/13/2012 12:02:17 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Population densities of voles vary from species to species. Large population fluctuations that range from 14 to 500 voles per acre are common. Their numbers generally peak every three to five years. Population is influenced by dispersal, food quality, climate, predation, physiological stress, and genetics.

Voles have three to six young per litter and three to 12 litters per year. Their gestation period ranges from 20 to 23 days and they breed almost year around, although most reproduction occurs in spring, summer and fall. Females may become pregnant at three weeks of age.

Damage and Control

Voles can cause extensive damage to forests, orchards and ornamental plants by girdling trees and shrubs. They prefer the bark of young trees but will attack any tree, regardless of age, when food is scarce. Monitor orchards frequently so control measures can be implemented before appreciable damage occurs. Most damage occurs in the winter when voles move through their grass runways under the protection of snow. The greatest damage seems to coincide with years of heavy snowfall.

3/13/2012 12:03:27 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Damage to crops, such as alfalfa, clover, potatoes, carrots, beets and turnips is common and most evident when voles are at high population levels. Runways and tunnel systems constructed in agricultural fields can divert irrigation water. Voles often damage lawns and golf courses by constructing runways and burrow systems.

Vole damage to trees and shrubs is characterized by girdling and patches of irregular patterns of gnaw marks about 1/16 to 1/8-inch wide. Gnawed stems may have a pointed tip. Do not confuse vole damage with damage by rabbits, which includes stems clipped at a smooth 45-degree angle and wider gnaw marks. Stems browsed by deer usually have a rough jagged edge.Voles also girdle the roots of trees and shrubs.

Other signs of damage by voles include: 1) 1- to 2-inch-wide runways through matted grass and burrows; 2) visual sightings; 3) hawks circling overhead and diving into fields; and 4) spongy soil from burrowing activity. Trees that appear to suffer from disease or insect infestation may be suffering from unseen vole damage.

Methods to prevent and control damage are: habitat management, exclusion, repellents, trapping, and poison grain baits. Voles are classified as non-game wildlife in Colorado and may be captured or killed when they create a nuisance or cause property damage.

Habitat Management. Elimination of weed ground cover and tall grasses by frequent and close mowing, tilling, or herbicide application is the most successful and longest lasting method to reduce vole damage to orchards. This will diminish the amount of available habitat and reduce their numbers. Prunings left in orchards prevent proper mowing and provide a temporary food source, which may lead to damage by voles. Planting short grasses that do not mat or lodge, such as buffalo grass, blue grama, or dwarf fescues, will provide little protective cover and may reduce vole numbers.

3/13/2012 12:05:09 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Repellents. Only a few repellents (including thiram and Hot Sauce or capsaicin) are manufactured to protect trees, shrubs and vegetable crops from voles. Little data are available on the effectiveness of repellents to deter vole damage. However, in one study, thiram was reported to reduce damage to apple stems by 78 percent. A 20 percent solution of chicken eggs in water has been effective in reducing deer and elk browsing and may reduce damage by voles.

Thiram is manufactured by various companies and sold under various trade names. Thiram products are labeled for protecting most of the following from voles: tree seedlings, shrubs, ornamental plantings, nursery stock, and fruit trees. Most labels limit the use of thiram on fruit trees to the dormant season.

Capsaicin (the “heat” in spicy peppers) is labeled for use on ornamental trees and shrubs, fruit and nut trees, fruit bushes and vines, and nursery stock to protect them from vole damage. Limit application to fruit-bearing plants before fruit sets or after the fruit is harvested. Hot sauce also is registered for use on beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, peas, brussels sprouts, squash, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, and cauliflower before edible portions and/or heads begin to form.

3/13/2012 12:06:23 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Now we know....Why WiZZy iZ growing them HOT PEPPERZ that Iceman gave him... I am going to burn there lil feet off.....

3/13/2012 12:07:14 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

I hate voleZ......

3/13/2012 12:07:29 PM

[email protected]

"They are pudgy, with blunt faces and small eyes, small and sometimes inconspicuous ears"

Sounds a lot like the BIZ to me

3/13/2012 12:08:50 PM

Ontario

One thing the little buggers can't seem to resist,north of the border anyway ,is strawberry bubble gum in snap traps. Terry

3/13/2012 12:41:26 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/displayphoto.asp?pid=7057&gid=1

My neighborZ yard at home....

3/13/2012 2:02:53 PM

Omaha, Ne.

That's one scary little rodent. Bet they would drive my dog crazy. he'd dig holes all over the yard trying to get-em. oh he all ready does that.

3/13/2012 5:46:11 PM

Omaha, Ne.

Wiz I found a video of your vole. They say its a termite, but I think it the vole you described.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDJwyLWHzI0

3/13/2012 7:07:50 PM

Breslau, Ontario, Canada

I hate Voles!
I seemed to only notice the tunneling after I had the patch covered with row cover at the end of the season.

3/13/2012 8:41:23 PM

Littleton, Colorado

I put collars of hardware cloth- 1/4" mesh around fruit trees. I make them about a foot in diameter & about a foot high. I've used broken glass to mulch around the base of fruit trees too. If you string trim where you've done this, do beware! I've shot some shards of glass at myself with a string trimmer. For snap traps, mix oatmeal into peanutbutter. Voles do like both! Fasten snap traps in the pumpkin patch with some sort of anchors--I've lost a lot of snap traps to foxes that take the vole, trap and all! I didn't used to appreciate cats. I've learned to love having good hunters. They make a bigger dent on my vole population than anything else I've tried, and believe me, I've tried hard to lower the numbers of voles!

3/14/2012 4:22:15 AM

Littleton, Colorado

I hate voles too! I hate hooved voles (deer) almost as much!

3/14/2012 4:25:03 AM