Has anybody heard of using mothballs (spread on a lawn, particularly near the fence line) as a method of preventing voles from destroying your new sod during the winter months?
This happened at our last house (new sod, backing onto greenspace) and when the snow melted in the spring, we found our lawn was reduced to hundreds of vole trails and mulched/dead grass. The yard never recovered, and one year later, still looks terrible.
Now, at our new house (again, backing onto greenspace) we want to try to prevent this from happening again and I heard that mothballs will discourage the voles from taking up residence in your yard.
Anybody know what the environmental implications of this method might be??
Or, any other ways to prevent vole damage??
Thanks in advance....
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Voles are in Saskatchewan for sure. My dog catches them once in a while.
Are they out West I have never heard of them. Gofers and marmuts ground squirrels and moles I have heard of but those look like pesky little buggers.
some call them shrews. They are the same family as moles and some mice.
I don't mean to sound dumb but what is a Vole.
Oh those desructive little critters run in population cycles...do so much damage .
You may be able to reduce the number of voles in your area by keeping the lawn mowed to three inches or less, removing garden litter, and keeping vacant lots, ditches or other open areas free of weeds and tall grass. Eliminating thatch will discourage voles from nesting in your lawn.
If you feed birds, it is a good idea to clean up spilled seed. This removes a source of food for the voles.
Barriers
Place hardware cloth cylinders (1/4 inch mesh or finer) around the trunks of young trees and shrubs. The cloth cylinder should be dug into the ground at least six inches and should extend well above the anticipated snow level. Wrap tree trunks with plastic tree guards.
Wire or metal barriers, at least 12 inches high, with a mesh size of 1/4 inch or less will exclude voles from a garden area. Bury the bottom edge 6 to 10 inches to prevent voles from digging beneath the barrier.
[url]http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/wildlife/g887.htm[/url]