Knowledgebase
Building raised beds to exclude voles #892271
Asked February 04, 2025, 10:11 AM EST
Cheshire County New Hampshire
Expert Response
Hi Deirdre-
I found an excellent article on voles from Penn State. Here is the link:
https://extension.psu.edu/voles
It goes into great detail on how to identify voles and also moles and shrews, which is key to handling your pest problem. Most the of the information addresses tree damage and bush damage, as voles like to feed on the bark of trees and bushes. Based on what it says, it appears that 1/4 inch hardware cloth with height of 18-24 inches is recommended to keep them out. It also says to bury the cloth at least 4 inches into the ground, so they can't dig under. I am not sure that you can adapt this to your raised bed as it might not be cost-effective, however, it does suggest keeping the area vegetation free (at least 2 feet) around it, so that it it deters them. Hope this helps.
