Subject: Managing Mole and Vole Activity in Your Landscape

Dear Catherine ,

Thank you for reaching out regarding the wildlife activity in your yard. Identifying whether you are dealing with moles, voles, or both is the essential first step in implementing an effective management strategy.

How to Identify the Culprit

To help determine the specific cause of the damage, please look for these key indicators:

Moles: These are insectivores that create raised ridges or conical "mini-volcano" mounds. While their tunnels can occasionally uproot plants, they do not eat them.

Voles: These are rodents that create flat, 1-2 inch wide surface runways through the grass. They are herbivores that target vegetable roots, bulbs, and stems, often causing plants to wilt or collapse suddenly.

The Benefits of Moles

It is worth noting that moles can actually be beneficial to your garden ecosystem. Because they are insectivores, they provide:

Natural Pest Control: They eat 70–100% of their body weight daily in grubs, beetle larvae, and slugs.

Soil Health: Their tunneling acts as a "natural tiller," improving soil aeration, water infiltration, and nutrient mixing.

Control & Protection Strategies

If the activity is too disruptive, we can consider the following options:

Vegetable Garden Protection

Given the proximity of your garden, I recommend these additional steps:

1. Habitat Modification: Removing heavy mulch, woodpiles, or tall weeds near the garden will eliminate the "cover" that voles use to hide from predators.
2. Natural Deterrents: Planting items like wild garlic or daffodils can act as a natural deterrent for voles.
3. Physical Barriers: Installing a 1/4-inch mesh "hardware cloth" buried 12 inches deep is the most effective way to keep voles out of garden beds.

Please let us know if you have any further questions!

Best regards,

Haim
Master Gardener Volunteer
UNH Extension Infoline Team

https://extension.unh.edu/agriculture-gardens/yard-garden

reference:

https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2018/03/mole-or-vole

https://extension.unh.edu/resource/managing-voles-new-hampshire-orchards-and-highbush-blueberries-fact-sheet-1

https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2021/03/april-gardening-tips

Hi Catherine,

You can certainly send us photos! We will get back to you as soon as we're able. Haim has completed his Ed Center volunteer shift for the day. Our volunteers will be in house again early next week!