Voles are small mammals that appear cute and harmless, but their proclivity to dig causes them to cause damage. They are frequently confused with moles or mice, but they are neither. The meadow vole, also known as the meadow mouse, is a rodent that is related to but not the same as a mouse. Do voles come in the house?
These small animals are not aggressive, but they live an active lifestyle and are well-known for their digging abilities. Although they do not intentionally or frequently infest houses, they can be found inside on occasion. One or two of them may unintentionally enter your home. Voles are not the type of animals that sleep when it gets dark, so they can be active both during the day and at night. Voles are very destructive when they invade your outdoor property because they are active all year and have the ability to dig. When these rodents dig tunnels in the soil, they can cause significant damage to your lawn and garden.
They enjoy eating plants and gnawing on plant stems, as well as feasting on grass blades. As a result, they can be extremely damaging to grass and crops. When voles visit your property, you will notice that some previously healthy plants are damaged or dead as a result of the voles feasting on the roots. Atap is the local rodent control.
Why do voles enter houses, and how do they do so?
Voles are typically not indoor pests and have no desire to enter your home. Even when they end up in your home, they spend the majority of their time outside. They are most interested in the plants in your yard because they eat them.
Voles are not afraid of snow but may seek shelter by burrowing through it to reach a warmer location. During the winter, voles may allow snow to cover them and protect them from predators.
However, they may occasionally desire heat and thus dig a tunnel in the lawn in search of a warm space. Depending on where they begin their burrowing, these tunnels may lead them into the house without their knowledge. For example, they could begin digging from beneath your patio and end up in the warm space of your home. Their main goal may not be to enter your home, but the tunnels may lead there.
Voles are excellent diggers, and if they infest your yard, you will notice some holes that resemble a series of raised tunnels on the surface of your lawn. As they dig in the turf, the voles create these underground tunnels. They also wear down the grass with their feces as they move along the runways they’ve carved out of it.
These animals are poor climbers and do not like to infest buildings, but they occasionally end up unintentionally in the house. Voles’ digging behavior causes them to dig burrows, especially when they believe it is getting colder outside. But all they want is to get somewhere warmer, not realizing that the tunnels can sometimes lead into a house.
Can Voles Destroy Houses, and What Can They Do To Your Property?
Voles can damage your lawn and trees in your yard if they get into your outdoor property, which they will do most of the time as they seek watered lawns during the dry season.
These small animals enjoy running around in the tunnels they dig in your yard. They will accomplish this by feeding on your lawn and any garden plants in your yard. You will notice extensive vole damage around the foundation plantings of your home. The animals can also gnaw through the bark of young trees and other woody vegetation.
This can be very frustrating because they prefer to focus on the roots of the plants, which causes most of the plants to die. Furthermore, voles live in colonies, and as the colonies grow, they increase the number of tunnels and spread them across the lawn. However, just because they don’t do much damage to your property doesn’t mean you should let them stay in your house if they get in. When they enter your home, they may bring parasites such as ticks, mites, and fleas that are dangerous to you and your pets. Furthermore, their feces and urine are unsafe and can spread serious diseases. Voles may not bite you, but you should not tolerate them or live with them in your home.
Voles have been known to dig through fences and into gardens. You can keep voles away from your vegetation by installing a special vole-proof, woven wire or hardware cloth fence around small gardens and flower beds.
You can also use vole repellant products to spray in your yard, but if you find these animals in your home, your best bet is to call a professional exterminator before trying any home remedies. Atap Exterminator Chicago is a vole removal expert who are the best at dealing with rodents and removing them from your property. Read more about voles in another post What do voles look like? Protect your home by contacting us today for more information and to schedule an appointment. Call us at 773-701-7705.