Re: help, voles!

**"* B* <l*@msn.com>**

Hi, Rich!

We had a vole infestation a few years ago in one of our hosta gardens. After being unsuccessful with the other methods already discussed, we resorted to an elimination technique that was and has been absolutely foolproof.

Get a piece of pvc pipe (not perforated) about 12-18" in length (I use the pre-cut electrical conduit elbows that are gray in color), a package of Real Kill Rat and Mouse Killer All Weather Bars.  They come 12 to a package and have 12 1" cubes with pre-drilled center holes. Also pick up some galvanized wire.  I get all this at Lowe's and/or Home Depot.

Wire the bars (I put 2 on a wire so 2 animals can feed at the same time, one on each side -- sort of like Thanksgiving) into the inside of the pipe so birds, cats, dogs, grandchildren, etc. can't access the bait.  The darkness and clandestine environment are just what the little rodents love to enter to feed.  It attracts mice, chipmunks, voles, etc.  They go in to eat, get a very bad tummy ache, then die somewhere else.  You will need to check the traps daily for the first week or so and re-load regularly until the population starts dropping which you'll know right away.  

We found that other night creatures were attracted to the traps and we had to wire them to tress and other structures in the garden to keep them from "traveling" since larger creatures will carry them away trying to get to the bait which they won't be able to access.  

You can hide the pvc under the leaves of your plants but I found that we had to place so many of them around (we really had tons of these critters since the population increases dramatically if not kept in check) that I needed to  use those little orange contractor flags to remind myself where I had the traps.

You're welcome to come by to see the traps.  I still use them from time to time to keep the mouse population down to control lyme disease since they are common vectors and over time they carry the ticks all around the garden.

Lorraine 

Lorraine Ballato 
16 Mudry Farm Rd 
Brookfield CT 06804 
(203)740-8636

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Rich Pomerantz<r*@richpomerantz.com> 
  To: gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org<g*@lists.ibiblio.org> 
  Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 8:37 PM
  Subject: [GWL] help, voles!

  I noticed a few days ago a hole under the side of a raised vegetable bed that looked suspiciously like a vole hole, & meant to research the best way to deal with them. I have never had a vole problem before, so I'd like to nip it in the bud. Then today I saw another hole, in a different bed, a flower border on the other side of my property, so I am very concerned now that it may these creatures may be further entrenched here than I had realized!

  I seem to remember last year a few people here gave methods they had used, some with more success than others, for dealing with voles. I know the conventional wisdom is once you have them you can't get them out, but any and all advice (within reason) will be tested and reported back on!

  Rich Pomerantz
  rich@richpomerantz.com<r*@richpomerantz.com>
  www.richpomerantz.com<http://www.richpomerantz.com/>
  (860)355-3356
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