Voles Extermination | Vole Pest Control Methods
Voles are small rodents that grow to 4-8 inches depending on species. They can have 5-10 litters per year. Gestation takes for 3 weeks and the young voles reach sexual maturity in a month. Needless to say, vole populations can rapidly grow from one or two to many within a very short period of time. Since litters average 5-10 young, a single vole in the yard can become 50 or more in less than a year.
Voles are commonly mistaken for other small animals. Moles, gophers, mice, rats and even shrews have similar characteristics and behavioral tendencies. Since voles will commonly use burrows with many exit holes, they can be mistaken for gophers or some kind of ground squirrel. Voles can create and will often times utilize old abandoned mole tunnels thus confusing the land owner into thinking that moles are active. When voles find their way into the home, they are readily identified as mice or young rats. In fact, voles are unique and best described as being a little bit like all the other animals they are so commonly thought to be.
Voles will readily thrive on small plants. Like shrews they will eat dead animals and like mice or rats, they can live on most any nut or fruit. Additionally, voles will target plants more than most other small animals. It is here where their presence is mostly evident. Voles will readily "girdle" or eat the bark of small trees and ground cover much like a porcupine. This girdling can easily kill young plants and is not healthy for trees or other shrubs.
Voles love to eat succulent root systems and will burrow under plants or ground cover they are particularly fond of and eat away until the plant is dead. Bulbs in the ground are another favorite target for voles; their excellent burrowing and tunneling gives them access to sensitive areas without clear or early warning. A vole problem is often only identifiable after they have destroyed a number of plants.
Rodenator Pest Control Methods
For best results eliminating voles with a Rodenator device identify the source of the Vole infestation. Two distinct characteristics of vole infestation are the presence of clusters of small round holes approximately 1-1 1/2" in diameter and the appearance of trails/tunnels running from these holes throughout the adjoining grassy areas. Voles while living below ground in a vast but shallow network of tunnels feed and travel above ground in these "runways" which provide food sources and protection from natural predators.
Several generations of voles may at times share and occupy the same nesting chambers below ground. Voles are prolific breeders and do not hibernate.
Using the Rodenator and its process to assist in the elimination of vole infestations is very effective and the offensive approach to dealing with these highly destructive rodents. In essence, the Rodenator mixed fuel burst is delivered into one of the vole tunnel openings for 15 - 20 seconds and then detonated. The resulting concussion will quickly kill any vole within that tunnel system. You will notice that upon detonation, several of the tunnel openings within the immediate area of the blast will also "blast out". This assures you that several interconnecting tunnels have been cleared.
As a training aid, you may want to try something we do when demonstrating the Rodenator and its process. After locating a vole "colony", place old golf balls on all but one tunnel opening, apply the gas mix for the prescribed 15 - 20 seconds, push the ignition button and watch the golf balls go flying. Any balls that dislodge from the tunnels are an indication of the tunnels now clear of living voles. Repeat the process on any undisturbed holes.
In residential or turf type applications, significant reduction of visible vole infestation can be immediately reduced by using our process and following up the blasting with back filling all treated holes. This backfilling is especially important to preclude any voles that may have been out foraging above ground while using the Rodenator. We have found that backfilling with dry builder's sand immediately upon completing a series of blasts seals the tunnels, allow the turf to regenerate quickly and make it virtually impossible for any outsiders to re-infest the treated tunnels.