The Extension office has received many calls about small holes in lawns.

It’s obvious local residents are out enjoying the wonderful spring weather, and part of that enjoyment has included yard observations. While there are a number of critters that can and will make holes in a lawn, odds are most of the trouble is being caused by voles.

John C. Coccaro is county Extension director. Write to him at 1100-C Grove St., Vicksburg, MS 39180 or call 601-636-5442. E-mail him at jcoccaro@ext.msstate.edu.

The pine vole is most common to this area. It is a small mammal that eats native vegetation and can be a valuable food source for hawks, cats and snakes. But voles can cause landscape damage by eating flower bulbs, girdling the stems of woody plants and gnawing roots. Spring is when they seem to be most active.

Pine voles have small eyes and ears hidden by their fur. The tail is shorter than its hind legs, and its fur is reddish brown. An adult pine vole is about 3 inches long and weighs an ounce or less. 

Female pine voles have a gestation period of 24 days, have an average litter size of 2.8, and produce four to six litters a year. They reach sexual maturity at 37 to 38 days and have a reproductive life span of 15 to 18 months. So, they have the ability to increase quite quickly.

Pine voles spend most of their lives underground in burrow systems. They feed on plant roots, flower bulbs and the growing tissue of tree roots. Pine voles tend to stay in an area as small as 1,000 square feet for their entire lives. At night, they come above the ground and feed on tender green vegetation. Soil with a lot of clay, like most in Warren County, support pine vole populations well because the clay allows for relatively permanent tunnel systems. 

When Master Gardeners Jim Brannon and Ann Sherard discussed controlling lawn varmints in a presentation at the Extension office, Brannon touched on voles.

One of the most effective methods, he said, is trapping. The method includes covering the vole burrow with a large, heavy planting container turned bottom up and placing a series of mouse traps beneath. The traps’ triggers should be placed perpendicular to the edge of the planter and any drain holes in the planter should be covered as to keep out any sunlight. Traps may be baited with a small, 1/2-inch cube of apple, but may also be effective if left un-baited. This technique combined with placement over an active vole burrow will often yield multiple voles caught in a 24- to 48-hour period. 

Brannon also showed a slide with his two cats, which are apparently very good at catching voles. A participant asked, “Do you rent them out?”