[timdunn]

Hello,

Having a problem with voles eating veg still in the ground and chewing off young hornbeam hedge plants. Anyone know of any legal remedies?

Thanks!

[fatbelly]

I think Voles are a protected species (not 100% sure) but their numbers are in serious decline.
Are you sure its Voles?

[mumofstig]

Water voles are protected, field voles aren't 

[timdunn]

I think they're field voles but could be mice. Certainly not water voles as too far from pond/watercourse. They've basically nibbled the hornbeams right through at the base and devoured a load of courgettes (maybe I should be thankful for the latter!)

[sunshineband]

Sounds horribly like field voles

We have had dreadful damage this year as there is a population boom for the little devils.

I can only say that

a) they are certainly not protected in any way
b) they eat normal mouse bait

You can decide if you wish to go down this route, but I have found live trapping painfully slow and it made no difference to the levels of infestation on the plots on our site.

Their tunnels under roots cause huge crop losses, as well as our beloved rose bushes, and their constant eating, well, that speaks for itself.

Mouse bait does offer a solution, and used responsibly does not affect other wildlife.

[Aunt Sally]

Eradibait is the best to use. 

It only kills rodents and even if a predator eats the rodent after it has been killed it will do no harm.


http://www.eradi-products.com/

[Mrs Bee]

Eradibait is the best to use. 

It only kills rodents and even if a predator eats the rodent after it has been killed it will do no harm.


http://www.eradi-products.com/

Now that is very useful to know, as I feel very uncomfortable using poison to get rid rodents, especially as we have owls who visit us.

[Kajazy]

Eradibait is the best to use. 

It only kills rodents and even if a predator eats the rodent after it has been killed it will do no harm.


http://www.eradi-products.com/

Aunt Sally, I can't tell you how relieved I am that you've found and posted this - I've been fighting a huge vole infestation all through the spring and summer - tell-tale tunnels right under all my crops (I think they like eating the roots!) with so many plant losses it's amazing that I've grown anything at all! Definitely field voles (I've seen the cheeky critters - sitting right next to the rabbits who were happily munching on the bits they left above ground!). In the end I was almost about to reach for the rat poison, I was so desperate. Very glad there's an alternative. Do you have to buy it direct, or do you know if it's stocked in garden centres etc?

[timdunn]

Thanks for the tip - Very good to know! There's surprisingly little info. on the Internet about dealing with these infestations. Found the following 'low down' on Eradibait which may be of interest to others: http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/mobile/Eradibait-Rat-Mouse-Killer/productinfo/ERADIBAIT/ Seems like vole populations may be peaking in many areas. I believe they do so every 3-5 years then crash due to inbreeding and consequent susceptibility to disease; possibly excelerated by the warm summer.

[JacsH]

An old post but a current problem with us in SW Scotland this year. Cats now have a 'not vole again' look on their faces when they see one or 6. Combined with mice we have lost most of our strawberries this year - nipped off when green and left to rot - as well as some chillies, parsley, most of the broad beans and some French beans and now they've started on the carrots. (not to mention decorative plants). We're trying an old prevention of boiling a few cloves of garlic, squashing then straining and spraying the liquid over the relevant plants. We have, now, seen a young adder in the walls so are hoping that that will munch a few. Fingers crossed.

[jaydig]

I've got the little blighters on my plot too.  They've tunnelled under and eaten the potatoes, they've tunnelled under the strawberries, and nipped off loads of unripe fruit then left it in heaps throughout the bed.  I've never seen so many tunnels and so much damage to crops.  Come back Mr Mole, all is forgiven.

[greenjay]

I too have got vole issues. they have eaten or part eaten all my beetroot, the occasional potato and I have give up planting peas directly.

[Deborah1]

Had to jump in as I’ve finally found my people and perhaps a solution - will look in to Eradibait as I was told that voles wouldn’t take any ‘normal’ bait in traps.
Since the field that runs parallel to my garden was put down to permanent pasture the vole problem has got worse year on year. They eat EVERYTHING. And what they haven’t eaten just grows poorly as the ground is riddled with tunnels and often plants are putting down roots into the empty void of a tunnel.
If I walk on the soil it’s like walking on quicksand.
I’m at the end of my tether. Watching peas get to 6ft tall and then cut off at the root, Dahlias collapse as they’ve no tuber left, and I won’t even talk about my potatoes other than to say from the 12kg I planted I got about the same back - and most of those have been gnawed.
Vent over.

[jaydig]

I've tried searching for Eradibait, but so far haven't had any luck.  Anyone else managed to find a supplier that has stock?