NC Cooperative Extension Service

Our mission is to help people improve the quality of their lives through
research-based information and informal educational opportunities focused on issues and needs.


Master Gardenersm Column for the Week of April 25, 2005
Charlie Spencer
Brunswick County Extension Master Gardenersm Volunteer

MOLES AND VOLES

If your azaleas are looking sickly with stunted growth and very small leaves (possibly yellowed or reddish in color), and the plants generally appear “weak,” you may have a problem with voles.

To check for the pests, take a long screwdriver and poke the base of the plants. If you find a soft spot and then the screwdriver suddenly drops an inch or so, then you have probably found a tunnel or vole run.

Voles, also known as meadow mice or field mice, are small rodents of the genus Microtus. Voles are chunky in build with small ears, gray or brown fur and tails. A vole is about the same size as a mole.

Moles are insect and grub eaters and do not eat vegetation. Voles are indiscriminate, voracious eaters of bulbs and the roots of many garden plants, including azaleas, dogwoods, and hostas. They can cause a great deal of damage resulting in the decline and death of plantings. If you dig up one of your ailing azaleas which has a vole tunnel to its roots, you will find the roots have been chewed off, leaving the plant with inadequate means to absorb water and nutrients. In our area, the tunnels also cause the sandy soil to dry out faster than usual, reducing water supply to the plant roots. Voles also like to munch on roses and carrots. The top growth suddenly wilts and does not revive with water. When the main stem is pulled, it comes completely away from the plant, the end neatly chiseled through as if by a miniature beaver.

If you think you may have voles, try the apple test:

  • Get some old brown shingles or 1- to 2-inch thick pieces of board. Establish test sites at about 15-foot intervals by placing the shingle or board on the ground over the entrance to a tunnel or somewhere along the tunnel run.
  • After five days, place a ½-inch cube of apple under each shingle. After 24 hours, check to see if the apple has been moved or chewed. Make a note of your findings.
  • You can now focus control on specific areas.

    • The main methods of control are trapping and poisons. Habitat modification, barriers, repellents, fumigants, and natural predators can also be tried. Habitat modification includes cultivating the soil to destroy the burrows and keeping mulch away from the base of plants. Barriers include planting in wire baskets and using hardware cloth to protect the trunks of young trees.

    The traditional mousetrap also works if the population is not too large. The most effective way is to purchase a large number of snap traps and plan a one- or two-night massacre.

    Try putting out the bait without setting the traps for two or three nights, then set the traps and it’s possible you’ll catch them by surprise. Dig down to the run tunnel, then place the trap at a right angle to the run. Cover with a shingle, being careful that no light can reach the trap site. Glueboard is another trapping option.

    Send your gardening questions or comments to: Brunswick County Master Gardener Column, P.O. Box 109, Bolivia, NC 28422, or call (910) 253-2610. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope if requesting information or a reply. Answers may be printed in this column.

    North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.

    For further information or assistance, please e-mail:
    Charlie Spencer, Brunswick County Extension Master GardenersmVolunteer

    Back to the Master Gardenersm News Column Page of the Brunswick County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.

    Back to the Home Page of the Brunswick County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.

    This site is maintained by Kathy Walters.

    URL Address: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/brunswick/

    Date Created 4/18/2005