Gardener's number one enemy...VOLES

I love animals period!  But their is a creature that is running havoc on the farm and mostly in our field of lavender.

VOLES!

Cute right....WRONG!  Sometimes I think I am in the movie Caddy Shack and this little creature is out in our field dancing around laughing at me.

People often refer to voles as meadow mice, or "field mice".  Voles are of pest significance in turf and landscaped areas for two reasons; they tunnel and burrow in turf areas, and they gnaw on the trunks and roots of various trees and ornamental plants. 

When conditions are favorable, voles are perhaps the most prolific of all rodents. There are cases of meadow voles producing up to 17 litters in one year for an amazing 83 offspring. Assuming that her offspring also mated and reproduced, several thousand voles could result from one female in a years time. You can see why this could be a big problem in our lavender field.

You can see in the picture that the voles got into our cold frame of propagated lavender.  Although it was disappointing to see that they chewed all the new growth.  We learned our lesson and will be putting a bottom floor in the cold frame this spring for a new propagating trial. 

It seems that its the smaller lavender plants that are effected.  This might look like the last straw for this plant,  but it is surprising how the voles have been our best pruners.  But year after year this will not be good for the stress of the plant.
Voles are herbivores. The stems and leaves of grasses comprise the majority of their diet, but they will also consume other green vegetation and fruits. Voles do not hibernate and are active throughout the year. During severe winters and snow cover, when green vegetation is scarce, voles often girdle tree trunks and roots killing or damaging trees and shrubs.

They are in the process of chewing the middle of this plant.  We have used mouse snap traps, installing them with the trigger end in there runway path. A peanut butter-oatmeal mixture or apple slices make good baits. Fall and late winter are periods when many vole species are easiest to trap. With our large field it is difficult to keep up.

Zinc phosphide is the most commonly used toxicant for vole control. Because of its effect on ground-feeding birds and waterfowl we refuse to use it.
I have been to a number of talks on controlling this little pests. One suggestion it to plant with chicken grit which can be found at your local farm store.  Because voles don't like to dig in the grit they will stay away.  This is great if you are planting tulips or any other tubular or bulbs.  I don't think it will help the lavender.

Springs warmer weather is not far off and we hope the voles will find something else to eat.  Hopefully not my tulips.