Voles

Calgary Vole Removal Specialists

Eliminate Voles.
Prevent Vole Damage.

At Lavellan Pest Solutions, our investigators are vole removal specialists. As a top Calgary pest control company, we utilize the best tools, resources, and scientific research available in the pest control industry, and along with our trained, licensed, professional investigators, Lavellan Pest Solutions is able to provide unparalleled service when it comes to exterminating voles in Calgary.

Are you seeing trails or veins in your lawn?  Do you have vole holes along the edges of your driveway or sidewalk? If you think you might have voles in your yard, our experienced pest investigators can give you the peace of mind that you’re looking for.

With our environmentally friendly services, and attention to detail, Lavellan’s mindful, professional, and timely vole treatment services will have you vole-free.

We are a proud Calgary business, locally owned, locally operated, and community minded.  Thank you for supporting local!

Eliminate Voles From Your Property, get back your peace of mind!

Voles, also known as Meadow Mice, are small rodents a little larger than house mice. They are very common throughout the Calgary area, and while they are not typically interested in getting inside your home, they can be a nuisance by causing damage to gardens, lawns, and property. Voles are known for creating small holes along the sides of sidewalks, driveways, or patios and they are also responsible for the track marks that people find running through their lawns after the snow melts.

Call today, to talk to a vole specialist 403-437-9310.

Voles And You

Vole (a.k.a. Meadow Mouse) - Family Arvicolinae

Voles live outside and are active throughout the year. During the winter months, they will create pathways and dens underneath accumulations of snow. Once the snow melts, the voles will leave the open areas where the snow was protecting them, and find shelter in other areas such as voids inside retaining walls, under sidewalks, under driveways, under patios, porches or decks, and even in and around the root structures of some trees and shrubs.

Voles do not tunnel underground the way that gophers do. Instead, they take advantage of existing voids and hollow spaces to make their homes. Voles will dig small holes in order to get to these voids and hollow areas, but they generally don’t dig very far, or displace much dirt in the process.

Other than the damage to plants and property, the presence of voles can also attract other predators. Skunks, weasels, badgers, and sometimes coyotes will sniff out and go after vole populations.

Voles are often mistaken for other rodents. Voles grow a bit larger than house mice or deer mice, but they have a less pointy nose and a shorter tail. Their fur tends to be coarser, and often appears oily or greasy. While voles can swim quite well, they do not tend to spend much time in the water, but their skin does produces oils to assist with repelling water and temperature regulation.

Typical signs of vole activity are:

Vein-like trails on the surface of the lawn

Loonie sized holes along the edges of garden beds, sidewalks, driveways or patio slabs

In cases of large populations, in the spring, after the snow melts, you may also find small domes of collapsed grass with small tuffts of fur, or piles of tiny droppings in and among the trails in the lawn. These are areas where voles would have created full dens and latrines, essentially creating small villages under the snow.

Getting Rid Of Voles

There are four ways to get rid of voles from your property. Exclusion, Trapping, Poisoned Bait, and Predator Introduction.

Vole Exclusion

The safest and greenest way to get rid of voles living on your property is to actively exclude the voles by installing physical barriers or adjusting the landscape to prevent the voles from gaining access to your property or to potential den sites. Sometimes this can be a simple process of adding a bit of soil or concrete mix to a given area, and other times it can mean a massive landscaping overhaul. Or, it may be somewhere in between. Exclusion is always worth considering even though, in the end, it may prove to be cost prohibitive. Sometimes you can find a balance where you may combine exclusion with one or more other methods of control.

Vole Trapping

Another option for removing voles is trapping. Trapping is not a very effective method when used without any other forms of control. Voles tend to get trap smart fairly quickly, and you will only end up catching about 10% of the population. Vole are also quite fussy, so traps also have to be cleaned and maintained regularly.

There are some different traps on the market, but essentially any trap designed for mice, will also work for voles.

Poisoned Bait

The third method used to eliminate voles is the safe use of poisoned baits. When used as part of a program that is administered by a professional, this is the most effective method for long-term, or permanent control of voles on your property when exclusion is not possible. While this method is considered to be the most effective, it also carries a risk for affecting non-target animals, people, or pets if it is not administered and managed properly.

While some domestic baits are available at local home and garden centres, we always recommend the use of commercial grade baits that are administered by a pest management professional.

Predator Introduction

Introducing a predator on your property to control voles is an uncommon, and unusual method that won’t be available or possible for the average person. To gain effective control or elimination of a vole population, you need to introduce the right type of natural predator. Simply introducing a domestic cat or dog to the area may reduce the visible activity, but it will not eliminate the problem. The predator would have to be an animal that will not only chase voles, but one that actively seeks them out, and is capable of digging or otherwise entering into the vole holes and dens. Care must also be taken to ensure that the introduced predator can itself be managed and controlled, and that non-target wildlife, people, or pets will not be harmed. Predators that hunt voles also tend to make a huge mess while excavating holes and dens. Introducing a predator should never be considered if poisoned bait is being applied or has already been applied over the previous year.

Some predator examples include weasels and skunks.

Our Methods

At Lavellan Pest Solutions, we administer commercial grade bait as part of a controlled program to exterminate voles. Our investigators will also make recommendations for any exclusion or landscape changes that may aid in the elimination or prevention of future vole problems.

Our programs are administered in such a way as to be completely safe for people and pets, and to create little to no impact on the environment or to non-target wildlife.

Common Questions And Concerns About Voles

Q: Can Voles Get In My House?

A: Voles are an outside rodent. They have no interest in living indoors. They wouldn’t know what to do for food, and they do not climb or jump in the same way as mice do. However, voles can come inside by accident. If a vole, or voles, gets trapped inside, it will behave much like any other wild animal that feels trapped and scared. They can be difficult to catch, and can cause significant damage to walls, furniture, draperies, or other items as they desperately try to get back outside. If you do have a vole in your house, the best thing you can do is to open a door and leave the area. The vole will likely find its way out all by itself. If not, you can always call a pest management professional to assist you.

Q: My Neighbour Has Voles. How Can I Prevent Them From Coming Into My Yard?

A: Voles, like most animals, need food and shelter to thrive. They can find food almost anywhere, so the best thing you can do to keep voles off your property is to remove any potential den sites. If they have nowhere to live, they won’t stay on your property. If your neighbour’s voles come into your yard under the snow over the winter and leave trails in your lawn, then you may want to consider having a pest management professional install above ground bait stations around the perimeter of your home. This can work best if you can also get your neighbour to participate in similar sort of control program.

Q: How much Does A Professional Vole Control Program Cost?

A: A typical vole control program will cost between $200 and $600, depending on the severity of the problem, the size of the property, and the length of the program required.