One day, you could be taking a stroll through your garden admiring your pretty flowers and green plants when suddenly, you slam down into a divot and break your ankle. This kind of divot is often caused by small animals called moles and voles. While both are similar, the burrowing critters have significant differences. Since they can become a big problem for Marietta, GA homeowners once they arrive, here’s what you should know to keep moles and voles out of your yard.

The Biggest Differences Between Moles and Voles Visible Differences

Despite having a rhyming name, a vole is quite different than a mole. The biggest differences come in appearance. If you look at a vole, you’ll notice that its body size and fur color remind you of a mouse. This is also the case with a mole, but if you have the chance to sneak a peek at a mole’s face, you won’t be able to see the creature’s eyes or ears – they’re covered with hair to prevent dirt and debris from getting into them. Another telltale sign that you have moles is their big forefeet, which they use to dig into the dirt.

Distinctions in Moles’ and Voles’ Diet

Moles and voles also enjoy vastly different diets. A mole is a carnivorous creature, and as such, the animal chows down on insects, worms, and grubs. On the other hand, a vole prefers to dine on plants. Knowing the diet of these animals will help you identify your pest. Tunnels combined with nibbles taken out of the greenery of your plants may mean that you have a vole infestation, while tunnels without leafy remains may indicate that you have a mole.

Mole vs. Vole Tunneling Habits

A mole will form raised tunnels, and a vole will create a tunnel that is flush with the Earth. Since we’re talking about tunnels, you may be interested to know that moles are a lot more particular about them than voles are. While both use them to travel from place to place, a mole will form special compartments at the ends of its tunnels that operate as birthing rooms, bedrooms, and even kitchens. Some mole families live in their tunnels for several generations before moving on.

Social Contrasts

Even though mole clans often stay in the same tunnels, they’re solitary critters, spending most of their time alone and in their tunnels underground. Moles are loners to the point that if there are three to five of them in an acre, animal experts consider it a lot. Conversely, voles are highly social and typically live together. Some voles have monogamous relationships while others don’t. It’s obvious that family is a big deal for voles, so while you may be more familiar with their rhyming relatives, voles are a destructive pack you cannot ignore.

Why Is Their Burrowing So Bad? 

Burrowing animals are all-around burdensome because they eat your greens and damage your garden. A vole is a critter that will destroy a yard’s plants, while moles are responsible for making a mess of your lawn area. When it comes to tunneling, a mole is capable of digging 100 feet of new tunnel on an especially busy day. A mole that digs 100 feet of tunnel is likely well fed, but it’ll have created a lot of underground damage to your lawn.

While a mole infestation is made up of one or two pests, the vole species reproduces in large numbers, allowing them to colonize your garden quickly. Like other rodents, a vole will have a short lifespan of around 16 months or less. This means that the species can have as many as 30 offspring in just one year. Since these pests are really good at hiding, they can cause plenty of damage before you’re even aware that you have a vole infestation.

Moles and Voles in Marietta, GA

Their burrowing is bad enough, and it only makes matters worse that Georgia is a hotspot for several types of pesky moles and voles. The eastern part of the United States is home to the meadow vole, which like woody and grassy areas (of which there are plenty in Marietta, GA) and are the most likely to infest your lawn. When it comes to moles, the eastern mole is the most common in our state. Because we get so much rain during the summer, there are plenty of worms and grubs that attract the pests.

The Best Way to Keep Moles and Voles Away

Keeping moles and voles away from your yard is a difficult task. It’s especially challenging because they live not only outdoors, but also under the ground. They form and abandon tunnels frequently, making it hard to decide whether you actually have the pests hanging out on your property. To prevent these kinds of animals from moving in, your most dependable solution is to join forces with a professional wildlife control company.

Mole and Vole Control in Marietta, GA 

At Active Pest Control, we provide wildlife control across Georgia, including Marietta, GA, and we use a variety of techniques to manage rodent-type pests. The techniques differ depending on the situation – all done through smart strategies and humane methods. When you have a wildlife control company in your corner, the two of you can prevent a vole and mole coup from forming on your property. Keep your yard free of the nuisance burrowers, and contact us today!