Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> Lawns

Surface Trails? It's Voles, Not Moles

Identifying the Culprit

Small, charcoal-gray, mouse-sized creatures making squiggly surface trails (no raised tunnels) under a shade tree = Voles (meadow mice), not moles.

Vole vs. Mole

Feature	Voles	Moles
Tunnels	Surface runways in grass	Raised subsurface tunnels
Diet	Plants, roots, bark	Earthworms, grubs, insects
Appearance	Mouse-like, small ears, short tail	Pointed snout, large front feet, no visible ears

Control Resources

University of Illinois: Vole Identification & Biology
UC Davis IPM: Vole Management Guidelines

Quick Tips

Reduce ground cover (mulch, tall grass) near trunks.
Hardware cloth cylinders around young trees.
Traps (mouse snap traps) baited with peanut butter in runways.
Repellents (castor oil) variable.

Lawns: Mole or Vole? Don’t Use Peanut Butter for Moles; Mole Control in Lawns: Trapping Beats Gadgets; Lawn Alternatives for Elderly Care Property in NJ: Groundcovers, Gravel, and Emotional Value; Natural Lawn Care in Florida: Soil Test, Ants, Weeds, Grass Choice; Sugar for Lawn Violets: No Quick Fix, Soil Improvement Is Long Game; Diagnosing Black Discoloration in Lawn; Zoysia Fungus in North Florida: Shade, Sawdust, and Recovery; Black Spot on Roses and Lawn Fungus in Chicago; Massachusetts Lawn Disaster: Grass Pulling Up Like Carpet After Grub Treatment; Controlling Moles in the Lawn

Garden Articles

Controlling Winter Weeds in Dormant Bermuda Grass

Organic Lawn Care: Realistic Expectations and Practices

Filling Mole Holes: Don't Bother — Soil Settles Naturally

Grubs in New Sidewalk Soil: Nature Will Clean It Up—Don’t Spray

Dead Spots Around Trees: Allelopathy, Competition, or Mowing Artifacts?

Reviving a Declining Bermudagrass Lawn in Irving, TX

Solving Chronic Shade Lawn Failure with Mushrooms on Long Island

Plants

Keeping Neighbor Dogs Off the Lawn

Identifying Lawn Mounds and Holes in Southern Ohio

Transforming an Overgrown Yard into a Family-Friendly Space

Organic Lawn Transition in Rochester, NY: Spring Start-Up Guide

Brown Spots in a Minnesota Lawn: Fungus vs. Grubs and Organic Remedies

Moles and Grubs in New Jersey: Organic Solutions with Cayenne Pepper

Recovering Bahiagrass After Accidental Herbicide Damage

Copyright © www.100flowers.win Botanic Garden All Rights Reserved