Are voles a garden pest ?

I'm not even sure what a vole is. But someone said they could be pests.

Anyone know about voles ?

http://landscaping.about.com/cs/pests/a/vole_control.htm
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek030222.html
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecase/Behavior/Spring2002/Iles/iles.html
http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/factsheets/treefruit/pests/vole/vole.asp
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/OAS/oas_htm_files/v72/p37_38nf.html
http://whozoo.org/AnlifeSS2001/samjones/prairievoles.html

We have pine voles, which are very bad pests in a garden. It is a burrowing rodent, that eats the roots off several types of plants and especially bad on potatoes, both Irish and sweet. They also do a number on carrots, beets and the like. Thier tunneling also disturbs other plants. They also tend to eat the bark off young trees and shrubs at the root level. Oklahoma seems to be the extent of thier western range, so you probably do not have a problem. Prairie voles, I am not familiar with, but from thier descriptions seem to be a more minor pest of grasslands.

Last spring while helping some friends get their garden ready to plant we found a nest of voles. They were found when using the tiller....one out of 3 survived. It didn't do much...just nessled down in my gloved hand.

We have them in Houston, but I have never had one in the garden - just in the yard. Our male dog used to dig them out and "have a snack", but he is too infirm to dig anymore. However his sister dug one up last week - left it on the patio to show us what a good girl she was.

Bubba,
Did you see my post regarding your veggie planting schedule in zone 9b?

I'm near Hobby Airport, and this will be my first attempt at growing veggies. I'm doing H/EBs for my tomatoes, green beans, bell peppers and okra. Please let me know when you start to plant so I"ll have an idea. I still need to order my seeds from TGS. So far, I've narrowed my tomato list to 6 different varieties (Cherokee Purple, Stupice, Porter’s Pride, Sungold, Arkansas Traveler, Eva Purple Ball). Someone suggested La. Velvet for the Okra and Kentucky Wonder beans. I need a bell pepper recommendation. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

Linda

Thank you so much for all the links. From what I can tell, we have a major vole problem.
I thought we had a lot of mice around the chicken pen (because of spilled feed, etc.), but just thought it was mice. Then I noticed all these soft mushy places in the soil. I then thought we had moles. Then I noticed burrowing under the chickens water feeders. Now the raised burrowing trails are all over the garden, and all around the chicken pen. It must be enough to worry the hens, they've stopped laying.

I knew there was something suspicious going on out there. ! I had many cucumbers and cantalopes etc. chewed. I just thought it was mice or maybe even rats......eeewww. I got a little skiddish about going out in the garden in the evenings.......thought they might run over my foot or something. (that would be an ordeal for the whole neighborhood) haha.

We kept seeing all these little holes in the ground too. We thought they were some kind of spider or snake hole..........but never saw any spiders or snakes.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. The mystery has been discovered. !!!! Now we can figure out how to deal with it. It's a relief to know what we are trying to deal with at least.

Thanks again.

Ugh ! Now that I know what I'm looking at, I see that the little rascals have girdled one of my peach trees. It seemed to be doing poorly compared to the other 3 that I put out last fall. Now I see why. So glad to get the info. Thanks again

From what a friend saw this year, they sure do like corn seeds. He put in three or four rounds before he got a stand. They just burrowed down the rows of soil that he'd so graciously loosened and garnished with sweet yellow kernels for their enjoyment. I'm not sure why they didn't demolish the last round. I'll have to ask.

They were probably laid back somewhere in their tunnels with a tummy ache from eating so much ......................the little rats ! That's so frustrating to plant so carefully, only to have the little varments destroy it. All the while you so eagerly await that first appearance of the tiny plants, only to realize the voles ate it. Grrr. Especially if you special order seeds.

I'll be better prepared for them next year by-gosh.