Protecting Iris from Voles

I think many harmless snakes eat voles but I don't know which ones. I do know about a gopher snake which is really pretty and lives around here. Unfortunately the snake man tells me they migrate around from place to place so you can't keep them. I have gophers and perhaps voles, too. I have heard other people suggest ferrets, but I don' know if I could find one that would stay. I need to check on both that and on a good gopher eating snake that stays put. I have some tiny little garter snakes ( called gardener snakes by my stepson when he was little). They are too small to eat a gopher I think. And come to think of it I haven't seen them in a while. My neighbor is terrified of them. I wonder if........ I hope not.

I have to say when I say this thread - I had to look up what a vole was. Here I thought armadillos were a gardeners worst enemy!! I have never seen a vole around here, but that could be b/c we have sooooooooo many snakes. Wish I could ship you some!!!

Dana

That's the question of the day - where can you buy snakes that eat voles? Anybody?

I had all kinds of damage last winter from voles..

I went to theTractor Supply store and bought two solar sonic stakes. They emit a buzz every 30 seconds. They left.

All my irises are sprouting again. I won't get many blooms this year, but all those sprouts. My irises are really multipling.

They didn't eat my daylilies, but the Asiatic lillies are gone.

Don (DEMinPA)

Oh gosh, so sorry to hear that Don. Your lilies will be sorely missed.

I'm so glad the sonic devices are working for you. The Appalachain regions have two types of voles. Maybe it works on one type and you are fortunate to have that type. Can't think of any other reason they work for some folks and not others.

I have my asiatic lilies in a bulb cages buried in the dirt with holes only an inch apart to save them from voles and other rodents. If the tops get eaten the bulbs stay intact. My two pet snakes have gotten rid of most of the vole problem and the fact they can not get into the square bulb cages. Squirrels and chipmunks were just as bad going after those lilies and they have plenty of acorns around here not to. Not anymore problems as long as they are in wire cages but soon as I plant them outside the cages, the squirrels have a feast. I deport the squirrels with a have a heart cage to a park several miles away and across The Androscoggin River.

Mainer, Where do you get the bulb cages? Do you have a photo of one?

Mainer, what kinds of pet snakes to you have? Do they actually eat voles? Might they eat gophers? What kind of care do they need? I am thinking a snake or two is just what I need.

Milk Adders and Garters live here in Maine on our farm naturally. Milk Adders if riled up will bite and grow quite large but we never had a reason to rile one up.

We have a dirt cellar, walls are actually boulders and was used as a vegetable and canned food storage place in the 1800's which got converted to a wood furnace destroying what it was intended when it was built by making it too warm. Things rot in warmth.

Well the old furnace was not used when we moved into the house for a modern oil furnace was installed but snakes do live down there at times through out the year. This milk adder got into the main house, the kitchen while chasing a mouse which did startle my cat Robert one day. Robert was growling like a cat does when about to attack another cat so we went to find out what was the matter.

This Milk Adder longer than the length of a kitchen broom was what my cat was growling at and there was blood on the floor. Robert was not hurt and we saw it was eating a mouse. Mom took a kitchen broom and guided the Milk Adder out of the house after it ate his prey and was sluggish. Mom was quietly talking to it that if it wanted to live in our gardens, it had better stay outdoors. It seemed startled to be in our house and when it was ready left voluntarily through our front porch door with the guidance of the broom. The pipe vent to the kitchen was near the dishwasher and so we blocked the hole up immediately with metal and have had no more in the house incidents.

Now we got our bulb cages through Garden Supply catalogue and White Flower Farm. I will try to find a photo of it somewhere but mine are in the ground and staying that way until I need to divide.

Okay, I do not know the legality of copying and pasting the garden catalog item but here it is. What I bought and at the time what it cost. I believe White Flower Farm's were about $14.00 where Garden Supply was $10.00 and this was about 2005 when I bought them but they work really well for me for keeping out squirrels, voles, porcupines, and racoons.

Mainer, Thank you very much!

Great snake story, Mainer.

On the gopher cages, do the leaves of the plants get through the top without being distorted. Do you think the holes are big enough for tall bearded iris leaves to get through?

I was thinking the same thing. TB Iris are a problem. Can't seem to think of a solution for them. Those cages look great for lilies and tulips.

Your welcome and I do not think it would work for irises. Irises are shallow planted not tulips or lilium.

I think it would work for iris if the animal can be discouraged without the top. I find that gophers mostly tunnel up next to the rhizome or even underneath it to get to the leaves. This would keep them from doing that. Of course, at night, the get up and walk around -- and sometimes in the day if they think no one is looking or they can't figure out how to get back home.
I think I will try using them for gophers. Makj does and it works for her. Of course, would have to make a lot of them. I have about 350 iris.
I could also use them for my veggies which often disappear down gopher holes. They definitely pull the onions down their holes and eat them. Of course it wouldn't work on carrots which gophers sometimes eat from the bottom. And the carrot would end up enmeshed in the wire unless you made a really deep box. But I guess it really wouldn't be harder to make a deep box than a shallow one.
I am talking myself into this.

LOL

Progress Update...

I hired an exterminator for $65. He said "Sounds like gophers," and set poisoned bait in their holes. Things were quiet for about two days after he left. But by the third day, the beasties were nibbling on my shallots. I could hear the crunching from 20 ft away. So I bought four "Black Hole" gopher traps. http://www.amazon.com/Woodstream-Black-Hole-Rodent-Trap/dp/B0007O24US

Within fifteen minutes of setting them, I caught one beastie ( Still not sure if it is a small gopher or a big vole.) In the intervening two weeks or so, I have caught three more, for a total of four. The level of digging activity in the yard is only a little lower, but I am not losing as many new plants to the pesky varmints. It seems to take some patience and luck to set the traps where the beasties will go to close up their holes. But the traps are totally awesome. They are easy to set, and you never have to touch rattie or anything he's touched. I bury them and let them recycle.

Steve, That looks pretty handy. Might have to try to locate a couple. Thanks!

I have had luck with black hole traps and the regular gopher traps they sell, but it is easier to figure out where the black hole traps go than it is the regular traps. It does take time to deal with them. The reason they keep returning after exterminators or poisons or even trapping is that they multiply like rats which I think they are related to. The pocket gophers I have caught are light brown with a little gray mixed in. and are 6-8 inches long counting tail. Congratulations on your successes. I think trapping works best of all the methods. I need to start putting mine out again.

I was watering my daylilies this morning, and wondering if I had transplanted one new one last year, because it wasn't where I thought I had planted it. It is very dry here; the ground just soaked up the water instantly, so I left the hose running for awhile. Came back to move it, and the ground was still dry...a little investigation discovered a tunnel that was channeling all the water. (Did they eat the daylily?)
I don't really know the difference between gophers, moles, and voles, but we always have raised tunnels and holes in our yard. I lost about 20+ new irises this spring - what was left of the rhizomes was rotted. Someone suggested it could be voles or moles so I will be looking into this problem further...

I have been interplanting sharp rocks with my daylilies. I hope it works. I also got an outside kitty for the summer.

An outside cat is even better than trapping for ridding your yard of gophers and probably moles and voles as well. Sounds like your critters, caitlinsgarden are moles or voles, because gophers don't leave raised tunnels except when the soil is frozen for some reason. Tunnel indicates it is some underground critter. I have read that their mound shapes vary, but don't know any more than that.

I've been told that cats can't keep up with the population. The garden center manager I talked to recommended putting up large bird of prey perches around. He said they were more effective at controlling an out-of-control population than snakes or cats.

What would be an effective birds of prey perch? Height, etc.?

I did some research on birds of prey. There is solid research to suggest that they are good at catching pocket gophers, though I'm not sure how they do it if the rodents never leave their burrows. Google "Barn Owl" and "Kestrel." And if you want to build or buy them someplace to live, Google "Barn Owl Boxes." Or check out these links.
http://www.owlpages.com/links.php?cat=Owls-Nest+Boxes
http://www.hungryowl.org/boxes.html

I would like to believe that cats could help. At the height of the infestation in my garden one cat showed up for a few days in a row. But I could see no effect. I think the critters simply never got out of their burrows. They would burrow up to my brand new plants and pull them under. And the cat would just sit there going "just wait 'till they come out of their holes." If I were waiting for the cat to solve the problem, I'd still be losing $10 worth of plants a day. Lost a whole quart-sized guara one day, three cheddar pinks the next. Then I flooded the chamber and forced the beastie out. Chased him with a garden hose across the garden...

I would like to get more info on ferrets because I think a burrowing predator will be the most effective. And I am still looking into gopher snakes (Pituophis).

A gopher snake would be just what the doctor ordered, but they are migratory. Once they eat the gophers they move on allowing more to move in. I believe they can be purchased. But when I had cats, I had no gophers. They ate them. They will sit by the hole all day until they catch them. At least a good hunter will. If one cat isn't enough get two -- which is what I had.
I could build a perch for a raptor and would love to have them come stay, but I have my doubts that they would come into town. I have seen them on the edges of town. I have many tall ponderosa pins in my yard which would make terrific perches and my neighbors have a very tall dead ponderosa. It is often full of birds, but I have never seen a raptor on it -- mostly ravens and small birds.
When I gardened at the community garden which is on the edge of the town, we did, on occasion have large preditors. They would sit on top the lights for the baseball park or on a telephone pole and swoop down to eat mice. But we had gophers galore. They weren't much help with those. If you find out where to get a gopher snake let me know. Or if you find out how to use a ferret against them.

When I moved to my property in Kentucky (zone 6a) 5 years ago it was LOADED with voles and mice. I had 2 male inside/outside cats, both of which became very plump and happy! I inherited 2 male kittens 2 years later, and now I have 4 very happy, very plump cats and NO voles, mice or moles. I do get the occasional "present" next to my bed (I don't think they understand why I don't like to eat them), but I am extremely happy with my solution. I know 4 cats are alot, but I have over 3 acres and a lot of iris and daylilies, and I would die if I had to go through what some of you have. I supplement the cats with dry food, but they don't eat very much of it except in winter. So, if you can live with the cats, they are a great solution, at least I found that in my case. Now, if I could only train them to get the spiders......

Our problem with outside cats here would be the coyotes & an occasional fisher. A lot of people have lost their cats to them.

We have lots of outdoor cats, but they stay down at the barn where they are plump and well fed by rats. How can I lure a few of them to patrol my yard?

Probably turn a couple of them into house cats, but let them out during the day. I would use cats again but DH is terribly allergic to them.
By the way, MissIrisbert, your kitty looks very relaxed and well fed -- like he is napping up a large lunch.

This is "Simba" -- he is the one who is always offering to share his bounty. One day I watched him and his brother catch and eat 6 voles in a space of about 15 minutes! The cats find the runs and just wait for 'em. The 2 older cats lurk at the mole holes and then ponce as soon as they hear 'em. I don't have gophers -- I think my clay (which turns to concrete during the hot dry summers we've had lately) is too hard for them to tunnel through. The voles just make their runs through the grass. Caitlinsgarden, just buy some kitty treats and give it to the barn cats by your house. If you do it the same time every day, they will learn to be there to get the treats. Then, when they range back towards the barn, hopefully they will sniff/see the voles! I always leave a 5-gallon bucket of water in a shady spot for my cats outside, and I also have a "perch" close to it (right now it is a "sod" bench made out of the sod I dug when I did my newest beds). They are very content! Because of the cats, I don't use any poison of any kind. We also have a lot of coyotes (who would think, in Kentucky!), but I also have a very large German Shepherd that keeps the larger predators out of the yard.

Coyotes most often do their food hunting at dawn and at dusk, so that's when the cats are most vulnerable. I wish I had a dog to patrol 24/7 outside, but it's impossible for me to leave anybody outside all by him/herself. LOL!!

Miss Iris, you should have your cats give seminars. Mine are doing okay, but I'm not sure whether they've developed such a good technique as that. Some days I come home to 5 voles and a mole in the yard and some days I don't see anything. I noticed last night that I have a mound of grass outlining a recent mole tunnel in one corner of the yard. And my critters have killed two or three moles already this year.

Thanks for the cat tips!

I have finally trapped seven of them and most of the activity has ceased. But my garden ( no grass there when I moved in) is dug up where I was chasing voles. It looks like a construction site.

Thanks for all the notes on cats! Sadly, DW and I are both violently allergic.

Do they eat daylily roots also? I have a less hardy DL planted near my south foundation and it has very much dwindled in size. Also saw a mole/vole coming out of a hole in this bed. Maybe I should move what is left of this plant to the outer garden area?

As far as I know they eat any roots that they please.

I believe day lilies are quite tasty to certain critters -- though I don't know about voles. They are cultivated and eaten in Chinese culture, so I suggest that you get rid or the vole or move the day lily.
I have pocket gophers, not voles, and they have eaten iris near day lilies and have left the day lilies -- so that does not seem to be the case with gophers. Sounds as if you have pretty good evidence that they are eating your lilies -- if not proof.

I am quite late in commenting on the vole problem------but, I thought I would contribute my experience with that evil creature, THE VOLE!! First of all, some one said they heard they didn't like hellebores! Well, they consumed a wash-tub size planting of these lovely plants-------so, scratch that idea.

I accidentally, discovered that the bird netting that I purchase at Lowe's will----when twisted into a roll on the ground will keep out ALL snakes (I used it at the base of my bluebird box). It is not very humane-----but, once a snake starts in to the netting, he is there till he dies. So, I put it all the way around my shade garden to keep out snakes who frighten me! And, that winter I lost a large number of plants to the voles. Only then did I realize that I was keeping out their natural enemy (snakes). Since I have removed it, I have seen no more damage. And, I have a little help from my neighbor's cat (best kind to have-----no feeding or vet bills). I refused to keep a cat all the time at my house as I am too devoted to my bluebirds (had 3 nestings last year in my box)

Just as I suspected, natural enemies are the best. Only one problem. I never, never, never kill a snake on purpose, but there just aren't enough of them to keep my gophers under control. And not enough of my neighbors have cats -- I have been trying to talk them into it, but so far no luck. I do have one neighbor with a very fat cat which patrols my garden. I still have gopher damage, but lots less than before the cat moved in.
Can't have one myself. DH is highly allergic to them.

We don't have enough snakes. I love snakes (the non-venomous kind) and would buy them to put out in the garden.

I am still undecided as to whether voles eat Daylilies or not. I've only ever seen one person write that they do. I've never seen anyone in the Daylily forum comment on them. I haven't noticed them bothering any of mine.They do eat things planted right beside the Daylilies. I wish there were snakes here.