Responding to Vole Damage After a Mild Winter

Here in the Midwest, we’re enjoying the early signs of spring, and that means our lawns are starting to return to life after months of winter dormancy. Coming out of a relatively mild winter, we’re glad to see that many local lawns are not experiencing extensive winter-related damage we have seen in past years, such as damage from road salt or diseases like snow mold. However, one trend we’ve noticed among our customers’ lawns is damage from vole activity.

Voles are tiny, burrowing rodents, similar to gophers. Throughout the winter, voles chew up the grass, leaving dead brown areas behind. Their paths can turn into 2-inch-wide trenches. Here are some images of vole-related lawn damage in our area.

Repairing Vole Damage

The good news is that your lawn is pretty resilient. With the proper care and attention, it can easily recover from vole damage in about a month or so.

Weed Man’s high-percentage, slow-release granular fertilizer. Our premium, golf course-quality mixture gives your lawn a boost from the get-go, and then continually feeds it throughout the next several weeks and months, establishing strong root growth so it can overcome damage from voles and other sources.

In some severe cases, you may opt to spot seed over damaged areas. This will help the lawn fully recover and fill in dead spots with healthy turf.

Discouraging Vole Populations on Your Property

To deter moles from damaging your lawn, there are a few things you can do to make your property inhospitable to them.

• Remove weeds and other dense vegetation, which provides both food and protective cover to voles.
• Mow your lawn regularly.
• Create barriers – such as gravel, fencing, or underground mesh – around trees, gardens, and bulbs to deter voles from finding food sources.

Are you experiencing vole damage or other issues with your lawn? Give us a call! Our trained and certified technicians can make expert recommendations to improve the health and appearance of your lawn.