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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Voles

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  • From: Lucy Owsley <boulderbelt AT embarqmail.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Voles
  • Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2012 05:52:27 -0400

we have had great success controlling them with cats but the cats have to be good hunters for that to work. we have two right now that will kill 10+ voles a day each (plus frogs and moles and other critters). We do make sure the cats are well fed as a well fed cat hunts better than a cat who is not well fed.

But if you do not have good hunting cats (or dogs like rat terriers who are also very good hunters of voles) than you need to trap and there are some hints to make this work. First use the Victor traps as Steve says but before using let them season out in the weather for 4 to 6 weeks so that the human smell is all gone and the voles are not put off by the traps. We use small lidded wooden boxes suggested by Eliot Coleman for the traps. We place two traps per box and will usually get 2 to 4 voles per day per trap. Coleman says not to bait the traps but we fond baited traps work better than non baited

if you have moles destroy their runs whenever you see them as this is where the voles like to live as they do not dig their own runs but use ones already dug.

Voles also love piles of row cover and will make nests in it. They also like to make nests under plastic and landscape mulch so do a check of such several times a week and clear out any nests you find



--
Lucy Goodman
Boulder Belt Eco-Farm
Eaton, OH
http://www.boulderbeltfarm.com
https://www.facebook.com/boulderbeltfarm
https://www.facebook.com/ifyoudontknowyourfarmeryouarenotinacsa




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