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  • From: Rain Tenaqiya <raincascadia@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] voles
  • Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:10:03 -0700 (PDT)

We have a ton of voles here in northern California, hence a ton of vole
predators too, since we live in a rural area. The only non-toxic strategy to
deal with voles seems to be a multi-pronged approach. Increasing predator
habitat seems worthwhile, but predators can't eliminate their prey completely
or they will starve. As a permaculturist, I am focusing on perennial
alternatives to annuals. Once established, perennials are generally more
resistant to voles and gophers. They don't like woody stems and roots as
much. Other solutions include the following:

1. create low barriers such as earth or solid rock walls, wire (1/2 inch
poultry) fencing going a foot down and six inches aboveground, temporary
plastic collars for young plants

2. spread out or thin bushes and low-growing vegetation to avoid creating
preferred habitat

3. eliminate junk piles close to gardens

4. create open swathes or design in paths and roads around gardens to
discourage voles from crossing

5. trap, trap, trap (mouse traps with peanut butter inside tubes or
covered inside tunnels work well)

6. cats can be effective vole predators, and since they stick around humun
dwellings, they actually can wipe out their prey, as long as they have some
other source of food (but not too much)- my neighbor has some cats that were
raised in a barn, so they are not used to killing birds and she hardly gives
them any additional food, so she doesn't have to feel guilty about feeding a
domesticated animal more protein than the average poor person gets

7. judicious use of non-persistant and relatively harmless vole poisons
(vitamin K and other things are available) for emergencies

Please let us know how your situation evolves,

Rain


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