Voles are quite active during winter, especially if your property is generous in food and shelter solutions for them. They can also be destructive and annoying. Today, our landscaping experts in Liberty Township OH are here to offer you some landscape fitting tips to keep voles at bay.

Why Should You Protect the Landscape from Voles?

Voles are ground-dwelling rodents that can damage your landscape and move around under the blanket of snow. Some of the most visible signs you have a vole problem on your property are:

  • Shaved tree bark;
  • Damaged roots of young trees, shrubs, and vegetal fences;
  • Tunnels dug in the lawn;
  • Missing spring-flowering bulbs and tubers.

Voles usually nest in (and damage) thick evergreen bushes and shrubs, undisturbed compost piles, tall ornamental vegetation, wood logs, vegetal debris, and so on. They work well in the snow, and you might not even see the harm they do until spring.

Here is how our landscaping experts in Liberty Township OH suggest you protect your landscape from these pesky rodents.

1. Install Hard Mesh Around Your Trees

If you own valuable landscape trees and shrubs, you need to protect them. Get some ¼-inch mesh-size hardware cloth to place around these precious pieces of vegetation. Burry the mesh at least 3-4 inches in the ground, so the voles don’t dig under it and extend it 18-20 inches above the ground. If you see suspicious signs that might indicate voles, talk to your local landscaping company about other means to place barriers between the invaders and your vegetation.

2. Revamp and Replace the Mulch

Mulching is an essential landscaping activity. However, in winter, our landscaping contractor in Liberty Township OH recommends you reduce the layer of organic mulch around trees and shrubs. Moreover, our landscaping experts also suggest you replace organic mulch entirely with rock mulch. Crushed rocks or gravel usually deter voles from approaching your valuable shrubs and landscape trees.

3. Wait until You Mulch Perennials

If you have perennials, wait until the first solid ground freeze and then set the winter mulch. Apply a thinner layer than usual, and make sure you mix organic with inorganic mulches for better protection against voles.

Besides trapping the voles, landscape preparations are the key to effective control. Ask our landscaping company in Liberty Township OH to evaluate the situation and recommend the best fittings for your property this year!