



It’s helpful to know this difference not only because it will help you identify the damage (see below), but also because a vole bait might use peanut butter whereas moles would be more interested in an insect or earthworm. They help plow the soil and eat pest larvae and insects!) (Moles are actually beneficial in many ways. Moles, on the other hand, have a mainly carnivorous diet consisting of invertebrates. However, voles have a primarily vegetarian diet they mainly eat stems and blades of lawn grass-so it’s usually vole tunnels that you’ll see near the surface of the yard. Voles, like many other rodents, are omnivores, which means that they’ll eat almost anything. They are very similar, and methods for controlling them are mostly the same. Meadow voles are more widely distributed, but prairie voles are more common in grassland and prairie areas. Their fur is generally thick and light brown to gray. Two common species of voles in North America are the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) and the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Voles have small rounded ears that are often hidden by their fur, small eyes, and short tails. And they have big feet used for digging! See our article on dealing with moles here. Voles are small, stocky rodents similar to field mice. In fact, a vole might look like a mouse at first glance. You might not have seen either critter since they’re usually underground, but they look very different up close. What’s the Difference Between Voles and Moles?įirst off, voles are not moles! People confuse the two animals because they both tunnel through your yard and are small, dark-colored mammals. Here’s advice on how to identify, prevent, and control your vole population. Voles drive gardeners and home owners crazy! You’ll know voles by the snakelike tunnels all over your lawn.
