I guess that could protect the immediate area of the lilac until a more permanent solution happens. That's interesting to hear how that has worked. My outside cat is not only a good hunter, but she loves to use the garden as her litter box As much as I dislike it, I have wondered if it helps deter rodents. This is a big yard, and I only have 1 outside cat, so I'm not sure which is more effective, the hunting or scent determent.

Maybe both Neil.
We lost our cat to old age a few months ago, so wondering if we will have an upsurge of rodent/bunny population?

Since it is winter I do not know if this will help. but......They have very soft bodies and do not like sharp objects. I dig around trees and put gravel 2" top with the soil.

I do not dig with my bare hands so I break up glass and put around my bulbs and do not lose them to voles and moles.

I have acres of land and I have a wild life habitat of critters to destroy my garden life I am constantly trying to just keep critters away from just one acre to garden and let them eat the other acres.

Lynn, if your experience is like mine, yes you will have problems going forward. And I'm sorry for your loss. I used to let my cats out and never had any pests in my yard. No gophers, moles, shrews or rabbits. I stopped letting the cats out several years ago because one got killed by a car, and there was a neighbor cat around who had feline leukemia. Then some passers-by tried to take one of them. So I won't go back to letting them out, but I surely miss their pest control services!
Cinta, I plan to try the glass/gravel deterrents in the spring. The ground is too frozen now to dig.

Since early spring I saw the Wisteria bloom, then new growth appear, then it started dying,.It still has no new growth but the branches are still green. We have a lot of moles which make mounds but hadn't seen a hole before. Then I learn that it's voles. I saw a few more holes, one at my lilac tree and my weeping cherry tree. We had used a grub killer before, that works by removing the moles food source. It has worked in the past. But, voles are mostly herbivores. They eat the roots and or bark of trees and plants.
I'm still looking for a solution. Looks like traps are the way to go.

I've had good luck with D-Con. I have two boxes of it in my front bed now. Box is under some mulch with a flower pot upside down over it and a stake thru the hole to keep it from blowing away. The pot keeps the birds out of it.

Karen

I have still had no success at extermination, but at least have made my yard less hospitable. It may be temporary; I can't tell for sure. I got a plastic ketchup squeeze bottle (like you see with ketchup and mustard with red top and yellow top), filled it with cayenne pepper, and puff it as hard and as far as I can into every hole I find. A few days later I partially cover the hole to see if they reopen it and usually they don't. I had tried D-Con and other baits and they never took any of it. I also tried traps and never caught a single one. I did get ONE in a bucket of water. I have been battling these awful critters for a year!

I agree with Karen, d con has worked and nuts sprinkled around glue traps work. We caught 5 last fall that way but the g trap has to be where birds can't get on it. I put an upside down laundry basket over them with a big rock on top
Good luck

I will try just about anything at this point. I tried snap traps but not glue traps. They could get the bait out and not get caught. Smart little buggers.

This is the only method that has worked here after investing lots of $$ on traps, bait, etc.

STEP 1 - You need to determine which entrance/exit holes are active. To do this sprinkle some poultry grit. fine gravel over holes.
Vole Hole



STEP 2 - Check holes in a day or 2 to see if the gravel has shifted. If yes, it's active.

Active vole hole (Poultry Grit shifted.)


STEP 3 - Set a snap trap and cover with pot anchored with bamboo stake so you don't injure roaming animals.



You should be able to fairly quickly check pots by looking down through hold in pot.

The snap trap shown in photo kills instantly so there's no suffering.

Thanks for the info. I will give it a shot.

Dormantsrule, is that how you place the trap, at the edge of the hole? Wow, I think even I could follow your great instructions. Thank you so much.

valleylynn said:Dormantsrule, is that how you place the trap, at the edge of the hole? Wow, I think even I could follow your great instructions. Thank you so much.

Yes, with the opening of trap towards the hole. I've been using this method for 2 years and have cut down the population by at least 12 dozen. You can add a little peanut butter which weighs the trip down. Just take a plastic knife and lift it back up. The secret is knowing which holes are active.

Yes, I love the way you determine which is the active holes.