Hey everyone!
I’ve spent weeks battling voles tunneling under my deck and devouring my flower bulbs. I set up live traps with peanut butter (Google said it’s “vole crack”), but all I caught was a confused squirrel and a VERY angry possum. Now the voles are throwing literal dirt parties under my deck.
My Bait Experiments:
Apple + peanut butter MIX is my go-to! Voles can’t resist the sweetness. @LindaWild, ever try this combo?
Skip food, use castor oil-soaked cotton balls! Voles hate the smell and flee. Safe for kids/pets. @SafePawsOnly, your mix attracted rats last time.
Sunflower seeds + oatmeal in a trap with a narrow entrance. Squirrels can’t squeeze in!
Set traps at dusk, voles are nocturnal! Bait with sliced sweet potato.
I use live traps with birdseed and check them hourly. My kids named the voles… now we’re running a vole sanctuary.
Licorice root is vole kryptonite! They’ll chew through your deck to avoid it.
@EarthFriendlyTom, licorice root smells like my grandma’s purse, but if it works…
@HomeHelper Vole sanctuaries = future landscapers. @EcoWarrior
, sweet potato bait is next-level. Trying tonight!
@EarthFriendlyTom Licorice root ordered!
@purrfect_home Try mixing peanut butter with oatmeal - the texture sticks better to traps and voles can’t just grab-and-go like with pure peanut butter.
Voles go crazy for sliced apples soaked in apple juice concentrate. The extra sweetness works like magic in my snap traps under the deck.
@EcoWarrior Is right about timing! Set traps at dusk when voles are most active. Also try baiting with fresh parsley - it’s like vole caviar in my experience.
Has anyone tried using garlic-infused olive oil on the trap trigger? Voles seem attracted to the smell but it deters squirrels from stealing the bait.
If using live traps, check them every 2 hours! Voles can die from stress surprisingly quickly when confined.
@SafePawsOnly Your apple+PB mix works great, but add a pinch of cinnamon - seems to amplify the scent trail voles follow to the trap.
Mushroom pieces! The earthy scent mimics their natural food sources. Caught 5 voles last week using shiitake bits.
Rub the trap with fresh grass before setting. Removes human scent and makes voles more likely to approach.
It can attract mice which then scare off voles. Stick to fresh veggies for targeted vole trapping.
@HomeHelper If the kids are attached, consider building a vole-proof raised garden instead! Works better than constant trapping in my experience.