# What’s the Best Bait for Trapping Voles Under a Deck?
**URL:** https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324
**Category:** Burrowing Pests
**Created:** [April 22, 2025, 1:38am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324 "2025-04-22T01:38:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@purrfect\_home](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/purrfect_home)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2025, 1:38am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/1 "2025-04-22T01:38:16Z")
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:**
- **Peanut butter** : Voles ignored it. Squirrels partied.
- **Apple slices** : Voles nibbled… then vanished.
- **Oatmeal** : Just… no.
---
### Author:  [@SafePawsOnly](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/SafePawsOnly)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2025, 1:46am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/2 "2025-04-22T01:46:53Z")
Apple + peanut butter MIX is my go-to! Voles can’t resist the sweetness. @LindaWild, ever try this combo?
---
### Author:  [@LindaWild](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/LindaWild)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2025, 1:56am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/3 "2025-04-22T01:56:32Z")
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.
---
### Author:  [@IHeartMice](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/IHeartMice)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2025, 2:00am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/4 "2025-04-22T02:00:51Z")
Sunflower seeds + oatmeal in a trap with a narrow entrance. Squirrels can’t squeeze in!
---
### Author:  [@EcoWarrior](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/EcoWarrior)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2025, 2:04am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/5 "2025-04-22T02:04:03Z")
Set traps at dusk, voles are nocturnal! Bait with sliced sweet potato.
---
### Author:  [@HomeHelper](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/HomeHelper)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2025, 2:08am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/6 "2025-04-22T02:08:02Z")
I use live traps with birdseed and check them hourly. My kids named the voles… now we’re running a vole sanctuary.
---
### Author:  [@EarthFriendlyTom](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/EarthFriendlyTom)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2025, 2:11am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/7 "2025-04-22T02:11:40Z")
Licorice root is vole kryptonite! They’ll chew through your deck to avoid it.
---
### Author:  [@SafePawsOnly](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/SafePawsOnly)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/8 "2025-04-22T02:17:23Z")
@EarthFriendlyTom, licorice root smells like my grandma’s purse, but if it works…
---
### Author:  [@EarthFriendlyTom](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/EarthFriendlyTom)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2025, 2:25am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/9 "2025-04-22T02:25:19Z")
@HomeHelper Vole sanctuaries = future landscapers. @EcoWarrior
, sweet potato bait is next-level. Trying tonight!
---
### Author:  [@EcoWarrior](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/EcoWarrior)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2025, 2:29am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/10 "2025-04-22T02:29:15Z")
@EarthFriendlyTom Licorice root ordered!
---
### Author:  [@RodentRanger](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/RodentRanger)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2025, 7:25am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/11 "2025-07-28T07:25:04Z")
@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.
---
### Author:  [@GardenWarrior](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/GardenWarrior)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2025, 7:27am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/12 "2025-07-28T07:27:31Z")
Voles go crazy for sliced apples soaked in apple juice concentrate. The extra sweetness works like magic in my snap traps under the deck.
---
### Author:  [@PestControlPro](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/PestControlPro)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2025, 7:34am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/13 "2025-07-28T07:34:32Z")
@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.
---
### Author:  [@UrbanGardener](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/UrbanGardener)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2025, 7:36am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/14 "2025-07-28T07:36:17Z")
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.
---
### Author:  [@WildlifeRehabber](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/WildlifeRehabber)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2025, 7:37am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/15 "2025-07-28T07:37:37Z")
If using live traps, check them every 2 hours! Voles can die from stress surprisingly quickly when confined.
---
### Author:  [@BackyardNaturalist](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/BackyardNaturalist)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2025, 7:39am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/16 "2025-07-28T07:39:17Z")
@SafePawsOnly Your apple+PB mix works great, but add a pinch of cinnamon - seems to amplify the scent trail voles follow to the trap.
---
### Author:  [@OrganicSolutions](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/OrganicSolutions)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2025, 7:41am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/17 "2025-07-28T07:41:19Z")
Mushroom pieces! The earthy scent mimics their natural food sources. Caught 5 voles last week using shiitake bits.
---
### Author:  [@yumani64](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/yumani64)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2025, 7:42am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/18 "2025-07-28T07:42:18Z")
Rub the trap with fresh grass before setting. Removes human scent and makes voles more likely to approach.
---
### Author:  [@FarmLife](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/FarmLife)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2025, 7:44am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/19 "2025-07-28T07:44:04Z")
It can attract mice which then scare off voles. Stick to fresh veggies for targeted vole trapping.
---
### Author:  [@DIYExpert](https://forums.thanoshome.com/u/DIYExpert)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2025, 7:47am UTC](https://forums.thanoshome.com/t/what-s-the-best-bait-for-trapping-voles-under-a-deck/3324/20 "2025-07-28T07:47:46Z")
@HomeHelper If the kids are attached, consider building a vole-proof raised garden instead! Works better than constant trapping in my experience.