Moles, Voles, Shrews: Notes From The Underground
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) What do chainsaws,
beavers, and voles have in com
mon? They all can damage trees,
according to a wildlife biologist
in Penn State’s College of
Agricultural Sciences.
“Homeowners and businesses
can lose a lot of trees and other
plantings to voles,” said Gary
Lycoming Lists Dairy Show Winners
VI
Grand champion and senior champion Milking short
horn was shown by Melissa Wolfe, left, Northumberland,
with her junior 2-year-old. Reserve grand champion and
reserve senior champion was shown by Melissa Wolfe,
with her junior 3-year-old, held by Alicia Wolfe, second
from left. Janele Hearn, left, Lycoming County Dairy Maid,
is presenting the trophies: grand champion trophy spon
sored by Farmland Dairies, Wellington, and reserve grand
champion trophy sponsored by R.W. Bird Trucking Inc.
Pleasant Gap.
Grand champion Brown Swiss and senior champion
Ayrshire was shown by Alicia Wolfe, second from left,
Northumberland, with her 4-year-old. Melissa Daly, sec
ond from right, Lycoming County Dairy Princess, pre
sents the grand champion trophy, sponsored by Thomas
Dunlap Farm Equipment, Jersey Shore. Reserve grand
champion Brown Swiss was shown by Van Kuren Farm,
Montrose, with their winter calf held by Steve Van Kuren,
left. Janele Hearn, Lycoming County Dairy Maid, right, is
presenting the reserve grand champion trophy, spon
sored by Ric-Mar Restaurant, Northumberland.
Grand champion Ayrshire and senior champion
Ayrshire was shown by Fogleman Farm, Muncy, with their
aged cow, held by Chris Fogleman, second from left, pre
sented the grand champion trophy, sponsored by Ric-Mar
Restaurant, Northumberland, is Lycoming County Dairy
Maid, Janele Hearn, right. Reserve grand champion
Ayrshire and reserve senior champion Ayrshire was
shown by Fogleman Farm, Muncy, 'with their senior 2-
year-old, held by Randi Folgeman, second from right.
Melissa Daly, Lycoming County Dairy Princess, left, con
gratulates the winners.
San Julian, professor ol wildlife
resources. “Now that fall’s
approaching, questions about
voles increase.”
Voles are small chunky
rodents with short tails, blunt
noses, and bead-like eyes. In
Pennsylvania, two species can
damage plants the pine vole
and the meadow vole. The pine
vole lives in tunnels, San Julian
explains, while the larger mead
ow vole builds nests and “runs”
near or at the surface.
Pine and meadow voles dam
age trees by gnawing the bark
near ground level. Pine voles
also weaken trees by gnawing
their roots. While teethmarks
from rabbits are larger and more
Grand champion and senior champion Milking
Shorthorn was shown by Melissa Wolfe, left,
Northumberland, with her junior 2-year-old. Melissa also
had the reserve grand champion and reserve senior
champion with her junior 3-year-old, held by Alicia Wolfe.
Grand champion Jersey and senior champion Jersey
was shown by EDU-RU Jerseys, Boalsburg, with their 5-
year-old cow, held by Joyce Harpster, left. Presenting the
grand champion trophy is Janele Hearn, right, Lycoming
County Dairy Maid, sponsored by Lowe’s Super Duper,
Clarkstown. Reserve grand champion and reserve senior
champion Jersey was shown by EDU-RU Jerseys,
Boalsburg, with their aged cow, held by Eugenia Harpster.
Presenting the reserve grand champion trophy is Melissa
Daly, second from right, Lycoming County Dairy Princess,
sponsored by Pineknot Farms, Northumberland.
pu —.jsey and junior champion
Guernsey were shown by Van Kuren Farm, Montrose, with
their fall yearling, held by Steve Van Kuren, second from
left, Janele Hearn, Lycoming County dairy maid, right is
presenting the grand champion trophy, sponsored ’bv
Bowersox Truck Sales and Service, Williamsport, and the
junior champion trophy, sponsored by Fisher and
Thompson, Mifflmburg. Reserve grand champion
guernsey and reserve junior champion guernsey was
shown by Dayton Berger, left, Orangeville, with his sum
mer yearling. Melissa Daly, Lycoming County Dairv
Princess, second from right, presents the reserve grand
champion trophy, sponsored by Lebanon Valley Farms
Lebanon, and the reserve junior champion trophy, spon
sored by Pa. Junior Guernsey Breeders Association.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 7, 1998-819
uniform, a vole s marks are dis
tinctly tiny and irregular, occur
ring at various angles and in
random patches. In winter, voles
can reach surprising heights by
tunneling through the snow.
“If you plant flower bulbs in
the fall, and they don’t come up
the following spring, you could
have a problem with pine voles,”
he says. “I’ve seen pine voles
take out some monkey grass
bulbs so fast it seemed like a
cartoon.”
Voles often are confused with
moles or shrews, San Julian
says. Because control methods
for one animal may not work for
another, it’s important to know
which species you’re dealing
with.
“Shrews eat insects they’re
not a problem to anybody,” he
says. “Shrews are much smaller
than moles or voles. One can fit
inside a tablespoon
“You can tell a mole from a
vole by it’s paws,” he adds,
“While voles have small paws,
moles have large spade-like
front paws that they use for dig
ging.” Moles also have pointy,
naked snouts and appear not to
have eyes or ears.
“Some people don’t like the
spongy feeling mole tunnels
make in their lawn,” San Julian
says, “but moles actually are
beneficial. They eat grubs and
insects, and help to condition
and aerate the soil. If you really
must control them, you can buy
spear or choke traps at a hard
ware store. Also, a lawn insecti
cide will remove the moles’ food
sources and discourage them
from using your yard.”
To control voles, San Julian
suggests setting mouse traps.
Place the traps near holes or
runs, baited with an oatmeal
peanut butter mixture or a
small piece of apple. Then cover
the traps with a large flower pot
or box, making sure the traps
can still close.
Voles can be live-trapped, but
it is a good idea to release them
at least a half-mile away in an
overgrown field, or other places
where they won’t cause prob
lems for other people.
“With large populations in
orchards or Christmas tree
farms, you may need to use toxi
cants,” San Julian says. “These
pesticides only can be used by
certified pesticide applicators or
their staff. To locate a wildlife
pest control operator, check with
your county extension office, or
look through the Yellow Pages.”
Two fact sheets, “Wildlife
Damage Control 5. Moles” and
“Wildlife Damage Control 9:'
Voles,” list additional tips for
controlling damage from voles
and moles. Single copies are
available free of charge by con
tacting your county Penn State
Cooperative Extension and
Outreach office, or by calling the
College of Agricultural Sciences
Publications Distribution
Center at (814) 865-6713.
Other wildlife damage con
trol publications also are avail
able, including fact sheets on
rabies, woodpeckers, black
bears, bats, woodchucks, cotton
tail rabbits, tree squirrels,
skunks, and geese, ducks and
swans.
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