Meadow Vole Nest | Slide Mouse

Voles dig many short shallow burrows and make underground nests of grass stems and leaves.

Meadow vole nest. Few mammals are more prolific than the meadow vole which has a gestation period of 20 to 21 days and produces up to 17 litters per year. Voles construct nests of dry grass either on the ground or at the ends of underground burrows. To make your lawn less inviting to voles keep your yard tidy weeded and mowed. Meadow voles form runways or paths in dense grasses.

Cut back brush mow weed and create a clean space. Voles like dense heavy vegetative cover weeds and meadows because it provides them with protection from predators and provides nesting material. What kind of threat do meadow voles pose. Voles use these runways for travel and they also connect the entrances of their burrows together.

In fact it is very rare for a meadow vole to even come into contact with a person. Remove woodpiles and hiding places for voles from near your garden shrubs and trees. To make your lawn less inviting to voles keep your yard tidy weeded and mowed. Prevention is very important to keep vole numbers down.

Voles hide and nest in vegetation and lawn debris. Meadow voles create intricate tunnels in lawns and fields just under the surface of the ground. In areas with winter snow voles will burrow in and through the snow to the surface. Voles do burrow however so you may also see small holes where they ve created entryways to their nests.

Active runways will have lots of vole droppings on their surface. Like mice voles are also small with hairy tails and similar coloring that usually ranges from brown to grey or black. No meadow voles do not typically nest indoors. Most meadow vole nests are constructed out of dried grasses also on the surface of the ground although they are sometimes built at the end of shallow burrows.

In swampy areas the nest is placed high and dry in a grass tussock. Several adults and young can occupy a burrow system. The runways are usually about 1 2 inches wide and are typically found in grassy areas. Meadow voles dig shallow burrows and in burrows nests are constructed in enlarged chambers.

When above ground the nests are often located in the center of a grass tussock where they are less apt to be flooded. The most notable sign of a vole infestation is finding above ground runways. Moist environments with dense ground cover such as prairies or marshy grasslands are the preferred habitats of meadow voles.