Northern short-tailed shrew - Ask Extension
After thinking I was dealing with voles all these years but not really agreeing with the pictures I found online, I finally found a picture of the cri...
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Northern short-tailed shrew #724457
Asked September 16, 2020, 1:49 PM EDT
After thinking I was dealing with voles all these years but not really agreeing with the pictures I found online, I finally found a picture of the critter plaguing my grass and plantings- Northern short-tailed shrews. My top soil, of 6 inches or less, is on top of rocks of limestone so any new plantings of fresh deep dirt are targets for the shrews. I have trapped them in the past but then they got "smart". They tunnel under the snow just like voles- tearing away the turf as they go, tunnels under sidewalks and around shrubs. Any advice on how to get rid of them would be helpful as there is a lot about gophers, moles and voles out there.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Blue Earth County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hi,
Shrews, especially the short-tailed shrew, is probably not responsible for the damage to your plants; they eat insects, earthworms, and mice: https://www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2012/02/northern-minnesota-phenology-report-february-2012/
If you do need to control them, the best method is trapping: https://www.ifallsjournal.com/news/sports/other_sports/moles-voles-and-shrews-can-be-common-in-neighborhood-lawn/article_8a89301b-9849-57b3-91f9-189fcd3e7cff.html
Shrews, especially the short-tailed shrew, is probably not responsible for the damage to your plants; they eat insects, earthworms, and mice: https://www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2012/02/northern-minnesota-phenology-report-february-2012/
If you do need to control them, the best method is trapping: https://www.ifallsjournal.com/news/sports/other_sports/moles-voles-and-shrews-can-be-common-in-neighborhood-lawn/article_8a89301b-9849-57b3-91f9-189fcd3e7cff.html
