Knowledgebase

Soil tunneling #819528

Asked January 31, 2023, 3:14 PM EST

Hi: Per the photos, is the uplifted tunnel of soil likely caused by a mole, vole, or gopher or what? The second photo shows a hole with my finger near it. The hole is about 3/4" x 1" and did not appear until about a week or two after the main tunnel of raised soil occurred. Perhaps it is an entrance or exit to the tunnel. These raised soil tunnels appeared about the beginning to middle of Dec. and are recently occurring at multiple places around my yard (about 3/4 of an acre). I would prefer to get rid of the cause of the problem in a humane way without killing the animal if at all possible. But if it must be killed, I want a quick, painless death. Thanks for any guidance and advice. Jim

Carroll County Maryland

Expert Response

Hi Jim,

We can't say for certain if the tunnels are caused by voles, but it does appear to be that way. Our webpage on voles, can help with a further understanding of their presence, but it can be challenging to eliminate them though.

Garden centers or larger hardware stores may have a granular product that can help drive them away with natural repellents using strong smelling scents (garlic extract). If you decide to try this approach before a lethal method, it will likely take persistence. Just be sure to follow the directions on the product.

Another suggested method is to try is to set bait traps with food, like the snap-traps used for mice, but if you have a larger population this could also be an endless task. We do not recommend using poison, as this can effect predatory animals in the food web.

Trying to reduce a favorable habitat per some suggestions on the website, and other safe-guarding techniques for plants, is mostly what you can do.

Please reach out if you have further questions.

Emily

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