You’ve spent years cultivating a lush, green lawn, only to wake up one spring morning and find mysterious trails crisscrossing your yard like some kind of tiny highway system. Welcome to vole damage, a frustrating reality for countless Billings homeowners.
These small rodents might look harmless, but they’re anything but. Voles are incredibly destructive to landscaping, causing dead patches, unsightly holes, and even killing off trees and shrubs you’ve worked hard to maintain. And here in Billings, our local conditions make lawns particularly attractive to these persistent pests.
At Best Pest Control, we’ve helped Montana property owners tackle vole infestations for years. We know exactly what to look for, and more importantly, how to stop the damage before it gets worse. In this guide, we’ll walk you through why voles love Billings lawns, how to identify their telltale signs, and what you can do to protect your property.
Why Voles Thrive in Billings Lawns
Billings sits in a unique sweet spot for vole populations. Our climate, with cold winters and moderate summers, creates the exact conditions these rodents prefer. Unlike some pests that die off during harsh Montana winters, voles actually remain active year-round, tunneling beneath snow cover where they’re protected from predators and temperature extremes.
Several factors make our local lawns irresistible to voles:
- Dense grass and ground cover: Voles feel safest in thick vegetation where they can hide from hawks, owls, and neighborhood cats. Well-maintained lawns with lush growth provide perfect camouflage.
- Irrigation systems: Billings homeowners often water their lawns regularly during dry summer months. This moisture softens the soil, making it easier for voles to dig their extensive tunnel networks.
- Nearby natural areas: With the Rimrocks, Yellowstone River corridor, and various parks surrounding the city, there’s always a wild population ready to expand into residential neighborhoods.
- Snow cover: Our winters provide consistent snow that insulates vole tunnels and runways, allowing them to feed on grass roots without being detected until spring melt reveals the damage.
Voles reproduce rapidly, a single female can produce up to 10 litters per year with 3-6 young each time. That means a small problem in spring can become a major infestation by fall. We’ve seen properties in Billings go from a handful of voles to populations in the dozens within a single season.
The combination of abundant food sources (your lawn, garden vegetables, flower bulbs, and tree bark), protective cover, and favorable soil conditions makes Billings lawns prime real estate for these destructive rodents.
Signs of Vole Damage to Watch For
Catching vole damage early can save you significant time, money, and frustration. Here’s what we tell homeowners to look for during regular yard inspections.
Surface Runways and Tunnels
The most obvious sign of vole activity is their distinctive runway system. These are narrow paths, typically 1-2 inches wide, that weave through your grass at ground level. They look almost like tiny hiking trails pressed into your lawn.
Voles create these runways by repeatedly traveling the same routes while feeding on grass blades and stems. Over time, the constant traffic wears down vegetation and compacts the soil beneath. You’ll often see these runways connecting burrow entrances, small, clean holes about 1.5 inches in diameter.
During winter, voles tunnel beneath the snow, feeding on grass crowns and roots. When the snow melts in spring, many Billings homeowners are shocked to discover an elaborate network of dead, brown trails snaking across their previously healthy lawn. This is classic vole damage, and it’s often the first indication that you’ve got a problem.
Look for these additional tunnel-related signs:
- Small piles of grass clippings near runway entrances
- Spongy or soft patches in your lawn (indicating underground tunnels)
- Dead patches of grass that follow a linear pattern
- Multiple small holes grouped together in one area
Gnaw Marks on Trees and Shrubs
Voles don’t limit their destruction to lawns. They’ll also attack trees, shrubs, and ornamental plants, especially during winter when other food sources are scarce.
Check the base of young trees and shrubs for gnaw marks. Vole damage typically appears as irregular, gnawed patches on bark near ground level. The marks are small, about 1/8 inch wide, and often occur in non-uniform patterns. If damage completely encircles the trunk (a condition called girdling), the tree will likely die.
We’ve seen countless fruit trees, ornamental shrubs, and young plantings killed by vole feeding in Billings yards. Signs to watch for include:
- Bark stripped from the lower 2-4 inches of tree trunks
- Leaning trees or shrubs (root damage can destabilize plants)
- Wilting or dying plants with no apparent above-ground cause
- Flower bulbs that fail to emerge in spring
- Gnawed roots visible near the soil surface
If you notice any of these warning signs, it’s time to take action before the damage spreads.
The Difference Between Vole and Mole Damage
One of the most common questions we get from Billings homeowners is whether they’re dealing with voles or moles. It’s an important distinction because the two pests require different control strategies.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
| Feature | Voles | Moles |
|---|---|---|
| Diet | Herbivores (plants, roots, bark) | Insectivores (grubs, worms, insects) |
| Tunnel location | Surface runways and shallow burrows | Deep underground tunnels |
| Visible damage | Trails through grass, gnawed plants | Raised soil ridges, volcano-shaped mounds |
| Hole appearance | Small, clean, 1.5″ diameter | Larger mounds pushed up from below |
| Body shape | Stocky, mouse-like with short tail | Cylindrical with large paddle-like feet |
Mole damage is characterized by raised ridges of soil running across your lawn and conical dirt mounds. Moles are digging for insects, so they push soil up as they tunnel. Their damage is more about disrupted soil than killed vegetation.
Vole damage, on the other hand, shows up as surface-level runways with dead grass and gnawed plants. Voles don’t create raised ridges, their tunnels are at or just below the surface. The grass itself is the target, not the insects beneath it.
Here’s another way to think about it: if your lawn looks like something tunneled underneath and pushed up dirt, that’s likely a mole. If it looks like something ate pathways through your grass, you’re dealing with voles.
Sometimes properties have both pests. Mole tunnels can actually attract voles, who take advantage of the pre-dug pathways to access new feeding areas. If you’re seeing both raised ridges AND surface runways, you may need to address both problems simultaneously.
Not sure what you’re dealing with? That’s where professional pest control comes in handy. We can identify the specific pest and recommend the most effective treatment approach.
Effective Methods to Stop Vole Damage
Once you’ve confirmed voles are the culprits, it’s time to fight back. Here are the most effective strategies we recommend for Billings homeowners.
Habitat Modification
The goal here is simple: make your yard less attractive to voles. Since these rodents depend on cover for protection, removing their hiding spots can dramatically reduce activity.
Start with these steps:
- Keep grass mowed short, especially in fall before snow arrives. Voles prefer tall grass where they can move undetected.
- Remove leaf litter, brush piles, and dense ground cover near gardens and trees. These provide shelter and nesting sites.
- Pull mulch back from tree bases. A 3-4 inch gap between mulch and trunks eliminates a common vole hiding spot.
- Eliminate weeds along fences, buildings, and property edges where voles often establish initial colonies.
- Clean up fallen fruit and vegetables that provide easy food sources.
We’ve seen habitat modification alone reduce vole populations significantly on some Billings properties. But for established infestations, you’ll likely need additional measures.
Exclusion and Barriers
Protecting high-value plants with physical barriers is one of the most reliable long-term solutions.
Hardware cloth cylinders work exceptionally well for trees and shrubs. Use 1/4-inch mesh galvanized hardware cloth to create protective guards around trunks. Bury the bottom 2-3 inches underground (voles can dig under shallow barriers) and extend it 18-24 inches above ground to account for potential snow depth.
For garden beds, consider installing hardware cloth beneath the soil before planting. This prevents voles from accessing bulbs and root systems from below.
Gravel barriers around tree bases can also deter voles, who prefer softer digging conditions. A 12-inch wide ring of coarse gravel creates an uncomfortable buffer zone.
Trapping and Population Control
When vole populations are already established, direct removal becomes necessary.
Snap traps baited with peanut butter or apple slices work well for small infestations. Place traps perpendicular to runways with the trigger mechanism directly in the path. Check and reset traps daily for best results.
For larger populations, a grid pattern of traps throughout the affected area is more effective. We typically recommend placing traps at 10-15 foot intervals along active runways.
Rodent baits are another option, though they require careful application to avoid harm to pets, children, and non-target wildlife. Professional applicators know how to use bait stations safely and effectively.
Some homeowners try repellents, commercial products or home remedies like castor oil. Our experience in Billings shows these provide limited, temporary results at best. Voles often simply move to untreated areas of the same property.
When to Call a Professional for Vole Control
DIY methods work for some situations, but there are times when professional intervention makes the most sense.
Consider calling in experts when:
- Damage is widespread across your property
- You’ve tried DIY methods without lasting success
- Voles have damaged valuable trees, shrubs, or landscaping
- The population seems to be growing even though your efforts
- You’re not comfortable handling traps or rodent control products
- You want to set up ongoing prevention to avoid future infestations
Professional pest control services bring several advantages. We have access to more effective products and application methods. We can accurately assess the extent of your infestation and identify all active areas, not just the obvious ones. And we know the specific conditions and vole behaviors common to Billings properties.
At Best Pest Control, we start with a thorough inspection to determine the scope of your vole problem. Then we develop a targeted treatment plan that addresses your specific situation. Whether that involves trapping, habitat modification recommendations, exclusion installation, or a combination approach, we’ll protect your property from the damage these animals cause.
We also offer ongoing treatment plans to prevent reinfestation. Since vole populations in the wild areas around Billings are always looking to expand into new territory, regular monitoring and maintenance keeps your yard protected long-term.
The bottom line? Acting quickly matters. A small vole problem in spring can devastate a lawn by fall. The longer you wait, the more damage occurs, and the harder eradication becomes.
Conclusion
Vole damage is one of those lawn problems that seems minor at first but can spiral out of control fast. Those tiny surface runways multiply. The dead patches spread. And before you know it, you’re looking at significant repair costs for what started as a few small trails in the grass.
The good news? Early detection and prompt action make a real difference. Now that you know what to look for, surface runways, gnaw marks on trees, small burrow holes, you can catch infestations before they cause serious harm.
Start with habitat modification to make your property less inviting. Protect valuable trees and plants with hardware cloth barriers. If populations are already established, strategic trapping can knock numbers down. And when the problem feels overwhelming, or you just want peace of mind, professional pest control delivers results.
Here in Billings, we understand the local conditions that make vole problems so persistent. At Best Pest Control, we’ve helped countless Montana homeowners reclaim their lawns from these destructive rodents, and we’re ready to help you too. If you’re seeing signs of vole damage, don’t wait for it to worsen. Contact us today, and let’s get your property protected.