Voles look like mice, but the damage they do to lawns, gardens, and landscaping is in a category of its own. They eat plant roots, chew the bark off trees and shrubs at the base, destroy bulbs underground, and leave a network of surface runways through your grass. In Gilbert, vole problems often go unnoticed until spring snow melt reveals a lawn covered in 2-inch-wide paths and chewed-down shrubs. Miller Pest Solutions eliminates vole infestations and protects your landscaping investment.

Signs of a Vole Infestation

  • Surface runways in grass — voles create distinct 2-inch-wide paths of bare or flattened grass across the lawn. These are their travel corridors and are the clearest sign of activity.
  • Gnawed bark at the base of trees and shrubs — voles chew bark in a characteristic pattern at or just below the snow line. This “girdling” can kill a young tree or shrub entirely if it encircles the base.
  • Missing or damaged bulbs — tulips, daffodils, and other bulbs dug up or chewed from below signal vole feeding activity.
  • Small burrow openings in the lawn — voles create small entrance holes (about 1.5 inches diameter) at the edge of runways or in dense grass and mulch.
  • Plant death without obvious cause — shrubs or perennials dying back despite adequate water and care may have had their root systems consumed by voles feeding underground.

Why Voles Are Common in Gilbert

Iowa winters are one of the main drivers of vole population explosions. Snow cover acts as insulation, hiding voles from predators while they work all winter under the snowpack — eating, tunneling, and reproducing. Vole populations can double or triple over a single Iowa winter. When the snow melts in Gilbert, the full extent of that damage becomes visible all at once, and it can be shocking.

Dense grass, thick mulch in landscaping beds, and ornamental plantings all provide cover and food that voles need. Gilbert’s residential neighborhoods — with irrigated lawns, mature landscaping, and ornamental gardens — provide ideal year-round habitat. Voles breed rapidly, with a single pair capable of producing dozens of offspring per season. A small population in spring can become a major infestation by fall.

Our Vole Control Process

Miller Pest Solutions uses baiting, trapping, and exclusion methods to control vole populations. Because voles reproduce so rapidly, population reduction needs to be timely and thorough.

Baiting — rodenticide bait placed in tamper-resistant bait stations or directly in burrow openings and runways is highly effective at reducing vole populations. We use EPA-registered products and follow label protocols for safety around children and pets.

Trapping — snap traps placed in active runways provide quick knockdown of the population and confirmation of activity levels.

Exclusion — for high-value trees and shrubs, hardware cloth cylinders placed around the base prevent voles from accessing the bark, protecting plants from girdling damage regardless of vole population levels.

We’ll assess the extent of the activity on your property and recommend the approach that fits your situation.

Why Choose Miller Pest Solutions

Miller Pest Solutions has served Iowa homeowners since 2001. QualityPro Certified, NPMA member. Joel Miller has been personally in pest control since 2007 — he’s seen vole damage on small residential lots and large acreages alike. We offer free phone bids and honest assessments. If you’re not sure whether you have moles or voles, we can help you figure that out over the phone.

Get a Free Phone Bid Today

Voles damaging your Gilbert lawn or landscaping? Call Miller Pest Solutions at (515) 329-8801 for a free phone bid. We’ll get on top of the problem before populations climb further. Find us at millerthekiller.com.