How to Deter Mice and Voles from Your Home

How do you deter mice and voles in your home and garden? First, you need to determine what kind of problem you have and what damage, if any, are they doing? If you see one or two running around your backyard but haven’t noticed anything too alarming, then why not leave them to get on with their own business? Mice and voles are a natural part of the animal life that gardens support. They can actually be quite fun to watch when they’re scurrying around.

Whilst both can dig up your yard, they differ slightly in appearance and behaviour. Voles, often referred to as field mice, are small brown rodents that are very common in yards and fields. They are about the size and shape of a mouse, but can be distinguished by their hair-covered tails, rounder heads, smaller ears and stouter bodies. Alberta has 12 species of vole. The most common are the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogastor). These small garden pests can grow between three to nine inches long.

As for mice, 7 species reside in Alberta, but the most common in Edmonton are meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius), western deer mouse (Peromyscus sonoriensis) and the house mouse (Mus musculus). Mice have tails that are longer than their bodies. Whereas the head of a vole, when viewed from the side, has a rounded appearance, a mouse’s head is extended forwards.

Both voles and mice can have up to 10 litters a year. A couple of families can produce over 100 offspring in a short amount of time. Although this isn’t a problem out in the open fields, it can be a major headache when they’re living in your shed, garage or, even worse, your house. That’s why it’s so important to deter them before an infestation gets out of hand.

Both mice and voles feed on a wide range of plants. Holes may be seen in the soil where mice or voles have dug down to feed on bulbs, corms or germinating seeds. Remnants of seedlings may be scattered on the soil surface. They sometimes bite off strawberries and other fruits, flower buds, and leaves before they are ripe or open and leave the berries in small heaps. Soft areas in a lawn with small heaps of soil on the surface are likely to be due to voles tunnelling just beneath the surface.

The vole’s presence is most often observed in the late winter and early spring, right after the snow melts, when their grassy trails are exposed and areas of dead grass appear. Voles do the most harm to small trees and shrubs when they chew on the bark, often hidden below winter snow.

Of all the species of mice in Alberta, the house mouse is by far the most costly in terms of damage to human property and crops. Mice cause damage by gnawing on insulation and building material, furniture, paper, clothing, and books. They contaminate food with their urine, hair, and droppings. Food can become contaminated with germs like salmonella. Mice and voles also carry fleas, mites, and the disease hantavirus, which causes a rare but serious lung disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).

During winter they will look for warmer areas to hide out, eat and reproduce. Several years ago I noticed a funky smell every time I entered my unheated detached garage. When I moved some burlap I had mice jumping out at me from everywhere, probably 10 adults and 15 babies. They had made a nest out of the burlap and made a hole through a bag of bird seed to feed on.

After my experience I don’t leave anything out that they can survive on. All my bird food is now placed in sealed plastic totes along with any possible bedding materials. Other measures I have taken is to make up my own concoction of spray deterrent.

In a spray bottle mix:

• 15 drops of natural peppermint essential oil (or lemon oil, citronella oil, eucalyptus oil)
• 1 cup of water

Shake well and spray around all doorways and any openings.

Owl Box In My Yard

I also have several traps set up, but since storing items away properly and spraying with my peppermint spray, I’ve only caught two mice in the last few years.

There’s not much you can do about damage to plant material outside. It’s a part of nature. You can, however, protect newly planted trees and shrubs by putting guards around them.

If you still have problems after going the DIY routes, it’s time to consider calling a professional. A pest management company with rodent experience is the fastest way to get rid of them. They’ll evaluate your infestation and use the best techniques for your situation.

One last suggestion is to put up an owl box. This is something that I made and erected on my spruce tree this summer. I haven’t had any owls making it their home yet, but it takes a while for them to find it. Fingers crossed they will take care of the rodents from the outside whilst I’ll take care of them from the inside by having a nice minty smelling garage.

Happy gardening everyone!