Moles vs Voles: The Difference and How to Keep Them Out of Your Garden
If you’ve ever walked out to your garden and seen raised tunnels, missing roots, or plants that look like they were pulled from beneath the soil, you’re probably dealing with one of two culprits: moles or voles. They sound the same, they both live underground, and they both can wreak havoc but they are very different animals with very different impacts on your garden.
Today, I’m going to break it down so you can know the enemy, protect your plants, and even appreciate the hidden benefits these creatures can offer.
What’s the Difference Between Moles and Voles?
Mole
- Diet: Carnivores (they eat insects, grubs, worms)
- Damage Type: They don’t eat your plants, but their tunnels can uproot them or expose roots to air.
- Appearance: Pointed snout, paddle-like feet for digging, almost no visible eyes.
Voles
- Diet: Herbivores (they eat roots, bulbs, bark, and stems)
- Damage Type: They directly eat your garden plants and can wipe out crops from below.
- Appearance: Looks like a small mouse with short tail, round body, and small ears.
If your plants are disappearing from the base or chewed clean at soil level, that’s a vole. If the plant is still there but the ground around it is sunken or raised from tunneling, that’s a mole.
Are They All Bad? The Good vs the Harm
Benefits of Moles
✅ Aerate compacted soil
✅ Eat destructive pests like grubs and beetle larvae
✅ Help control underground pest populations
Downsides of Moles
❌ Their tunnels can kill young plants
❌ Create uneven ground & damage root systems
❌ Invite voles to use their tunnels to access your plants
Have you noticed uneven parts of your food forest ? Could be moles. Keep reading let's see if what you are noticing is more voles damage.
Benefits of Voles
✅ They don’t hunt live animals, only vegetation
✅ They’re part of the natural food chain (owls, snakes, hawks feed on them)
Downsides of Voles
❌ They eat plant roots, bulbs, and bark
❌ They can destroy an entire garden bed in a matter of weeks
❌ They reproduce rapidly one pair can turn into dozens within a year
How to Tell Which One You Have
| Sign | Mole | Vole |
|---|---|---|
| Tunnels | Raised ridges on the surface | Open holes like golf-ball size |
| Plant Damage | Plants pushed up from tunneling | Plants chewed off or disappearing |
| Diet | Insects and worms | Roots, tubers, bark |
How to Keep Moles and Voles Out of Your Garden
1. Remove Their Food Source
- For moles, reduce grubs using beneficial nematodes or milky spore treatments.
- For voles, eliminate dense mulch against plant stems and remove excess vegetation where they hide.
2. Use Physical Barriers
- Install underground hardware cloth (¼ inch) around raised beds or individual plants. Bury it 12 inches deep to stop voles from digging in.
- For fruit trees, wrap the base with a vole guard.
3. Castor Oil Repellent (Natural Method)
- Mix castor oil with water and a bit of dish soap. Spray directly on mole areas. They hate the scent and taste.
- This doesn’t harm your garden or beneficial insects.
4. Encourage Natural Predators
- Owls, snakes, and hawks are your best garden allies.
- Install owl boxes or keep some wild habitat nearby to attract natural pest control.
5. Trap or Relocate (If Necessary)
- Live traps can be effective on voles.
- For moles, vibrating stakes or sonic spikes can drive them away without harming them.
Should You Get Rid of Them Completely?
Here’s the truth: Moles can actually be beneficial, especially in a Florida garden where soil compaction and pests are common. But voles are a serious threat to edible gardens and should be controlled quickly.
I personally don’t try to eliminate moles unless their tunneling gets excessive. But voles? They’re root destroyers. They’ve got to go.
Final Thoughts
Your garden is a living ecosystem. Not every creature in it is your enemy but if something is eating your roots or wrecking your beds, you need to take control.
By knowing whether you’re dealing with moles or voles, you can choose the right strategy and protect your hard work.
Healthy soil. Strong roots. Garden protected. That’s the goal.
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