My parents live in Laguna Beach, adjacent to the large area of landslide from a couple years back. Prior to the landslide, we had never seen these Voles, I think they prefer to live in their native habitat, brush and grass, but that has all been graded away, and so now they have moved into our garden.

At first we thought it was gophers, which have always been a problem but we have found the sonic deterents seem to work on gophers pretty well.

These voles are a whole different thing. The first things they ate were the New Zealand flax plants, big healthy plants that they chewed away the heart of and the whole plant fell over and died. Then they decided they like to eat walking iris, and proceeded to decimate a whole bed, which has been growing for 5 years , vigorous and healthy. In about 2 weeks they chewed away the base stems of every plant, leaving the decapitated plants and leaves. They also decimated a large healthy patch of Siberian Iris, and the exposed tubers of some established leaf begonias, rare ones we have nurtured since finding them at the Huntingdon Plant sale.

They do all this during the day, and are not at all disturbed by us being in the garden, in fact we can hear them chewing. I have done some google research, and I guess they will even eat the bark around the base of trees, if this happens to the special acacias and gingkos that my mom has struggled to get established in awful clay soil, it will break her heart.

What can I do. NO POISON. My mom has dogs, end of that idea. At first we would take dog peed cedar chips from the dog run and mulch it in the paths the voles create for themselves. This worked for a couple weeks, but it seems they become accustomed to it.

We tried spraying their favorite plants with cayenne/soap spray, this did not work at all.

I set a barrage of old fashioned snap mouse traps, and in the first 2 hours caught and disposed of 4 voles. Then they got wise to the traps and no more caught.

They seem so persistant, and they adjust to every thing we have tried. Now they are eating the bearded iris tubers.

My mother has worked so hard to get her plants to grow in soil that is so awfull and solid clay, I can't stand to see her plants destroyed, but I don't know what else to try. I plan to go this weekend, surprise them with some new traps, put the hose down all the holes I can find...any other suggestions???