Do Voles Eat Tomatoes

If you’ve found small, clean-cut holes in your ripe tomatoes, you might be asking: do voles eat tomatoes? While these small rodents are often confused with mice, their feeding habits can cause unique damage in your garden. Let’s look at the facts and give you some clear pest control tips to protect your harvest.

Voles are primarily herbivores, feasting on roots, bulbs, and the bark of trees. They usually don’t climb. So, a tomato on the vine is often safe from them. However, a tomato that has fallen to the ground is an easy target. They will eat fallen fruit, and their tunneling can sever roots, harming the plant itself.

This question has a nuanced answer. Voles are not the primary pest for tomato fruits like a hornworm is. But they are a secondary threat that can ruin your crop. Understanding there behavior is the first step to control.

How to Identify Vole Damage in the Garden

Before you blame voles, make sure they’re the culprit. Look for these signs:

Surface Runways: You’ll see narrow, beaten-down paths in grass or mulch, about 1-2 inches wide.
Small, clean burrow holes leading into these runways.
Gnaw Marks: On roots, tubers, and the base of trees or shrubs. Marks are about 1/8 inch wide, in irregular patterns.
Fallen tomatoes with large, clean holes eaten into them, often at ground level.
Sudden wilting of healthy plants because roots have been chewed through underground.

Effective Garden Pest Control Tips for Voles

Controlling voles requires a multi-pronged approach. Persistence is key, as their populations can grow quickly.

1. Make Your Garden Less Inviting

Habitat modification is your strongest defense. Voles like thick ground cover where they can hide from predators.

Keep grass mowed and weeds trimmed around garden beds.
Remove mulch from directly around the base of trees and shrubs in fall and winter.
Clear away piles of debris, leaves, and excessive vegetation.
Pick up fallen fruit and vegetables promptly, especially tomatoes.

2. Use Physical Barriers

Blocking there access is very effective.

Install hardware cloth cages around valuable plants. Bury it at least 6 inches deep and have it rise 12 inches above ground.
Use mesh guards around young trees to protect the bark.
Raised beds can help, but line the bottom with hardware cloth to prevent tunneling from below.

3. Try Natural Repellents and Predators

You can encourage natures own pest control.

Encourage owls, hawks, and snakes by installing perches or leaving some rocky areas.
Get a outdoor cat that is known to hunt.
Some gardeners report success with castor oil-based repellents sprayed on the soil. These make the area taste bad to voles.
Planting daffodils or crown imperials around borders may have a repellent effect, though results vary.

4. Trapping as a Direct Control Method

For serious infestations, trapping is the most reliable way to reduce numbers. It’s safe for pets and wildlife when done correctly.

Use the right trap: Standard mouse snap traps work well. Use multiple traps.
Find the runway: Place traps perpendicular to the active surface runways, with the trigger end in the path.
Bait the trap: A small dab of peanut butter or a slice of apple works. You can also cover the trap with a milk carton to protect it and make voles feel secure.
Check traps daily and relocate any captured voles far away if you are using live traps.

5. Last Resort: Rodenticides

Poison baits should be used with extreme caution. They can harm pets, children, and wildlife that might eat a poisoned vole. If you must use them:

Always use tamper-resistant bait stations placed directly in the runways.
Follow the label instructions exactly.
Never scatter bait loosely in the garden.

Common Mistakes in Vole Control

Avoid these errors to save time and effort:

Confusing them with moles: Moles eat insects, not plants. They create raised tunnels. Treating for moles won’t stop voles.
Using sonic spikes or vibrations devices, which have little scientific proof of effectiveness.
Not being persistent. A one-time effort won’t solve a vole problem.
Using thick mulch right against plants, which provides perfect vole cover.

Seasonal Tips for Protecting Tomatoes

Your strategy should change with the seasons.

Spring: Look for new runways as growth starts. Set traps early before breeding season.
Summer: Focus on habitat control—mowing, weeding, and picking up fallen tomatoes daily.
Fall: This is critical. Voles are preparing for winter and are very active. Clear garden debris and remove mulch from plant bases.
Winter: Under snow cover, voles are protected. Apply physical barriers to young trees and shrubs before the first snow.

FAQ: Quick Answers on Voles and Tomatoes

What is eating my tomatoes at night?
It could be cutworms, slugs, hornworms, or rodents like rats or voles (if the tomato is on the ground). Inspect the damage and look for other clues like droppings or runways.

How do I keep voles away from my tomato plants?
Use physical barriers like hardware cloth cages, keep the ground clear, pick up fallen fruit, and consider trapping around the garden perimeter.

Do voles eat tomato plant roots?
Yes, they can and do. This is often more damaging than them eating the fruit, as it can kill the plant.

What’s the difference between a vole and a mouse?
Voles have stockier bodies, shorter tails, and smaller ears than mice. There behavior is different too—mice will readily climb, while voles stay mostly on or in the ground.

Will coffee grounds repel voles?
There is no reliable evidence that coffee grounds are an effective vole repellent. Its better to focus on proven methods like barriers and trapping.

By combining these strategies—cleaning up their habitat, putting up barriers, and trapping when needed—you can manage vole populations effectively. Remember, the goal isnt to make you’re garden a fortress, but to make it less attractive than the surrounding area. With consistent effort, you can enjoy your tomatoes without sharing them with these sneaky garden visitors.