MOUSEY THREATS AND SOLUTIONS
Food and Lodging
Mice have been seeking bed and board, all to the detriment of us gardeners. Already their devilish deeds are evident in the gnawed bark at the base of a poor little apple tree that I planted in spring.
There are a few kinds of mice, and the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) — also known as the meadow mouse or field mouse — is most at home in tall grass. There, this rodent finds food and a place to nest and scamper about shielded from the hungry eyes of hawks, owls, weasels, skunks, and other predators.
Unfortunately, from fall to spring, meadow voles like to supplement their usual diet of grasses and herbs with the bark of trees. My trees! Your trees!
Meadow-vole, Cephas, Attribution-Share-Alike-4.0-International.jpg
Inhospitality
The first line of defense against meadow voles, then, is to create an environment inhospitable to them. Read more
