Saskatchewan

A lumpy lawn after the snow melts could mean you've got voles

Meadow voles tunnel under the snow and eat your lawn or other plants leaving lawn lumps, bumps and ruts.

Exterminator says the vermin could be poisoned, trapped or hunted by predators such as birds or cats

vole
Voles live under the cover of snow but above ground. (Ketzirah Lesser & Art Drauglis/Flickr)

A familiar rodent is raising its tiny head in Saskatchewan this spring.  

The Meadow vole looks a lot like house mouse, but it has a shorter tail, a rounded head and smaller ears.

Areas which have had a lot of snow this winter will likely see more damage from the little brown rodents, according to Shawn Sherwood of Poulin's Pest Control in Regina. 

Voles are the Arnold Schwarzenneger of mice. They're big and dumb.- Shawn Sherwood, Poulin's Pest Control, Regina. 

According to the Government of Canada website, voles are herbivores which eat green plants and seeds.

During the winter, they create tunnels under the insulation of the snow but live above ground.

The voles graze on the plants found under the snow.

"Once the snow melts, the lawn looks full of lumps and ruts," says Sherwood.
Voles leave unsightly, lumpy mounds on lawns which can be fixed, says Sherwood. (Sharon Gerein/CBC)

If your lawn has been hit, your lawn should recover with some time and attention.

According to Sherwood, there are a few ways to get voles out of your yard such as trapping or poisoning them. Or you could just wait it out.

"Voles are the Arnold Schwarzenegger of mice," says Sherwood. "They're big and dumb. In the spring they forget they no longer have the snow cover to hide them."  

In an urban setting, birds, cats, dogs and even coyotes will help to bring down the vole population. 

Sherwood warns residents to keep an eye on the vermin.  An overpopulation of voles can also wipe out your garden and bedding plants, he said.

With files from CBC Radio's Afternoon Edition