Vole mouse. Vole lifestyle and habitat

• Latin name : Apodemus agrarius
• Kingdom : Animals
• Type : Chordata
• Class : Mammals
• Order : Rodents
• Family : Mouse
• Genus : Forest and field mice
• Species : Field mouse
• Weight : 21 g
• Body length : 12.5 cm
• Gestation period : 20 days

Description

Appearance

The body length is 10-13 cm, the tail length reaches 70% of the body length. The muzzle is elongated, pointed, the eyes are dark. The ears are small and folded forward. The body is round in shape, the fur is thick.

Color

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The upper body is colored reddish-ocher, reddish-brown or reddish-brown. A clear and distinct black or brown stripe runs down the center of the back. The bases of the hair on the back are dark. The belly is light, whitish, the base of the hair is dark. The sides are reddish in color with a clear border. In old voles, the base of the hair on the back becomes very light, and sometimes the hair turns grey. House mice are black.

Male and female: differences

Sexual dimorphism is not typical for field mice. There are no pronounced differences in the appearance and size of males and females.

What does it eat?

Field mice feed on plant (seeds, berries, green parts of plants, nuts, grains) and animal (insects) food. The specific composition of the diet depends on habitat and season. Thus, in winter, when it is difficult to obtain food, mice move into cellars and food warehouses, causing harm to agriculture and industry.

Distribution

Area

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Field mice live in Central and Eastern Europe, in the south of Western Siberia, China, Mongolia, Primorye, the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan. In western Europe, field mice live only in the eastern and central regions, west of the Baltic coast and Denmark to Finland in the north, in southern Siberia, Korea, and China. Widely distributed from the Baltic States to the coast of the Black and Azov Seas up to Sukhumi. They are found in the Ciscaucasia and western Caspian region, in Kazakhstan in the Far East.

Habitats

Rodents usually live in bushes and meadows. In anthropogenic landscapes they are found in gardens, parks, and cemeteries. The refuges of field mice are both natural shelters and holes that they dig on their own. In wet and flooded areas, rodents build nests for themselves in grass or bushes.

Common Field Mouse Species

There are such types of field mice as common, red, forest and underground, which differ in their places of distribution. For example, the common vole inhabits predominantly the Eurasian continent. The red-backed vole lives in Asia and is found in the USA and Canada. The distribution range of the forest vole includes the steppe zone of Eurasia and North America. The underground vole is found only in Europe. The field mouse is easily distinguished from other types of mice by the black stripe located along the center of the back; it is distinguished from mouse mice by its shorter tail, and from Daurian hamsters, on the contrary, by its longer tail. But it can be quite difficult to classify the color variations of the field mouse subspecies themselves, since they arise depending on the geographic latitude of the area and the climatic characteristics of the region where the rodents live. Basically, color changes occur in the latitudinal direction and from west to east. From north to south in Europe, the color of the vole's fur varies from pale and dull in Belarus, the Baltic states and Germany, to bright reddish in the south of Ukraine and the north of the Caucasus. The average size of field mice also changes in this direction; rodents become larger to the south of their distribution area. The bright red-colored mice of southern Europe eastward to the Urals, Semirechye and Altai, and western Siberia do not lose the brightness of their color, but the reddish tint is partially replaced by chestnut-brown. Along the southern borders of their habitat, field mice are always lighter and brighter in color.

Life with voles

Two warm winters allowed voles to multiply in our area so much that holes in the ground began to appear at almost every step. The mole can no longer cope with this scourge. Usually he does not tolerate strangers in his lands, and if the passages intersect, he will try to find, kill and devour the unwanted neighbor along with his entire family.

During the summer, the grandiose battle took place before our eyes. First, the voles began to gnaw on the roots of the parsley that had been left to bloom in the garden bed to attract ladybugs. Well, it’s not really a pity, especially since the roots weren’t completely chewed off and the plants were blooming. Then molehills appeared in the vicinity of the garden bed. The beds are fenced, and the mole does not go inside; it digs around the perimeter. Nobody ate parsley anymore, the soil dug up by the mole was sent to the garden bed and there was a lull. On this site.

The remaining voles decided not to mess with the mole, and began to dig holes on the slope going into the forest, tearing it up like good cheese. On the slope there are fruit and ornamental plants, which are of no interest to rodents in summer; they have plenty of herbs left to bloom for the bees. The mole did not go there in the summer, the summer was dry and the worms from the slope all ran away into the lowland. This is where he patrolled. Mostly even in the neighboring abandoned area, where we did not mow down with our terrible “buzzer” and he was calm and well-fed.

By the end of summer, the voles no longer had enough of the slope, and near the apple trees, on the lower terrace, young plants of two-year-old blueweed grew. Which, as it turns out, is good not only from above as a wonderful ornamental plant and a wonderful honey plant, but also from below - with thick, tasty rhizomes. The plants began to die one after another, the vole's roots were eaten (and perhaps stored as a reserve) completely, leaving only the leaves.

Looking at such chaos, the mole came with a showdown. Along a row of columnar apple trees, piles of earth he dug appeared and the remaining bruise plants were saved. The young plants grew from self-seeding and their partial thinning turned out to be even useful. For some reason, rodents are not interested in adult, flowering bruise plants, maybe they are too tough.

There were already too many voles, and the mole did not have time to run back and forth. While he was clearing the area near the apple trees and garden strawberries, the rodents got to the sweet potato growing on the other side of the house. Sweet potato is a sweet happiness for all mice. Having discovered a large tuber, they gnaw on it with the whole family, without even being distracted by neighboring ones. This is such euphoria that the animals completely forget about vigilance. Even our dog began to catch relaxed happy voles, providing for some time an outlet for his hunting instincts and desire to play (he is still young). The voles that were “overplayed” until they completely lost their viability were brought to the porch in a disciplined manner. Apparently, like prey.

The dog's joy was short-lived - a mole appeared near the sweet potato plot. I dug around the perimeter and put things in order. The soil from the molehills came in handy later when planting new seedlings.

The voles again ran away to poke holes in the long-suffering slope. But the dog has already acquired a taste for it and has learned to catch not only overeating and sedentary animals, but also nimble, hungry animals. By autumn, the kitten had grown up and happily joined this exciting game. Work on the disposal of voles that could not withstand the entertainment has increased significantly. I like mole methods better.

In general, the season went without much damage (three skins from a gnawed sweet potato). Autumn-winter rains will flood passages and burrows in the lowlands, including mole holes - the mole will go uphill. There he will deal with the remaining voles. For prevention and protection of the most valuable, I sowed cynoglossum (black root) on seedlings. By joint efforts, it seems that losses next year will be reduced to a minimum.

Field mouse behavior

Field mice are nocturnal, during this period they become especially noisy and active, but during the day voles usually sleep. These are mobile rodents, which are characterized by long seasonal feeding migrations. Jumping run. They know how to swim, but they don’t like to swim.

Burrows

The structure of burrows in field mice is quite simple, the most complex of them are distinguished by the presence of 3-4 exits, 1-2 nesting chambers, which are located at a shallow depth. Occasionally, voles set up spherical grass nests as housing.

Wintering

Along with other species of mice, field mice actively stockpile for the winter. They eat quite little, and hide the remains of the food they find at the bottom of nests or in burrows, carefully burying them in the ground. Voles chew on something all the time because their teeth are constantly growing and need to be sharpened. In autumn and winter, field mice are found in populated areas, as well as in stacks, haystacks, straw, on threshing floors, and in barns. Rodents do not hibernate in winter.

Life hacks and gardening tips

Tip #1

Since voles actively reproduce and can have offspring repeatedly from spring to autumn, it is preferable to prevent them from appearing on the site. To do this, experienced gardeners recommend taking preventive measures.

Prevention includes:

• systematic waste removal on site;
• collecting compost heaps outside the fertile area in closed boxes;
• refrain from mulching the beds with seed husks and other products that voles love so much.

What product would you choose to combat vole mice?

ChemicalFolk

Tip #2

Some gardeners soak sawdust in kerosene, tar, formalin or turpentine, and then scatter them around the area. Although this method is effective, it is dangerous for humans and pets. For this reason, you should refrain from using this method, or do it carefully.

Tip #3

After the rodents have been exterminated, it is necessary to disinfect the premises, especially residential ones. Any places where mice have been, as well as objects with which they interacted, can pose a danger. Treatment of premises should be carried out using personal protective equipment. Bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and medical antiseptics can act as a disinfectant.

Reproduction of the field mouse

Field mice breed about 3-4 times a year, sometimes up to 5 times a year; in one litter, a female gives birth to 5-7 cubs. Pregnancy lasts up to 22 days. Mice reach sexual maturity at the age of 3-3.5 months. Under favorable conditions, the population grows.

Natural enemies

This fertility is due to the fact that in nature mice have many enemies that limit their population. The most important hunters of voles are birds of prey: owls, hawks, falcons, etc. One owl can eat more than 1000 mice in a year. For some animals - foxes, weasels, martens, polecats - mice are the main, almost exclusive food. A ferret will catch and eat 10-12 mice per day.

The weasel is also dangerous for rodents because it has a flexible and narrow body, with which it is easy for it to penetrate nests and eat the cubs located there. A hedgehog, a snake and, of course, a cat will happily feast on a vole.

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Interesting facts about the rodent:

The field mouse is considered a major agricultural pest because it eats grain crops. In winter, this type of rodent constantly stays close to grain stacks and straw sweeps. In addition, voles damage crops such as potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, watermelon, and sunflowers. The field mouse is also a natural carrier of pathogens such as tularemia, leptospirosis, tick-borne typhus fever, erysipelas, and hemorrhagic nephrosonephritis. For these reasons, people try to get rid of the proximity of these rodents, for which they use mousetraps, ultrasonic repellers, which are laid out in warehouses, and special poisons. One of the humane ways to get rid of voles is to scatter ash in the premises, which mice avoid, or to lay out heads of garlic, the smell of which field mice also cannot stand and immediately leave the room. Cats are also purchased to combat field mice.

How to fight

Experienced gardeners prefer to use complex methods of getting rid of voles in order to avoid an increase in their population on the site. To do this, it is best to use an integrated approach. Traps, poison and sonic or aromatic repellers are used. If you wish, you can get rid of unwanted animals in a short time.

Traditional methods

Property owners who prefer humane methods of rodent control use the following popular solutions.

Strong smelling rags

Typically, mint essential oil, ammonia, vinegar, or cologne are used. It is recommended to place sources of odors unpleasant for mice around the house in areas where rodents are concentrated.

Ash scattered on the site

In mice, it causes irritation of the mucous membranes and indigestion, which is why the rodents soon leave the area. And for the site, the ash will serve as additional fertilizer.

Bunches of leaves and herbs plants

Gardeners recommend collecting wormwood, tansy, elderberries, stems from tomato bushes and other greens. They are used both at home and on the site.

Spruce branches

Thorny branches are placed directly into mouse holes.

Traps and traps

With their help, you can also quickly reduce the number of voles on the site. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to collect triggered traps and install new ones every day.

"Old-fashioned" method with a jar

Coat the inside of a half-liter jar with a thin layer of vegetable or butter, put bait inside and place the trap on its side in the place where mouse droppings were found. It is better to place a board or other elevation nearby to make it easier for the vole to climb inside. She will no longer be able to get back out along the slippery walls of the jar.

This method is more humane, but after using it you will need to transport the mice away from the area. However, there is no guarantee that they will not run to the neighbors, and from there again to your site.

Homemade glue traps

Apply “ALT” glue or any other special composition to the cardboard or board. Place bait in the center and then set the trap. When the mouse climbs for the bait, it will stick tightly to the board, after which it will die.

Professional traps

There are several varieties:

• traps with teeth and doors that crush the victim;
• electric traps that electrocute animals;
• mechanisms with loops that choke rodents trying to chew their way to the bait;
• cages that slam shut when a mouse gets inside and eats the bait from the hook.

Separately, it is worth mentioning electronic repellers

They emit ultrasound, which forces rodents to leave the area. However, it should be taken into account that pets may also be sensitive to unpleasant sounds and run away from the area.

The following devices are most popular among owners of suburban areas:

Chemicals

Homemade or professional poisoning is one of the fastest ways to get rid of long-tailed pests.

You can prepare your own bait using the following recipes:

• Crush the glass into crumbs and mix with food that attracts mice. Place the prepared “portions” of seasoning in places where voles gather.
• Mix equal parts quicklime, gypsum or cement with flour, starch and sugar. Sprinkle the mixture in areas where rodents gather. Place containers of water nearby. After eating, the mice will immediately begin to drink, which will accelerate the formation of a blood clot in the digestive tract and lead to the death of the vole.
• Mix any fat in liquid form with flour and barium carbonate in a ratio of 1:2:4. Form small lumps and spread the poison in places where pests accumulate.

Using poison can be dangerous if there is a pet living on the property. For example, a cat or dog may try to eat prepared poison. Or the cat may try to eat the poisoned mouse and get hurt.

Wax tablets "Storm"

They are used primarily as a deterrent, but also have a poisonous effect. The vole mouse dies a couple of weeks after eating these tablets.

Universal "Granules"

They will help get rid of rodents from almost the entire colony of rodents. After eating the pellets, voles do not die immediately, but manage to infect other members of the population before doing so.