Moles and Voles: How They Affect Your Irrigation and Lawn Services
Are you finding mounds of dirt or rodent pathways through your lawn? You may have an issue with moles or voles. Despite their similar name, moles and voles are dissimilar in many ways. However, they can both affect your lawn and your inground sprinkler system. In fact, moles and voles can severely damage your inground irrigation system if they're left unchecked! If you want to stop costly repairs, read on for tips from the experts at Nutri-Lawn Ottawa.
The difference between moles and voles
Moles and voles can create similar, yet different, damage to your lawn and inground sprinkler system. The first difference you'll notice is their appearance.
Voles, like their alternative name "field mice" would suggest, look similar to chubby mice. They have shorter tails, and unfortunately, do a good deal more damage than mice.
Moles look like little cylindrical digging professionals. Their front legs are capped with shovel-like paws that are angled just right for creating deep tunnels. Moles, because of their underground habitats, are blind. This means that usually their eyes are invisible, or so small to be almost invisible. Most often, their ears are just as tiny.
Don't let these rascals' furry appearances fool you into thinking your inground sprinkler system is safe from their burrowing habits.
What does their damage look like?
Mole damage arrives in the form of deep tunnels beneath the surface of your lawn, and in mounds of soil and grass where the moles have popped their heads up.
Vole damage looks like small pathways through your lawn, or a system of miniscule trenches. Throughout the winter, voles wear diminutive paths into your lawns by eating their way through the grass.
Both creatures can ruin your Nutri-Lawn Ottawa sprinkler heads as they tunnel and rise to the surface. Pipes below the surface can also become damaged from burrowing moles.
You'll know that your inground irrigation system has been damaged by observing the water flow. If you begin to notice signs of a mole or vole infestation, run your Nutri-Lawn Ottawa inground sprinkler systems to check for damage. Signs of damage to your inground sprinkler systems include bent or misplaced nozzles, uneven flow, blocked flow, and dripping when the system is turned off.
What to do about moles and voles
If you do discover damage to your inground sprinkler system, make sure to call an expert at Nutri-Lawn Ottawa as soon as possible to get the problem repaired.
You can also mix gravel into your soil to make tunnelling uncomfortable for the little rodents. Also make sure that your inground sprinkler systems aren't over watering your lawn. An over watered lawn will create a soft digging space for moles and voles, allowing easier access.
Finally, get rid of shelter for voles. Remove tall grasses, and keep a 3-foot perimeter around trees that is free from mulch. Voles sometimes eat at trees and create irreparable damage.
Keep your Ottawa lawn in tiptop shape this summer. Contact Nutri-Lawn Ottawa for a complimentary quote on our inground sprinkler systems and services.
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