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Voles
Voles are small rodents with short legs, stocky bodies, small eyes and ears, and short tails. Two species, the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and the pine vole (Microtus pinetorum), might damage fruit trees and become serious pests in orchards. The meadow vole is approximately 5.5 to 7.5 inches long. It has brown fur mixed with black, and its tail is approximately twice the length of its hind foot. The meadow vole is also called the meadow mouse. The pine vole is Pennsylvania's smallest vole. It is 4 to 5 inches long and has chestnut or auburn fur and a short tail approximately as long as the hind foot.
Voles are vegetarians, feeding on grasses, tubers, and seeds. They also consume the bark of young trees. Unlike many other small mammals, voles do not hibernate. Instead, they are active throughout the year, both day and night, with peak activity at dawn and dusk.
Meadow voles create surface runways in the grass; in winter, they are active in these runways beneath the snow. Pine voles build underground tunnels in loose, crumbly soil. As they build the tunnels, they push out dirt, producing small conical piles of soil on the ground surface. Both types of voles build large globular nests of dry grasses and leaves. The nests are located close to tree trunks, in tussocks of grass, and at the end of burrows.
Voles are extremely prolific. Their peak breeding activity occurs between March and October, but when winters are mild, voles may breed all year long. A female meadow vole could potentially produce over 70 young in a year, and the young voles become sexually mature at the age of 1 month. As a result, under ideal conditions vole populations can reach densities as high as 270 voles per acre. Scientists have found that voles exhibit regular population fluctuations at approximately 4-year intervals. Populations apparently crash to levels as low as 10 voles per acre after peak years and then begin to build up again. Voles can cause extensive damage to orchards, particularly during peak population years.