A Rodent Is Eating My Parsley Roots

Identification

• Look for tunnels in the soil. Voles make tunnels about 1 inch in diameter. If you find any near your parsley plants, voles are almost certainly the culprits. Larger rodents, such as squirrels, may dig to get at plant roots, in which case the signs are obvious. Also look for signs of gnawing.

Considerations

• Poison is not usually a suitable solution. Voles are an important food source for many animals, including rare birds of prey. Domestic cats or dogs may also eat a poisoned vole and may become very ill. Live or lethal trapping might work in the short term. Traps designed for mice are the right size for voles. Bait traps with slices of fruit or peanut butter and check regularly – at least every few hours for live traps and once a day for snap traps. Longer-term solutions include encouraging a natural predator/prey balance in your garden, or simply blocking rodent access to your plants.

Physical Barriers

• The simplest way to stop voles eating parsley roots is to block their path. Either create mesh root cages out of hardware cloth and plant the parsley in them, or sink large ceramic pots into the ground. Plastic pots also might work; rodents can gnaw through plastic but are unlikely to make the effort. Lay fine mesh over the top to stop animals burrowing into the pots. You can also discourage voles by keeping vegetation near your parsley plants trimmed or having a paved area around your herb garden. Voles avoid running across open areas, where they are exposed to predators.

Natural Control

• Inviting the main predators of voles helps prevent their populations from increasing significantly. Entice owls to visit your yard by turning outside lights off at night. If you are worried about human intruders, install motion sensitive lights. Snakes also eat their way through a lot of voles, and you can encourage them to enter the area by adding loosely stacked piles of logs and scrap wood or by growing thick vegetation. Remember to wear work gloves before moving such piles if venomous snakes are present in your area.