Commonly mistaken for a mouse or mole, a vole is a small burrowing rodent. Voles are small, fat rodents with short tails and rounded heads. Their fur is usually brown or black in color. Voles are active in both the day and at night. Voles make many tunnels close to the surface, and most of the time, you can see the actual pathways by the displacement of the dirt. Voles make their homes right at the surface, but are generally under a deck, shed, or debris. Rock piles or log stacks make excellent cover for many pests, voles included. Several voles may live in one burrow. Voles will often use tunnels made by moles, gophers, or other voles that used the area previously. The tunnels that voles dig usually rip lawns and destroy gardens. This pest eats a variety of plants, insects, snails and animal remains. Voles can reproduce year-round, and have 1-5 litters of 3-6 offspring annually. Females can begin reproducing about 1 month after birth. They are hunted by cats, foxes, hawks, owls and snakes, and only live 2-16 months. While seeing a Vole is a telltale sign of infestation, it is more common to see the tunnel system in your yard than the rodent itself.