When it comes to vole control in no-till soybeans in 2024, Steve Gauck notes that after flying the Soybean Watch ’24 field, there was good news and bad news. The good news: There were far fewer blank spots directly attributable to vole feeding in this year’s field compared to past years. The bad news: There was still one distinct blank spot visible in aerial images during the drone flight that was caused by vole activity. To some, one blank spot from voles is one too many.

“The fact is that they are more of a nuisance than a real concern when it comes to overall yield, but you still don’t like seeing them,” says Gauck, a regional agronomy manager for Beck’s, sponsor of Soybean Watch ’24. Gauck is based near Greensburg, Ind.

“If you add up the area destroyed by voles in a typical field, it is very, very minor,” he says. “Yet damage by these rodents stands out because typically no soybean seedlings survive in the small area where they feed at that spot in the field.”

Vole control

The problem tends to be worse in no-till fields, like soybeans no-tilled into cornstalks, Gauck notes. Wildlife biologists say that makes sense because of voles’ life habits. Without tillage, there is nothing to destroy their runs, or burrows. They love feeding on young and emerging soybean seedlings.

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There is no foolproof way to eliminate this pest, and typical damage certainly isn’t severe enough to cause a shift to tillage just because of voles, especially in fields where soil erosion is more likely. One farmer in southern Indiana places bamboo poles in his fields each spring, encouraging owls and other predators to visit, perch and then attack voles. He’s seen enough success that he promotes installing bamboo poles to other farmers in his area.

Various other home remedies have been tried, often with limited success. If you search for “How to control voles in no-till soybeans” on the internet, Google provides a list of possible options. Here is a sampling — but remember, this is from the internet!

Alternative feed. Provide an alternative food source for voles, such as broadcasting soybeans before seeding the actual crop. 

Cultural control. Before planting, clean-till or plow to destroy vole colonies, food supply and cover. (As noted earlier, this isn’t practical on sloping fields.) 

Habitat modification. Voles prefer areas with adequate food supply and overhead cover from predators. So, remove the food supply and cover. 

Drilling. Running a drill across the field can damage burrows and kill voles. 

Seed repellents. Use capsaicin, cayenne pepper, Lorsban or Thriam to reduce vole feeding. 

Cover crops. Include brassicas in the cover crop mix, as voles don't like brassicas. 

Spreading chaff. Spread chaff at harvest to reduce vole numbers. 

Rotary hoe. Use a rotary hoe to fluff and spread residue, which can also spear voles. 

Crimping. Crimp cover crops to eliminate voles. 

Baits. Use zinc phosphide pellets in the furrow, but effectiveness varies. 

How many of these are practical or realistic? Judge for yourself, Gauck advises. Some, like spreading residue evenly, make sense for multiple reasons.

Note that baits are last on the list. They’re expensive, plus sometimes hard to use. They also often deliver inconsistent results.