The field mouse is a small animal with a brown or gray back and a light gray abdomen. The red-backed vole has rather large ears, and a dark stripe is located along its back. The family of voles is characterized by a small body size (up to 15 centimeters), and the tail can be longer than the body. Field mice live in large families containing up to 10 nests each. For a month, the pest processes and throws up to 60 kilograms of soil to the surface.

Despite their miniature size, forest voles, like rats, cause a lot of trouble to their owners. The common vole is the enemy of bumblebees. She destroys their dwellings, eats insect larvae and honey made by him. This brings significant losses to beekeepers and can completely drive insects away from the site.

Practically all year round the main food of animals - leaves, stems and seeds of wild herbaceous plants. The bank vole also feeds on berries and grain during its growth period. Gray voles also eat insects, their larvae and some invertebrates.

Lifestyle

The way of life of rodents is subject to the principle of seasonality. Also, the biorhythms of animals are dependent on the length of daylight hours. The air temperature and, accordingly, the time of year also have a significant impact on the way of life.

In summer and spring, forest voles are active in the afternoon: at night. How do they live in winter? In winter and autumn, gray voles and rats are active in the middle of the day. The animal does not hibernate in winter. E minks during this period are natural shelters or passages underground.

Mink gray voles, like rats, "line up" up to 4 meters high. They are usually equipped with several exits, one of which leads to water. The mouse lives in a house with a specially equipped chamber. In winter, food stocks are stored in it.

It is worth noting that the water vole, which lives near swamps, does not dig holes. She lives in a spherical house made mostly of grass. The dwelling is located at a height, on a bush.

Video "Vole in nature"

The “protagonist” of the video is a field mouse, which gradually eats a piece of bread.

Distribution and reproduction

Rats and forest voles live on the territory of the former Soviet Union, in Siberia, Kazakhstan, on Far East. In Ukraine, rodents live on the territory of the Carpathians, the region of the Azov and Black Seas, where the water vole is found. The bank vole feels uncomfortable in the dry steppes near Sivash, so it does not live there.

Forest voles prefer to live in the forests of the forest-steppe. Rodents are most often found on cultivated fields or hills, rising above sea level by almost one and a half kilometers.

The bank vole is very fond of wet areas, so you can meet it in grassy meadows and fields. With great desire, the red-gray vole also settles in vineyards, orchards, in valleys, which is very harmful to gardeners.

The underground vole places its dwellings among the roots of plants. When the cold comes, pests easily hide in stacks of straw and piles of fallen leaves. Sometimes the field mouse makes its way into human dwellings or grain stores, which does not please the farmers.

The bank vole breeds actively in spring. Rodent cubs appear in specially equipped chambers, the bottom of which is covered with dry grass. From this part of the dwelling there are several paths that go to the surface. For a year, the female, on average, gives 4 offspring of 5-8 cubs. Pregnancy lasts 22 days.

The interval between offspring is about two months. The mouse is born naked and blind. He is absolutely helpless. Further, the mouse is covered with fluff, grows and develops. After 10 days, he is no different from an adult. Three-week-old babies are looking for food on an equal footing with other mice. And after a couple of months, the field mouse is already able to breed.

Harm

Despite their miniature size and cute appearance, mammals are of little use on the farm. They exist by by and large, thanks to the fact that they have time to steal from gardeners, farmers or gardeners.

Mice and rats, settling in apartments, warehouses or in the country, bring irreparable harm. They eat tree bark, green parts of plants, and gardeners' supplies, including grain. The red-backed vole causes significant losses, and when the rodent population becomes huge, it is impossible to estimate the losses from spoiled crops at all. Therefore, it is in the interests of the gardeners themselves not to allow an increase in the mouse family.

To choose the right tool, you should decide what results you are trying to achieve. And also by what method: humane or more radical. It is also necessary to take into account the environment in which disinfection activities are planned. After all, when getting rid of rodents, domestic animals or livestock should not suffer.

The underground vole is afraid of "Storm" wax tablets. This preparation can reliably protect the crop that the pest feeds on. The substance is scattered in burrows, as well as other places where the bank vole loves or can be. The main thing is not to take the drug with your hands. After all, rats can smell a person and will not eat poison. After consuming the poison, the life of the animal stops after 10-14 days.

The fight against mice is also carried out with Muskidan glue. It is applied to a plywood or cardboard base, in the middle of which the bait is placed. Getting on a sticky surface, the field mouse is firmly glued to it.

The water vole is afraid and natural enemies which can drastically reduce the population. For example, an owl takes the life of 1000 or more rodents per year. And for the fox and the marten, the red-backed vole is the only food. Therefore, they actively hunt for it. A ferret, hunting for mice, is capable of destroying up to 12 representatives of the water vole species per night. And the weasel, with its long and narrow body, easily penetrates the dwellings that the red-gray vole has equipped, and takes the life from its cubs.

Have you ever seen a field mouse? This small rodent, despite its size, can cause great harm. Which? Let's find out...

This small mammal from the order of rodents belongs to the genus of forest and field mice. The mouse family is one of the most numerous on our planet, it includes a huge number of species, but the field mouse is one of the most popular.

And it is also known because it has a very wide habitat. These rodents live in Europe, Siberia, China, Primorye, Mongolia, Korea and other places.

The appearance of a field mouse

How can you find out that you have a field mouse in front of you? Take a look at its back: if a dark narrow stripe runs along it, then this is exactly the same animal.

The body of the animal grows to approximately 12 centimeters in length. The tail of this species of mice is not very long.

Coat color is dark: ocher-gray, brownish. But the belly of a field mouse is light.


A dark stripe on the back of a mouse is its distinctive sign.

Field mouse lifestyle and diet

It should be noted right away that these mammals lead, for the most part, a nocturnal and twilight lifestyle. In the daytime, they have a more important task - to hide from predators, so as not to become someone's dinner. And to feast on the field mouse of hunters - more than enough!

And where is this little girl to hide from the watchful eyes of carnivorous hunters? Yes, anywhere: in a pile of foliage, a stack of hay, or you can climb into the roots of a bush and a tree. After all, for this case, field mice even build underground passages resembling a labyrinth.


Field mice are very prolific animals.

And these little animals are able to very carefully trample down their “way back” on the ground, which is difficult to see with the naked eye. They do this in order to return to their shelter as soon as possible in case of danger.

The diet of the field mouse includes both plant products and some animals. Rodents eat greens from plants, a variety of berries and fruits, seeds, including cereals, as well as insects.

To feed yourself in winter time, field mice try to "settle" closer to human habitation. Sometimes they spend the winter in the barn, in the attic, or they can look into the kitchen.


The main food for a field mouse is vegetable.

Despite occasional lack of food, field mice do not lose fertility. Their ability to breed can be the envy of any animal.

About breeding field mice

The offspring of these rodents appears about 5 times a year. And each time one female is able to give birth to about 6 - 7 mice. That's the fertility!

Mouse cubs are born blind, but thanks to the enhanced nutrition of mother's milk, they quickly gain weight and grow up. Two weeks after birth, the mice become sighted, and after a couple of weeks - independent.


The benefits and harms of a field mouse

Many will say - well, what is the use of them? They just gnaw and spoil everything! But in an ecosystem, this is not the case. These animals are an important element of the food chain. Without the existence of this little tailed naughty, many birds and animals would be left without basic food, for example.

A small rodent can reach 9-10 cm long, with more than half occupied by the tail.

The trunk does not exceed 60 mm. The weight of this pest ranges from 20 to 45 g.

The whole body is covered short fur painted in different colors.

On the back and head it is brownish-red, on the sides it gradually turns into dark gray and steel. The color of the abdomen is light, silvery and whitish hairs are mixed here.

The ears and paws are smoky in color, as are the sparse hairs on the underside of the tail. The top side is much darker. By winter, the fur on the body brightens, acquiring a more intense rusty color.

The head is round, the nose is elongated and mobile, the ears are small and rounded. The body is dense, oval in shape.

The genus is very small, it includes only 12-14 varieties. The most common on the territory of the post-Soviet republics are 2 of them - red and bank voles.

We can also meet the red-gray, and in other places the California, Shikotan, Tien Shan and Gapper vole live.

Video

A small video with a bank vole, made in the Moscow Botanical Garden:

Large "squads" of rodents often cause damage to field-protective plantings, gardens, groves and forests.

It is possible and simply necessary to fight with forest voles!

The amazing fertility and resistance of these rodents to adverse conditions may lead to real disaster in any private sector.

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Early in the morning, as soon as the hostess opened the door, a striped Murka slipped under her feet into the house - and behind the bed, to a box with an old towel in which the kittens sniff warmly. A reddish body - a bank vole - falls into the box with a slight slap. Sleepy kittens poke first into a motionless gray-red lump, then into a more interesting mother's belly. While the future predators are busy with milk, the vole seeps into the holey corner of the box, into the crack between the floorboards, then out into the street, into the raspberry-nettle thickets along the fence and up the slope, to the birches and fir trees of the Arkhangelsk taiga. Lucky!

For Murka, this vole is by no means the first one this morning. Here in the north, true mice are rare. The European taiga is the realm of the bank vole. Even in a village hut you will see these animals rather than house mice. However, the little "queen" is full of various enemies. How does she manage to survive among feathered and furry hunters and crackling taiga frosts?

IN THE SUMMER FOREST

The red-backed vole is undoubtedly a forest species. Its favorite habitats are oak-linden forests. In them and in the north of the forest-steppe, this species feels great: voles are numerous here, and years of depression (when there are very few animals) are rare.

To the north, in the taiga, the bank vole has a hard time in winter. Oaks with their large nutritious acorns are very rare, almost all lindens are in the villages. Spruce seeds are nutritious, but small, and the harvest of cones in the middle taiga happens every 4-5 years. In summer, food suitable for the animal can be found almost everywhere - after all, there are more than 100 species of plants on the menu of the bank vole: goutweed, yarrow, plantain, lily of the valley, St. John's wort, elecampane, sorrel, stonecrop ...

In summer, females make nests in old stumps, heaps of deadwood, under roots and ectropions, dragging bunches of dry grass, lichen, and, on occasion, wool and feathers inside. In good warm summer one vole can bring two or even three broods of 5-6 cubs each.

SEARCH UNDER THE SNOW

However, not everyone will survive the first winter: cold, starvation and predators do their job. In the cold, a small body quickly loses heat, and bank voles rarely get out on the snow. However, they make short runs from butt to butt even in 20-degree frosts. Under the snow there is something to profit from. There are many winter-green plants in the taiga, such as lingonberries and wintergreens. Their leaves survive until spring and begin photosynthesis as soon as the snow begins to melt, and die off later, when new ones appear. Blueberries shed their leaves, but the green stems remain. At all times of the year, greenery prevails in the diet of bank voles, but tender young leaves are not found in winter, and the animals gnaw on leathery, darkened lingonberry leaves. If you're lucky, you can profit from a spruce cone dropped from a shaggy spruce top by crossbills or a woodpecker. All the “acidic” (that is, green ones that fell to the ground) cones had long been eaten by the middle of winter, only rods in rags of red scales remained from them. Baskets of cornflowers and nettle catkins, covered with snow, are also ruined. The stock of seeds in the mink is melting... Before spring, more and more often you have to run upstairs, where the opened cones of spruce and pine scatter seeds. And then a flock of taiga titmouse-powders, peeling hard cones of alder, will drop something. But predators are also hungry before spring, and the odorous track of a vole in the snow will not go unnoticed!

TAIGA NEIGHBORS

The bank vole has a lot of rodent neighbors in the taiga. The other two species of forest voles are rare here. Red is found in the real taiga, along coniferous old forests. Gray voles live in fields and meadows: the common voles live where it is drier, and the large root voles live in floodplain meadows with lush grass. In some places, along the curtains of weeds in the fields, there is a field mouse, and in large villages - a brownie. Luckily for the bank vole, it's too north for mice. South, in deciduous forests, field mice are the main competitors of bank voles.

THE CASE OF TAXONOMY

In 1780, the German naturalist, student of C. Linnaeus I. Schreber, in the fourth volume of the encyclopedia "Mammals in Drawings from Life with Descriptions" gave a biological description of a small rodent caught on the Danish island of Lolland. According to the Linnaean system, it received a double name - Mus glareolus(red mouse). And if the specific epithet, glareolus, has remained the same since then, taxonomists still argue about the generic name.

Pretty soon it became clear that in the genus of mice, voles and lemmings have no place, despite resemblance. There are many internal differences. The most significant was found in the structure of the skull and teeth. In mice and rats, molars have roots and are covered with enamel, that is, they are limited in growth, only incisors constantly grow. The chewing surface of the teeth of voles is not covered with enamel, it is located on the sides of the tooth and forms loops on the surface. By the way, according to their pattern, you can distinguish the bank vole from its relatives - red and red-gray. The surface of the teeth in voles is worn down, but the teeth are constantly growing. Mice prefer to eat various seeds and fruitlets, voles often feed on the green parts of plants.

What is the name of the genus to which the bank vole belongs? This is a real detective story, and the case has not yet been closed. IN late XIX- at the beginning of the 20th century, the bank vole was placed in the genus Evotomys, described by the American zoologist E. Couse in 1874. Since 1928, thanks to another American, T. Palmer, in scientific literature the name persisted for a long time Clethirionomys. Rechecking earlier European publications, he found that the genus of forest voles had already been described in 1850 by the German scientist W. Tilesius. By right of the "older" (that is, earlier) synonym, the name was fixed Clethirionomys. But Palmer missed that even earlier, in 1811, the famous traveler and naturalist P. S. Pallas described the genus Myodes. This was noticed only in the 1960s, and the controversy resumed. As a result, in early XXI centuries, some zoologists called the genus of forest voles Myodes, others continued to use the name Clethirionomys, challenging the decision on a new renaming. Still others, avoiding the battles of seasoned taxonomists, wrote both names, if only it was clear which species was meant.

Bank vole in the food chain

Voles eat a wide variety of plants: shrubs and herbs, bark, shoots, leaves and fruits of trees and shrubs, mosses, lichens, fungi, insects, worms, and even small vertebrates (for example, frogs).

NUTRITION OF THE POLE VOLE

SPRUCE

Spruce is the main tree of the European taiga, which largely determines the life of all its inhabitants. Spruce cones open in the second half of winter, scattering light brown seeds over the surface of the snow. Then numerous paths of voles appear on the snow, collecting nutritious seeds.

BLUEBERRY

In late July - early August, blueberries ripen. A good harvest happens every few years. But even in bad blueberry jam year, the red-backed vole will find the gray berries hidden under the pale green leaves of the shrub. At harvest time, blueberries become a staple on the bank vole menu.

SLEEP

The soft stems and leaves of this umbrella plant are eaten by everything (young leaves can be used to make a salad). It is a shade-tolerant plant under a closed canopy. spruce forests reproduces vegetatively, but on the sunny edges it throws out fragrant white umbrellas of flowers and gives seeds. The bank vole eats both the leaves and the flowers of the goutweed.

lichen cladonia

Beautiful whitish "caps" in white-moss forests are formed not at all by mosses, but by lichens of the Shota genus. Alpine, forest and deer cladonias are widely distributed in the taiga zone, and they are eaten not only by the bank vole, but also by other inhabitants of the taiga. During rain, the lichens get wet, acquire a greenish tint and emit a distinct mushroom smell.

ENEMIES OF THE POLE VOLE

FOREST MARTEN

It climbs trees beautifully, often gets a squirrel right in the gaine (the so-called squirrel's nest). One marten squirrel is enough to feed for two days. However, squirrels are not easy prey, and forest voles often form the basis of the marten's diet. The marten willingly eats insects, berries and nuts.

Weasel and Ermine

This couple small predators from the weasel family - specialized myophages (literally - " mouse-eating"). Both can chase voles in their moves, especially . Nimble, flexible predators do not miss their prey either among the stones or among the deadwood, they make passages in the snow mass.

KESTREL

During the hunt, this red falcon hangs over one; now over another place, finely fluttering its long wings and spreading the striped fan of its tail. It prefers to hunt in open places, therefore it catches gray voles more often, but it also catches red voles regularly. In winter, the kestrel is not able to get rodents from under the snow, so in the fall it goes for wintering to warmer climes.

Tawny Owl

To size gray owl second only to the eagle owl and polar owl. This large, strong bird hears the movement of a vole under a thickness of snow about half a meter deep, "dives" into the snow forward with its paws and closes sharp, curved claws on its prey. Thanks to these abilities, the Great Gray Owl successfully hibernates in the taiga.

How to determine the presence of a vole mouse in a summer cottage, effective methods rodent control? These questions are of interest to many gardeners. But which ones show top scores How to prevent a new invasion of rodents? Everything you need to know about voles can be found in the following material.

Features and description of the rodent

The vole mouse differs from its relatives in its small size. An adult is able to reach no more than 13 centimeters in length, with most (up to 70%) occupied by the tail. The mouse has a pointed muzzle, small brown eyes. The ears of the animal are tilted slightly forward, but pressed to the head. Looks like a cute rodent causing irreparable damage agriculture, despite their small size.

Mouse fur is very coarse and hard. In most cases, the color of the rodent is beige, gray or brown. The belly of the mouse is colored White color, on the back there is a clear black line. The exact color of the rodent depends on its age, young individuals have a dark color, slightly older mice are lighter, old rodents are almost beige, there are gray hairs.

Mice live in natural shelters or in self-dug holes. Remarkably, small animals are able to dig a hole up to four meters in length. One exit necessarily goes to the reservoir, the burrow also includes a nesting room and several storages for food supplies. The latter are usually located at a depth of more than one meter. The favorite habitats of pests are swamps.

Vole mice differ from their relatives in some features by which it is easy to recognize a rodent:

  • voles are the only representatives of the rodent class to have a black stripe on the back;
  • in size, field mice are slightly larger than their relatives;
  • voles are very similar to Daurian hamsters, the only distinguishing feature- the presence of a long tail;
  • unlike other species, the vole has a long period of puberty - about 100 days;
  • mice like to settle in feeding areas, destroying the harvested crop;
  • Also, voles have one feature that is not characteristic of other species - they are able to settle near swamps.

Interesting to know! Rodents are active in the evening, at night. In autumn and winter, they are awake even during the day. It is noteworthy that mice do not hibernate during the winter season.

Reasons for the appearance

Why do voles start up in summer cottages? Rodents need food, constant availability of water and heat. All these qualities are warehouses, cellars that are available in the country. Also, rodents are able to feast on human supplies located in secluded corners of the kitchen. Ways of passage of pests are: ventilation ducts, open windows and doors, cracks in the floor, walls.

It is very easy to notice a pest in a summer cottage. The main signs of the life of the animal are the presence of minks, feces throughout the house, in secluded places. Also, pests leave their marks everywhere. This is due to the fact that the teeth of rodents grow throughout their lives, they need to be sharpened. What does a vole eat? It is typical for mice to gnaw on the bark of trees, the lower parts of shrubs in the winter season.

Harm to a person

When entering the cellar, the rodent completely destroys all supplies for the winter. In spring, pests feed on young shoots, bark, causing significant damage to the crop that has not yet appeared. Given the harm caused by mice, immediately deal with the destruction of rodents, otherwise the loss of food, plantings in the garden cannot be avoided.

How to get rid of a mouse - voles

Mankind has come up with many methods of dealing with voles, all of them can be divided into several main categories:

  • that have stood the test of time;
  • physical methods that involve the use of mechanical devices: traps, traps, mousetraps. This category includes the natural enemy of mice - a cat,;
  • chemicals: various aerosols, poisons, poisoned baits. show excellent results, but is often dangerous for humans or animals living in the country house.

When choosing the right method against vole, consider the features of the room in which there are pests, the presence of animals.

Folk remedies and recipes

Folk recipes against voles:

Many prefer to use proven mechanical methods, but keep in mind that you will have to regularly remove the carcasses of dead individuals. If the number of rodents is very large, then the bait may not work (the mouse can gobble up the bait, dodge the mousetrap). Many people prefer to get a cat, but "fluffies" live in the country with their owners only until winter. Not every cat is able to instill fear in mice, most pets themselves are afraid of rodents or simply do not want to hunt them.

Excellent results show homemade traps:

Chemicals

Effective drugs:

  • wax tablets "Storm". Spread the product in boxes, burrows, drainage pipes. The tablets have a deterrent effect, if the pest tastes the remedy, it will die within two weeks;
  • universal "Granules". They are made from natural wheat grains. The tool has a cumulative effect (an infected mouse carries poison on its paws, fur, affecting its relatives);
  • glue "Muskidan". Effectively copes with voles not only in the summer cottage, but also indoors. It is recommended to apply it on cardboard, place the bait in the middle. When it hits the glue, the mouse sticks tightly and quickly dies.

You can get rid of voles by settling suburban area natural enemies: owls (one individual eats up to two thousand mice a year), martens, foxes feed exclusively on voles. Weasel is able to penetrate the holes of a rodent, destroy offspring.

The field mouse is a dangerous rodent that can destroy a lot of crops. If a pest is found, immediately start fighting it, use useful advice specialists.