WILLIS, Texas – Homeowners in the Emerald Lakes community in Willis are warning others about a tiny rodent that causes big problems.
This particular rodent is known as a vole and it thrives on smalls plant, plant bulbs, and tree roots.
“We’ve never heard of these things before, I know moles and I know the moles leave mounds and of course, we are close to a lake, so we get crawfish, the crawfish leave a mound also but these don’t. You had to spread the grass to find the holes,” said homeowner John Pulis.
Pulis found 60 different holes in his yard and reached out to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Montgomery County who confirmed that the holes were part of a tunneling system created by voles.
“According to the agriculture people we spoke to, there all over. They migrate wherever the grass is greener, sort of,” Pulis said.
Pulis said his next-door neighbor is dealing with the same issues and he wants to warn others that this could also be happening to them.
“Our water bills run $600 to $800 a month out here. I’ve got a well, but my neighbors don’t,” he said. “You spend all this money on your landscape and these things eat it up and kill it. So, the last thing I want to happen is for this to go unknown to people.”