Voles are small, mouselike rodents that can be pests in gardens and landscapes. They damage many types of plants with their gnawing, from vegetables to turf to trees. Voles can gnaw completely around the trunk or roots of trees, causing girdling, which can kill trees.

Voles spend most of their time below ground in their burrows, but you can spot their presence by the well-traveled runways connecting the burrow openings. They prefer not to feed in the open to keep away from predators.

Voles are normally found in areas with dense vegetation, so clearing brush is one way to discourage them. Find out more about managing these rodents in the newly updated

Many people think wild rabbits hopping around are adorable—there's even an international rabbit day celebrating wild and domestic rabbits—but they're less welcome when they're eating your carefully tended garden. Wild rabbits in California can devour your garden vegetables, just like Peter Cottontail. And they don't stop at lettuce and beans. Rabbits and hares will gnaw tree bark, flowers, most green vegetation, and even drip irrigation tubing.

UC Davis Wildlife Specialist Roger Baldwin has revised the Pest Notes: Rabbits and included more detailed management methods for jackrabbits, cottontails, and other wild rabbits. Managing...

Wildlife in California is an important natural resource that many people appreciate in their natural habitats and strive to protect. However, sometimes vertebrate animals can become pests in our homes, gardens, schools, parks, and landscapes and management efforts are needed.

But identifying what has burrowed under the porch, eaten the fruit on your trees, or caused holes in the lawn can be difficult if you don't see the culprit in action. If you think you have an animal pest but are not sure what it is, the new UC IPM Wildlife Pest Identification Tool will help you narrow down potential...