California Voles (Microtus californicus) and Vole Diseases

There has been a population explosion of California voles this year (2024) in Northern California. Folks have noticed and posted a lot more vole observations (both alive and dead) on iNat. I've put together this list of references about voles and vole diseases for those of us who are curious about voles.

California Vole Observations on iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=97394&taxon_id=44326

About Voles (PennState Extension, Jan 5, 2007)
https://extension.psu.edu/voles

• “Voles have short lifespans that generally range from 2 to 16 months.”
• “Large population fluctuations are characteristic of voles. Population levels generally peak every 2 to 5 years; however, these cycles are not predictable. Extremely high vole densities sometimes can occur during population irruptions. Food quality, climate, predation, physiological stress, and genetics have been shown to influence population levels.”

Northern California residents seeing vole infestations (DeNeeka Hill; KCRA-3 News; Jul 19, 2024)
https://www.kcra.com/article/northern-california-vole-infestations/61650922

• "[Voles are] cyclic. Every seven, eight, nine, ten years, they have a population explosion.”

Pest Notes: Voles (Meadow Mice) (R.A. Baldwin, April 2023, UC ANR Publication 7439)
https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/voles/pest-notes/?src=302-www&fr=3789#gsc.tab=0

Can Voles Carry Disease? What You Need to Know (Clay Jenkins, Feb 17, 2024)
https://petshun.com/article/do-voles-carry-disease

• “For example, the meadow vole is known to carry a variety of diseases, including Lyme disease, hantavirus, and tularemia.”
• “One factor that can increase the likelihood of voles carrying diseases is high population density. Voles tend to reproduce quickly, and when their population becomes overcrowded, they are more likely to come into contact with each other, increasing the chances of disease transmission.“

Rodent-born Diseases (National Park Service, May 10, 2023)
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/rodent-borne-diseases.htm

Zoonoses Associated with Rodents – Wild (Prepared by Office of the Campus Veterinarian and the Office of Research Assurances January 2021)
https://iacuc.wsu.edu/zoonoses-associated-with-rodents-wild/

Posted on 27 de agosto de 2024, 01:01 PM by truthseqr