When they are actively in use, these mounded burrows usually are the home of at least one pair of adult voles and their young. One colony can represent the home of many adults. The surface runway system of the prairie vole. The feeding range of an active vole colony can be as small as 10 to 15 feet from the burrow if the food supply is abundant. However, the average feeding range of a colony is about one-fourth of an acre.
Voles are primarily forage and root feeders, preferring succulent grasses and legumes.
Established stands of alfalfa, clovers and other legumes often develop high vole populations. Undisturbed, established grass sod in the spring and fall also provides ideal habitat. Feed grains such as corn and wheat are also high on the list of preferred foods when they are available. Seeds, underground tubers, insects and some animal remains are also used for food. Scouting The first step to prevent losses from rodents is scouting fields and field borders to identify the prairie vole population at least 30 days before planting no-till corn.