Thanks! The hot pepper spray might work if the plants carry it down to the roots. the voles eat from the roots up. Our feeders do have trays but the sparrows and ground feeding birds still root around below them, hence the casualties

Update to anyone who is still watching this! I tried the gum in their little holes as an experiment around my rose garden. No new damage since! (About one week). Wow! Maybe I'll try other areas too.

While battling gophers along the fenceline (reconstructing wood framed beds to line with hardware cloth) the fact that I have a HUGE vole problem totally escaped me (mulch hides a lot of clues and I thought a lot of failures this year was due to our weird, LONG spring weather that turned HOT and stayed hot for an extended period). My son kept making reference to "snake holes" and I did see small holes going under planters where I frequently encounter snakes. It worked for me. Now as I'm putting old mulch into the compost piles and putting down a fresh blanket for winter I realize those snakes have taken up residence because voles have turned my ornamental planters into condos and the snakes have a ready food supply.

So, how did the Juicy Fruit gum work? I've been reading that you need to unwrap it wearing gloves to keep the human scent off. So, chew or not chew? Was one more effective than another?

And the Spectracide's effectiveness? Is it safe? These planters are edged with strawberries.

The planters are made of those cement retaining blocks and are 23 feet long each and 30 inches deep. The prospect of digging them out to line with hardware cloth in a little daunting.

And, cats are not an option. My husband is highly allergic.

I am doing lots of daffodils, but about 500 per season is my back's limit.