Common voles inhabit open expanses: fields, meadows, vegetable gardens, and sometimes bushes and forest edges. They are widespread across the region, settling in colonies. These voles build complex holes with nest chambers, underground tunnels and surface pathways. In the winter, they make passages in the snow, and make nests of grass and straw. They often winter in haystacks and ricks. Common voles predominantly forage on the greens of grain and bean crops and other plants, their seeds and roots, stocking up food. They are very prolific, and given favorable weather, foraging and safety conditions they can breed all year round. In years of particular abundance, the species decreases agricultural yield. Settling close to populated areas, it can serve as a vehicle of disease of people and domestic animals. Certain agro-technical measures – timely and lossless harvesting, removing straw from fields, getting rid of wild grass beds and blank spots, re-plowing stubble fields, entrenching hayricks etc. – prevent excessive proliferation of common voles and other rodents.
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