Lakefront property, hedge views, all-you-can-eat lawn: the Lake Whatcom voles

Lake Whatcom real estate is hard to come by. Unless you're a vole. These little guys found a perfect spot: a thick hedge for cover, a lush lawn for groceries and a lake view nobody asked them to pay for.

They didn't stop at moving in. They built roads. Look at that first photo: a runway chewed right across the grass from the hedge, like a tiny freeway for commuting to the buffet. No permits, no zoning, no traffic lights.

Then came the front doors. The second photo shows neat little holes popping up all over the lawn. One entrance for coming, one for going, a few spares in case the in-laws visit.

How do you know it's voles and not moles? Moles stay underground and push up dirt mounds. Voles run open trails along the surface and leave clean, golf-ball-sized holes with no big pile of dirt. If your lawn looks like someone mapped out a subway system on top of it, you've probably got voles.

We set traps along their routes and caught the voles. The lakefront lease has officially ended. The lawn gets to go back to being a lawn, not a commuter route.

Seeing trails or little holes along your hedges or garden beds? Call or text Gavin a photo. We'll tell you who's living there and send them packing.