Massing in the moonlight, legions of critters swarm across back roads and run amok through the countryside. Vegetable gardens disappear overnight. Lawns and crops are destroyed.

It's the attack of the voles. And they could be coming to a backyard near you.

"Oh my gosh, it's like a crazy epidemic!" said Jennifer Miner, co-owner of Flower Hut Nursery in Wheatland, Calif. "It's unbelievable how many calls we've had about voles. One lady said she trapped 70 in 24 hours."

Voles are on the move. Also called meadow mice, voles have short, squat gray-brown bodies with short, furry tails.

"Your whole vegetable garden can be gone in a night," Miner said. "They eat big holes in my tomatoes and my melons. They girdle young plants and chomp on sprouts. They take the bark off of fruit trees. They're so destructive."

Voles live in burrows in areas with dense vegetation. The best prevention is to remove their habitat, cutting back brush, pulling weeds, mowing grass and clearing space around the home.

Poor climbers, voles rarely venture inside houses. To keep them out of a garden, experts suggest fencing the area with Z\v-inch or smaller mesh, at least 12 inches above ground and buried 6 to 10 inches deep.