Animal control might let you borrow a trap for critters such as possums and
raccoons, and you might be able to get a cat to get into one of those for a
cheap catnip toy.

"Fred G" wrote in message
...
I live on the end of my building and there is a "catwalk" (ironic) that
hides cable and phone lines. They walk across that and make it to the
balcony. I hate to poison them, and animal control won't do anything about
cats usually. As I said, I don't think it should be my responsibility to
train her cats, but if she's not willing to keep them inside. BUT found
this
morning that one had actually crapped on the concrete (and the cat must
have
been sick... YUK!) that I had to go clean up. I've tried cactus-type of
plants on the ledge to block them, but they've managed to knock them off
and
I'm out the cost of the pots and plants.

"Fred G" wrote in message
...
I live on the end of my building and there is a "catwalk" (ironic) that
hides cable and phone lines. They walk across that and make it to the
balcony. I hate to poison them, and animal control won't do anything about
cats usually. As I said, I don't think it should be my responsibility to
train her cats, but if she's not willing to keep them inside. BUT found
this
morning that one had actually crapped on the concrete (and the cat must
have
been sick... YUK!) that I had to go clean up. I've tried cactus-type of
plants on the ledge to block them, but they've managed to knock them off
and
I'm out the cost of the pots and plants.


Go to Home Depot or Lowes and ask for "hardware cloth". It's large and
rigid wire screen. Cut to the diameter of the pot, snip to the center and
cut a hole the size of the plant. They probably also have a larger screen
for multi-stemmed plants that could grow right through.
You could probably use a bit of screen to block off the catwalk, as well.

If these are the same thing I've got, they're definitely *not* armadillos
(unless they are *extremely* tiny armadillos). These are little mounds of
dirt. 2-3 inches in diameter ~1 inch in height. with a small hole, maybe 1/4
inch or less under each mound (see original post). Also, far too many, and
the wrong time of year for cicada killers. They are also not mudbugs,
(crawdads) the area is way too dry.

Any more guesses?

"Chris" wrote in message
...
Welcome to the wonderful world of armadillos. Pesky little varmits that
are
quite difficult to get rid of once they descend on your yard. They dig in
search of grub worms so I would suggest checking for and treating for
grubs
in your yard. Other than that you can use a variety of scents (wolf ****,
coyote urine, etc) to scare them off. Mostly blind, they find their way
around by habit and by smell.

Good luck.
Chris


"Brian Anderson" wrote in message
...
A whole village of little black dirt hills appeared in my yard
seemingly overnight. There must be 20-30 of them in one 10x12
area, most about three inches in diameter. There are similar
but smaller villages elsewhere in the yard.

I scraped some of the dirt hills away and found a small hole,
maybe 3/8" in diameter, under each one. It looks like the
hole of a burrowing snake or something.

What have I got? Is this thing harmful to the lawn, or does
its tunneling help aerate the ground? The areas it has chosen
to tunnel in are only sparsely covered with grass, so it
really can't do much damage unless it spreads to the healthier
areas.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

This description actually sounds like ants, especially with the "way too
dry" area. Take a peek here and compa
http://www.insectlore.com/xinsectuca..._activity.html


"OtherOne" wrote in message
...
If these are the same thing I've got, they're definitely *not* armadillos
(unless they are *extremely* tiny armadillos). These are little mounds of
dirt. 2-3 inches in diameter ~1 inch in height. with a small hole, maybe
1/4
inch or less under each mound (see original post). Also, far too many, and
the wrong time of year for cicada killers. They are also not mudbugs,
(crawdads) the area is way too dry.

Any more guesses?

"Chris" wrote in message
...
Welcome to the wonderful world of armadillos. Pesky little varmits that
are
quite difficult to get rid of once they descend on your yard. They dig
in
search of grub worms so I would suggest checking for and treating for
grubs
in your yard. Other than that you can use a variety of scents (wolf
****,
coyote urine, etc) to scare them off. Mostly blind, they find their way
around by habit and by smell.

Good luck.
Chris


"Brian Anderson" wrote in message
...
A whole village of little black dirt hills appeared in my yard
seemingly overnight. There must be 20-30 of them in one 10x12
area, most about three inches in diameter. There are similar
but smaller villages elsewhere in the yard.

I scraped some of the dirt hills away and found a small hole,
maybe 3/8" in diameter, under each one. It looks like the
hole of a burrowing snake or something.

What have I got? Is this thing harmful to the lawn, or does
its tunneling help aerate the ground? The areas it has chosen
to tunnel in are only sparsely covered with grass, so it
really can't do much damage unless it spreads to the healthier
areas.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Probably worm castings. I have them all over the place and I welcome them and
love them! Best fertilizer money can buy.


On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 07:35:27 -0600, "OtherOne" opined:

If these are the same thing I've got, they're definitely *not* armadillos
(unless they are *extremely* tiny armadillos). These are little mounds of
dirt. 2-3 inches in diameter ~1 inch in height. with a small hole, maybe 1/4
inch or less under each mound (see original post). Also, far too many, and
the wrong time of year for cicada killers. They are also not mudbugs,
(crawdads) the area is way too dry.

Any more guesses?

"Chris" wrote in message
. ..
Welcome to the wonderful world of armadillos. Pesky little varmits that
are
quite difficult to get rid of once they descend on your yard. They dig in
search of grub worms so I would suggest checking for and treating for
grubs
in your yard. Other than that you can use a variety of scents (wolf ****,
coyote urine, etc) to scare them off. Mostly blind, they find their way
around by habit and by smell.

Good luck.
Chris


"Brian Anderson" wrote in message
...
A whole village of little black dirt hills appeared in my yard
seemingly overnight. There must be 20-30 of them in one 10x12
area, most about three inches in diameter. There are similar
but smaller villages elsewhere in the yard.

I scraped some of the dirt hills away and found a small hole,
maybe 3/8" in diameter, under each one. It looks like the
hole of a burrowing snake or something.

What have I got? Is this thing harmful to the lawn, or does
its tunneling help aerate the ground? The areas it has chosen
to tunnel in are only sparsely covered with grass, so it
really can't do much damage unless it spreads to the healthier
areas.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

On 11/10/03 2:34 PM, in article , "cat
daddy" wrote:


"Fred G" wrote in message
...
I live on the end of my building and there is a "catwalk" (ironic) that
hides cable and phone lines. They walk across that and make it to the
balcony. I hate to poison them, and animal control won't do anything about
cats usually. As I said, I don't think it should be my responsibility to
train her cats, but if she's not willing to keep them inside. BUT found
this
morning that one had actually crapped on the concrete (and the cat must
have
been sick... YUK!) that I had to go clean up. I've tried cactus-type of
plants on the ledge to block them, but they've managed to knock them off
and
I'm out the cost of the pots and plants.


Go to Home Depot or Lowes and ask for "hardware cloth". It's large and
rigid wire screen. Cut to the diameter of the pot, snip to the center and
cut a hole the size of the plant. They probably also have a larger screen
for multi-stemmed plants that could grow right through.
You could probably use a bit of screen to block off the catwalk, as well.


Why go BUY something when I already have anti-freeze?

--

I never ask anything from anyone in this or any newsgroup, but I will now. Can
we all please ignore this Fred. He's a troll.

Could be the South Texas bolling lizard.


"Steve Wertz" wrote in message
...
Armadillos looking for grub.

-sw

On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 15:07:38 -0600, Brian Anderson
wrote:

A whole village of little black dirt hills appeared in my yard
seemingly overnight. There must be 20-30 of them in one 10x12
area, most about three inches in diameter. There are similar
but smaller villages elsewhere in the yard.

I scraped some of the dirt hills away and found a small hole,
maybe 3/8" in diameter, under each one. It looks like the
hole of a burrowing snake or something.

What have I got? Is this thing harmful to the lawn, or does
its tunneling help aerate the ground? The areas it has chosen
to tunnel in are only sparsely covered with grass, so it
really can't do much damage unless it spreads to the healthier
areas.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 01:40:29 GMT, "torresd"
wrote:


Could be the South Texas bolling lizard.

Thems good eatin'

-sw

Welcome to the wonderful world of armadillos. Pesky little varmits that are
quite difficult to get rid of once they descend on your yard. They dig in
search of grub worms so I would suggest checking for and treating for grubs
in your yard. Other than that you can use a variety of scents (wolf ****,
coyote urine, etc) to scare them off. Mostly blind, they find their way
around by habit and by smell.

Good luck.
Chris


"Brian Anderson" wrote in message
...
A whole village of little black dirt hills appeared in my yard
seemingly overnight. There must be 20-30 of them in one 10x12
area, most about three inches in diameter. There are similar
but smaller villages elsewhere in the yard.

I scraped some of the dirt hills away and found a small hole,
maybe 3/8" in diameter, under each one. It looks like the
hole of a burrowing snake or something.

What have I got? Is this thing harmful to the lawn, or does
its tunneling help aerate the ground? The areas it has chosen
to tunnel in are only sparsely covered with grass, so it
really can't do much damage unless it spreads to the healthier
areas.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Chris wrote:
in your yard. Other than that you can use a variety of scents (wolf ****,
coyote urine, etc) to scare them off. Mostly blind, they find their way

They don't hurt anything, why would you want to get rid of them. They
not only eat harmful grubs, they also help aeriate the soil.

--
Victor Martinez
Send your spam he
Email me he

On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 05:39:03 GMT, Victor Martinez opined:

Chris wrote:
in your yard. Other than that you can use a variety of scents (wolf ****,
coyote urine, etc) to scare them off. Mostly blind, they find their way

They don't hurt anything, why would you want to get rid of them. They
not only eat harmful grubs, they also help aeriate the soil.

I think we have a little guy. He snubs his way around and gently knocks things
over. I've done some things to keep out cats so they don't kill the birds, but
with a backyard wildlife habitat, I welcome the little dinosaurs!

V

animaux wrote:
I think we have a little guy. He snubs his way around and gently knocks things
over. I've done some things to keep out cats so they don't kill the birds, but
with a backyard wildlife habitat, I welcome the little dinosaurs!

We have at least one armadillo, possums, racoons and lot of other
critters. We don't mind sharing our garden with them, in our view, it
makes it better.

--
Victor Martinez
Send your spam he
Email me he

"Chris" wrote in message
...
Welcome to the wonderful world of armadillos. Pesky little varmits that
are
quite difficult to get rid of once they descend on your yard. They dig in
search of grub worms so I would suggest checking for and treating for
grubs
in your yard. Other than that you can use a variety of scents (wolf ****,
coyote urine, etc) to scare them off. Mostly blind, they find their way
around by habit and by smell.

You do realize that the wild animal urine and scent business is a
horribly inhumane operation for the animals involved?

"Brian Anderson" wrote in message
...
A whole village of little black dirt hills appeared in my yard
seemingly overnight. There must be 20-30 of them in one 10x12
area, most about three inches in diameter. There are similar
but smaller villages elsewhere in the yard.

I scraped some of the dirt hills away and found a small hole,
maybe 3/8" in diameter, under each one. It looks like the
hole of a burrowing snake or something.

What have I got? Is this thing harmful to the lawn, or does
its tunneling help aerate the ground? The areas it has chosen
to tunnel in are only sparsely covered with grass, so it
really can't do much damage unless it spreads to the healthier
areas.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 13:41:26 GMT, animaux
wrote:

I think we have a little guy. He snubs his way around and gently knocks things
over. I've done some things to keep out cats so they don't kill the birds, but
with a backyard wildlife habitat, I welcome the little dinosaurs!

What have you done to keep out cats? My neighbor's cats run loose and
I can't bring myself to call animal control.

Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor