lawn damage by unknown animal
 

Some kind of animal has been visited my backyard lawn every night for
a few days. It has digged the grass root out over a large portion of
the lawn and I really need to get rid of it. I do not see any tunnel,
so it is probably not a mole. What are the other types of animals that
may have caused my headache? I will go to home depot tonight to get
traps or repellant. Before I go there, please give me some
recommendataions. Thanks.

Some kind of animal has been visited my backyard lawn every night for
a few days. It has digged the grass root out over a large portion of
the lawn and I really need to get rid of it. I do not see any tunnel,
so it is probably not a mole. What are the other types of animals that
may have caused my headache?

Racoons may be the culprits - they tear up huge areas of lawn looking for food.

Trapping may work for the young unwary ones, but the older 'cagey' ones may not
succumb. They will also travel long distances to get back to your lawn, so you
may have to ensure that the trip in the cage is a terminal one.

In article ,
(jay) wrote:

Some kind of animal has been visited my backyard lawn every night for
a few days. It has digged the grass root out over a large portion of
the lawn and I really need to get rid of it. I do not see any tunnel,
so it is probably not a mole. What are the other types of animals that
may have caused my headache? I will go to home depot tonight to get
traps or repellant. Before I go there, please give me some
recommendataions. Thanks.

Are they cone-shaped holes? If they are, your lawn has a grub infestation
that is far more dangerous to the turf than the skunk who is actually
helping you out by eating the grubs.

If its really "a large portion" as you say, of lawn stripped more
haphazardly rather than conical holes, then that would be the doing of
raccoons, maybe a mom teaching a couple adolescents how to find grubs, so
they could do a lot broader lawn-ripping than a lone skunk. If they come
back every night, your grub infestation must be a doozy.

In either case, treat the grub problem & the rest will take care of
itself. The organic control is the nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora,
available from many companies such as:
http://www.goodbug-shop.com/nematodes.htm
But read up on them first; timing is everything.\

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

Squirrels bury nuts and things in my yard this time of year. I'm forever
finding holes all over the place. Could this be your culprit? They also
like to dig up my hyacynth bulbs and fling them all over the place too, for
some reason.
Lori



"jay" wrote in message
om...
Some kind of animal has been visited my backyard lawn every night for
a few days. It has digged the grass root out over a large portion of
the lawn and I really need to get rid of it. I do not see any tunnel,
so it is probably not a mole. What are the other types of animals that
may have caused my headache? I will go to home depot tonight to get
traps or repellant. Before I go there, please give me some
recommendataions. Thanks.

On 27 Sep 2004 10:35:19 -0700, (jay) wrote:

===Some kind of animal has been visited my backyard lawn every night for
===a few days. It has digged the grass root out over a large portion of
===the lawn and I really need to get rid of it. I do not see any tunnel,
===so it is probably not a mole. What are the other types of animals that
===may have caused my headache? I will go to home depot tonight to get
===traps or repellant. Before I go there, please give me some
===recommendataions. Thanks.


Not knowing your location, but if its in the south I would suspect an
Armadillo. They will make cone shaped holes all over a lawn and also
uproot large portions of a larn or flower bed. Squirrels also dig
holes but usually they are not cone shaped like the holes an
armadillo makes.

If your in armadillo territory( and they do range pretty far north
anymore and going further north evey year) don't waste your money on
traps or repellents. The nly way I have found to erradicate these
pests is constant survelance from late night and early morning with a
flash light and shovel or shotgun!
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wife,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

In the Mid-South the destroyers are likely raccoons or possums; possibly
armadillos. They dig for grubs and worms. They also enjoy digging up newly
planted plants and seeds. Treat the lawn with any of the dry-type soil
insecticides and repeat. Buy one or more large or medium live-traps. They
can be live-trapped and relocated (perhaps not legally) to the other side of
a river, ocean or mountain range. Bait the trap with one of the small
lunch-type tuna cans. In morning let the neighborhood cats out and
transport the destroyers. A large dog might work too. There are
motion-activated sound devices and water sprayers which I am currently
trying.

Good luck. They are persistent.


"Roy" wrote in message
...
On 27 Sep 2004 10:35:19 -0700, (jay) wrote:

===Some kind of animal has been visited my backyard lawn every night for
===a few days. It has digged the grass root out over a large portion of
===the lawn and I really need to get rid of it. I do not see any tunnel,
===so it is probably not a mole. What are the other types of animals that
===may have caused my headache? I will go to home depot tonight to get
===traps or repellant. Before I go there, please give me some
===recommendataions. Thanks.


Not knowing your location, but if its in the south I would suspect an
Armadillo. They will make cone shaped holes all over a lawn and also
uproot large portions of a larn or flower bed. Squirrels also dig
holes but usually they are not cone shaped like the holes an
armadillo makes.

If your in armadillo territory( and they do range pretty far north
anymore and going further north evey year) don't waste your money on
traps or repellents. The nly way I have found to erradicate these
pests is constant survelance from late night and early morning with a
flash light and shovel or shotgun!
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wife,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

On 27 Sep 2004 10:35:19 -0700, (jay) wrote:

Some kind of animal has been visited my backyard lawn every night for
a few days. It has digged the grass root out over a large portion of
the lawn and I really need to get rid of it. I do not see any tunnel,
so it is probably not a mole. What are the other types of animals that
may have caused my headache? I will go to home depot tonight to get
traps or repellant. Before I go there, please give me some
recommendataions. Thanks.


Could be a skunk. Hav-A-Hart trap baited with grubs, fruit or meat
may work. If so, throw an old blanket over the trap before you move
it.

(paghat) wrote in message ...
In article ,
(jay) wrote:

Some kind of animal has been visited my backyard lawn every night for
a few days. It has digged the grass root out over a large portion of
the lawn and I really need to get rid of it. I do not see any tunnel,
so it is probably not a mole. What are the other types of animals that
may have caused my headache? I will go to home depot tonight to get
traps or repellant. Before I go there, please give me some
recommendataions. Thanks.

Are they cone-shaped holes? If they are, your lawn has a grub infestation
that is far more dangerous to the turf than the skunk who is actually
helping you out by eating the grubs.

If its really "a large portion" as you say, of lawn stripped more
haphazardly rather than conical holes, then that would be the doing of
raccoons, maybe a mom teaching a couple adolescents how to find grubs, so
they could do a lot broader lawn-ripping than a lone skunk. If they come
back every night, your grub infestation must be a doozy.

In either case, treat the grub problem & the rest will take care of
itself. The organic control is the nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora,
available from many companies such as:
http://www.goodbug-shop.com/nematodes.htm
But read up on them first; timing is everything.\

-paghat the ratgirl

I stayed up late last night and saw this raccoon digging. I sneaked
out and threw a tenis ball to it. Though I misssed it, it seems that
it got scared from coming back, cause I saw less damage this morning
than what it did. (the damage was probably already done before I saw
it).

It is late September now. If I want to kill those grubs, is it too
late? All grub controls I can find in home depot need to be applied
between early spring and late July. Can this nematode Heterorhabditis
bacteriophora be applied this time of the year? I went to the web site
and did not find a answer there. Thanks.

Apply the soil insecticide anytime of the year. You are trying to kill the
grubs that are already there. It will not be a one-shot deal. After doing
it for a couple of years the damage stopped on my lawn. I didn't do it this
year and the raccoons are back. Your raccoons will be back and once they
find a good food source they bring all their relatives. You will not have
enough tennis balls and you can't stay up every night. The raccoons get to
sleep during the day. Can you? Don't try to combine the insecticide and
nematodes. Nematodes are a slower way to attempt control compared to the
insecticide and multiple applications will be required. Bad part of the
insecticide is the killing of beneficial earthworms. I do not know if the
nematodes kill the earthworms.


"jay" wrote in message
om...
(paghat) wrote in message
...
In article ,
(jay) wrote:

Some kind of animal has been visited my backyard lawn every night for
a few days. It has digged the grass root out over a large portion of
the lawn and I really need to get rid of it. I do not see any tunnel,
so it is probably not a mole. What are the other types of animals that
may have caused my headache? I will go to home depot tonight to get
traps or repellant. Before I go there, please give me some
recommendataions. Thanks.

Are they cone-shaped holes? If they are, your lawn has a grub infestation
that is far more dangerous to the turf than the skunk who is actually
helping you out by eating the grubs.

If its really "a large portion" as you say, of lawn stripped more
haphazardly rather than conical holes, then that would be the doing of
raccoons, maybe a mom teaching a couple adolescents how to find grubs, so
they could do a lot broader lawn-ripping than a lone skunk. If they come
back every night, your grub infestation must be a doozy.

In either case, treat the grub problem & the rest will take care of
itself. The organic control is the nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora,
available from many companies such as:
http://www.goodbug-shop.com/nematodes.htm
But read up on them first; timing is everything.\

-paghat the ratgirl

I stayed up late last night and saw this raccoon digging. I sneaked
out and threw a tenis ball to it. Though I misssed it, it seems that
it got scared from coming back, cause I saw less damage this morning
than what it did. (the damage was probably already done before I saw
it).

It is late September now. If I want to kill those grubs, is it too
late? All grub controls I can find in home depot need to be applied
between early spring and late July. Can this nematode Heterorhabditis
bacteriophora be applied this time of the year? I went to the web site
and did not find a answer there. Thanks.