Holes in the lawn are almost always caused by a digging animal. It could be a hedgehog, but also a badger or even a fox. Burrowing rodents such as moles can also mess things up by creating a cave system.
But before you take countermeasures, you should clearly identify the culprit. If he isn't caught right away at the crime scene, you'll have to do a little detective work.
The offendersidentify
To determine which animal could be digging such holes in the garden, first try to answer the following questions.
- What is the size and shape of the holes?
- Is it just a superficial hole? Or does it lead to a cave in the ground or an entire tunnel system?
- Is there droppings around the hole or is it relatively clean?
- Are there piles of dirt or dirt elsewhere in the garden?
- Are any plants, trees or flower bulbs damaged, gnawed or torn?
Holes in the lawn with piles of dirt
Moles,Volesand many other burrowing rodents lay inbranched corridor systemdeep underground. The earth resulting from digging is pushed to the surface of the earth, creating the typical piles of earth. The shape and size of the mounds give an indication of whether it is a vole or a mole.
The dome-shaped molehills are around 25 cm high and can reach a diameter of up to 30 cm. The voles' piles of dirt, on the other hand, are smaller, rather inconspicuous and irregularly distributed. They are often interspersed with root parts and are piled up laterally from the actual tunnel system. Since voles like to gnaw on plant roots, flower bulbs, potatoes and root vegetables and can cause great damageactive control measures necessary. Moles, on the other hand, are not harmful and are also protected. Therefore they may neither be killed nor hunted. What options are there to get rid of moles from the garden?Find out more here.
Without a pile of dirt?
Brown ratscan be 25 centimeters tall and always reproduce wherever they find enough to eat. A compost heap is a favorite place for rats to live. You can recognize inhabited rat holes because they have a diameter of 8 to 12 cm and often lead almost vertically into the ground. Sprinkle a 12-inch-wide strip of odorless baby powder or flour around the hole. The rat then leaves behind the typical drag marks of its tail.Evidence of a rat infestationIn addition to rat tracks, there are also piles of excrement as well as eaten waste and supplies.
If there are signs of feeding on the plants somewhere in the garden, it is definitely a problemrabbitor oneFeldhasen. In the wild, rabbits live underground, in groups and dig a whole network of tunnels and chambers. The rabbits sleep there and raise their young. The entrance to the rabbit hole can be recognized by the trampled grass all around it.
It also makes small, funnel-shaped holesHedgehog. The small craters are about the size of a fist, only a few centimeters deep and distributed all over the lawn. The hedgehogs usually come at night and dig into the grass with their trunks to dig up snails and worms.
Marderdon't build earth dwellings. They live largely as loners in a clearly defined territory and defend their own territory against intruders. Martens are very shy and predominantly nocturnal. During the day they retreat to a hiding place, and these are often attics, stables, barns, or garden sheds. They even penetrateinto the engine compartment of a vehiclea.
After sunset he leavesMarten his daytime hiding placeto go looking for food. The predators feed on small mammals such as mice and rats, as well as insects and earthworms, birds and bird eggs. So they don't really dig unless they want to break into the chicken coop. Basically, wherever a chicken egg can fit through, martens can also get through. It seems doubtful that a marten digs holes in the lawn. Unless he's doing it for fun.
Large holes - 20cm or more
Digging is also part of their behaviorFoxes.They may dig holes in gardens to hide food, garden shoes, children's toys and other prey. In spring they build burrows with tunnel systems in which they raise their young. However, they prefer locations where they can stay undisturbed. The young foxes are out of their quarters from May onwards and usually cause damage to the garden because of their playfulness. If a fox has visited, you have to fill up the holes quickly before you dig too deep. Foxes usually return.
Badgersfeel extremely comfortable in the gardens at the edge of the forest. As a rule, they build their caves in the forest. Badgers are considered omnivores and feed on roots, bird eggs and mice. Sometimes they also dig up lawns because they smell June beetle grubs coming through the surface of the soil. The wildlings dig fist-sized holes in the lawn with their noses and throw the earth up. The holes are not deep, but about 5 to 10 centimeters in diameter and do not look nice. As soon as the grubs pupate and hatch in the spring, the badger will no longer come.
Once you have determined who is responsible for the devastation in the garden, you should also find out how to get rid of the animal. In some cases it is enough to use a few little tricks to get along with the animal visit.
