# Crows tearing up lawn



## Duxa

Just a quick update.... I set up a camera... I thought it was racoons.... its freaking Crows.. not my video, but this is how they do it:











I imagine the battling strategy would be similar since both are after grubs...

*----- ORIGINAL POST BELOW -----*

Hi all, I have raccoons completely destroying my lawn (Southern California, suburbs). To the point that I cant reseed/replant the grass as it is guaranteed to be dug up before it is hardy enough. I am not sure what to do. Have any of you encountered this problem?

I understand they dig for grubs? I apply grub control every year, so even if I have some it cant be many. What do I do? I understand that fences wont keep them out. Can I lay something over the freshly seeded grass (like some sort of mesh or something) that would prevent them from digging it all up? I have about 50 sq feet of my lawn just completely destroyed. They come at night, sometimes they wont come for a month, then sometimes they come every night.

Grass type is Dwarf Type Tall Fescue (Marathon 2)

Not my photo, but it looks just like this:



http://imgur.com/bVGoWBi


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## g-man

Catch them in a trap.


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## TulsaFan

@Shindoman sent me a photo of his neighbors destroyed lawn after raccoons went on a late night snack attack just like this. He might have a good suggestion for you?


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## Shindoman

Raccoons are a big problem around here. They are looking for chafer beetle grubs. They can quickly destroy your turf. We can't purchase any grub control in most of Canada I believe. My pal and his neighbors replaced all their boulevard turf with decorative rocks it's so bad. Some people lay down plastic job site fencing like this to deter them. I think it works well.
https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/S-22226G/Traffic-Safety/Safety-Fence-Heavy-Duty-4-x-100-Green


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## Shindoman




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## Duxa

Just a quick update.... I set up a camera... I thought it was racoons.... its freaking Crows.. not my video, but this is how they do it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRmHDnlScpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyn_lwHvorM

They are after sasme thing as raccoons though so battling strategy would be similar?


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## Duxa

Shindoman said:


> Raccoons are a big problem around here. They are looking for chafer beetle grubs. They can quickly destroy your turf. We can't purchase any grub control in most of Canada I believe. My pal and his neighbors replaced all their boulevard turf with decorative rocks it's so bad. Some people lay down plastic job site fencing like this to deter them. I think it works well.
> https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/S-22226G/Traffic-Safety/Safety-Fence-Heavy-Duty-4-x-100-Green


Can you give more info on this? Do they let the grass grow through the holes? Does that not shade out a lot of it? Also how do you remove the plastic once the lawn is established without tearing up the grass yourself (I imagine it will be entangled with the plastsic?


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## FlowRider

I have rabbits in my yard. They dig around the fence lines to get under and eat my grass. My wife loves seeing them.

I also get armadillos, because Texas. They eat the grubs underneath the mulch in flowerbeds. They root them out nightly.

You can either trap them (I do not trap them - they carry leprosy that can be contracted by humans, so I don't touch the little monsters), shoot them (with a hunting license), or do like I do, wait until they eat all the grubs and touch up your landscape.

We have grackles in Texas, cousins to the crows. They come into your yards in flocks of 100 to 500 birds.... They go into the mulch beds and scratch up the mulch, eating worms, crickets, grubs, spiders, you name it. Amazing little hunter birds....

When I was young, we used to catch armadillos and swing them around by their tails. Until one day when a friend let one get too close to his chest without a shirt on, and it ripped his chest wide open with its two front claw paws - 98 stitches.

I have shot them too - they stink to high heaven, so if you have to kill them, bag them up for trash, or bury them deep.

I had two get into my yard one night. My Siberian Husky had one by the tail and was giving it the business. I got the dogs off them, put them inside, got my Ruger 10/22, and shot one in the chest - bullet went right through, blood squirted out like it was coming through a straw. The second one turned, looked at me, and started jumping down the hill like a kangaroo, I kid you not, jumping three feet at a jump. I drew a bead on it, and was about to fire, when I checked my background, and I had a 150 gallon propane tank right behind the armadillo. I didn't take the shot. It went under the house. I got my Husky out, she dragged it out from under the house. I went to grab a shovel and was coming to kill the little beast when it found the hole it dug in my fence to get in, and escaped. I almost blew up my house over that little kangaroo-like beast...! :lol: 
:shock:

Now that I am older, I let them do their thing, kill off the insects naturally for me, and then I just patch up the damage and drive on. There are more of them than there are of you, and they are hungry, so you will not be able to stop them easily.

And armadillos are nocturnal. They are easy to trap, but leprosy...so, I just let them dig around and then I rake the beds.

Anyone want to discuss the damage a foraging herd of feral boar hogs and sows can do to your landscape?


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## Shindoman

Duxa said:


> Shindoman said:
> 
> 
> 
> Raccoons are a big problem around here. They are looking for chafer beetle grubs. They can quickly destroy your turf. We can't purchase any grub control in most of Canada I believe. My pal and his neighbors replaced all their boulevard turf with decorative rocks it's so bad. Some people lay down plastic job site fencing like this to deter them. I think it works well.
> https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/S-22226G/Traffic-Safety/Safety-Fence-Heavy-Duty-4-x-100-Green
> 
> 
> 
> Can you give more info on this? Do they let the grass grow through the holes? Does that not shade out a lot of it? Also how do you remove the plastic once the lawn is established without tearing up the grass yourself (I imagine it will be entangled with the plastsic?
Click to expand...

I don't really have much info as it's just something I see in people's yards. Most put it over existing turf, not newly seeded lawns. I don't think I would put it over freshly seeded areas as you would end up with a pattern matching the fencing that didn't germinate. Ive never had a problem but I remember reading quite a while ago that grubs do not like healthy well aerated lawns. Apparently the crows can hear the grubs in the ground. Couple years ago I watched 2 crows walk my entire back yard but they never bothered once to tear up the grass. I had the pellet gun ready just in case they did.


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## FlowRider

Just a word to the wise: check your local laws before you think about shooting birds inside city limits, even with air guns.

The laws north of the border before the Queen's Courts ("Regina") are different than here in 'Murica. Just saying....


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## jingobah

@FlowRider 
That was the best post I've ever read 😂


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## Shindoman

@FlowRider perfect! Texas and British Columbia are worlds apart. Even in Canada, I'll protect my turf in any way I deem necessary! Lol


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## FlowRider

Look at the size of the front claws on this little dig monster...!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIUC5eGMsFY


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## Bman1

Can you get Dylox in Canada? That'll kill the grubs, follow that with a preventive for grubs.


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## Baretta

@Duxa

I had this problem. I bought some light weight plastic chicken wire. It's very thin plastic so it doesn't hamper germination. I did get some tangling but got to it before I did any damage. I then elevated the plastic with string onto several plastic rods lifting plastic wire about 4 inches of the ground. It might be an eye sore but it worked for me.


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## Duxa

Just an update, I did two rounds of on contact grub killer (Bayer Advanced Complete) over the course of 3 weeks. (I did put down grub control back in April (Scotts with Chlorantraniloprole, as main active ingredient) , but I guess it wasnt enough). After 3 weeks of the on contact killer the crows do not come back anymore, I guess there is nothing for them to dig, all grubs are dead.


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## 440mag

Duxa said:


> I am not sure what to do. Have any of you encountered this problem?
> 
> I understand they dig for grubs?


*Two words *for anyone in this predicament (and ESPECIALLY anywhere chemicals are a separate challenge):

*BENEFICIAL NEMATODES*

My preferred source / great people to do business with (very accessible by phone, etc.): https://hydro-gardens.com/product/guardian-lawn-patrol-mix-1-million-5p385a/

Another source I've not yet utilized: https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/beneficial-nematodes?msclkid=bf857ba0675111341a13269eb1ae8a96&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Beneficial%20Nematodes%20old&utm_term=beneficial%20nematodes&utm_content=beneficial%20nematodes%20-%20exact

Best o' Success! :thumbup:


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## g-man

@440mag I heard a podcast from Turfnet talking about how effective nematodes are. Thanks for sharing the source.


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## Baretta

Glad to hear some positive words with regards to Nematodes. Being limited to solutions and banned from using killer products here in Canada it might be worth trying. Not much said about them on the forum.


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## ladycage

I had a problem with crows and squirrels in my yard, I read about garlic and onion being a deterrent. I throw some broken garlic bulbs around the yard where the squirrels and crows used to play and I don't have a problem at all any more. It seems to work like magic, within 2 days I didn't see any more squirrels or crows, they hate the smell of the garlic and onion. I guess it would deter me to lol.


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