# What is ruining my lawn?



## Lude100 (Aug 18, 2021)

I'm in zone 6a. I dethatched, aerated, sand leveld and overseeded my lawn about 8 weeks ago with a 50/50 PRG/KBG mix (lawn was mostly PRG before).
Everything was going well until about 2 weeks ago. Some animal is absolutely destroying my lawn. Digging holes/divots and literally ripping up entire patches of gras.

I thought it was squirrels. I tried to deter them with an owl decoy and also got one of those ultrasonic rodent repellers but it's not working.
Now I think it might be birds? Any ideas and anything I can do to stop this? I put a lot of work and money in this lawn this fall and everything is getting destroyed right now....

Thanks!


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## uncken (Oct 14, 2021)

Lude100 said:


> I'm in zone 6a. I dethatched, aerated, sand leveld and overseeded my lawn about 8 weeks ago with a 50/50 PRG/KBG mix (lawn was mostly PRG before).
> Everything was going well until about 2 weeks ago. Some animal is absolutely destroying my lawn. Digging holes/divots and literally ripping up entire patches of gras.
> 
> I thought it was squirrels. I tried to deter them with an owl decoy and also got one of those ultrasonic rodent repellers but it's not working.
> ...



To me, it looks like squirrels. I have the same exact same looking holes in my yard every year around this time when they start burying stuff for winter. It's annoying, but you can really just go sort of press that soil back into it, and as long as the roots weren't damaged it'll still live/fill in -- just don't let it dry out. Even if some of it dies, you can probably count on the *** filling it back in.

You could also maybe try spraying red pepper in areas with the damage, they don't like spicy things.


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## Lude100 (Aug 18, 2021)

I thought it was squirrels too, but there is nothing burried in those holes. And now I also have these smaller holes popping up as seen in picture 3 and 4.

How would i go about spraying red pepper? I there a solution/concentrate?


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## cleohioturf (Jul 20, 2020)

That’s squirrels, constant pain for me, unfortunately. A lot of times the holes are from them digging their nuts up from earlier in the year, taking them back to the nest this time of year for winter…


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## spaceman_spiff (Feb 5, 2021)

Skunks looking for grubs maybe? Do you use GrubEx?


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Either squirrels or birds. I get a lot of robins digging for worms and they do damage that looks similar.


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## dicko1 (Oct 25, 2019)

I vote for Raccoons.


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## sabochris (Aug 23, 2021)

From photo #2, the two at the top, do those look like anthills to anyone else?

Photo #1 I fully agree with a squirrel, such a pain for me too.


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## Lude100 (Aug 18, 2021)

spaceman_spiff said:


> Skunks looking for grubs maybe? Do you use GrubEx?


 I did use Grub ex in late July and didn't really see any signs of grubs lately. But i guess i can try and put some down to see if that helps


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## Lude100 (Aug 18, 2021)

Did anyone ever try one of those motion detector sprinklers? Do they work for squirrels/skunks/racoons/birds?


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## uncken (Oct 14, 2021)

Lude100 said:


> I thought it was squirrels too, but there is nothing burried in those holes. And now I also have these smaller holes popping up as seen in picture 3 and 4.
> 
> How would i go about spraying red pepper? I there a solution/concentrate?


They're trying to find/dig up stuff they may have previously buried, happens this time of year all the time. That's why there's nothing in the hole, they either found it or didn't, but if they had buried something it would be covered up.

I would just get a little hand pump sprayer and put some red pepper powder in it and use that, or if there's one area they keep coming to, maybe just sprinkle the powder itself


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## spaceman_spiff (Feb 5, 2021)

Lude100 said:


> I did use Grub ex in late July and didn't really see any signs of grubs lately. But i guess i can try and put some down to see if that helps


If you don't see grubs, then no reason to waste GrubEx. That should only be applied in the April/May/June timeline anyway.


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## rijkmus (Jul 12, 2021)

I have squirrels doing the same thing in my yard. Also in a new daffodil bed I put in. I don't think they are digging for grubs. I suspect they are looking for nuts. Walnuts are falling here now.


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## dksmc (8 mo ago)

Looks exactly like my yard and what the squirrels do. Peanut in mouth, digging to hide it. Awesome.


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## FailedLawn (5 mo ago)

Lude100 said:


> I did use Grub ex in late July and didn't really see any signs of grubs lately. But i guess i can try and put some down to see if that helps


grubex is for grub prevention, not killing grubs In the summer/fall months. It is to be applied earlier in the year.

Dylox is what you want to use later in the summer or fall months.

Also, I also say squirrels. They do the same to my lawn and they’ve set off motion alerts in my security camera. I do do a recent application of Dylox just in case some grubs made it through my prior grub xtreatment.


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## Lude100 (Aug 18, 2021)

The more I think about it the more I think it might be a skunk. Neighbours said they have seen one around and these holes seem to appear over night. I will take our front camera and set it up in the back tonight and see if I can spot the perpetrator.


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## Jeff_MI84 (Sep 28, 2020)

@Lude100 I see a skunk and raccoon walk across my front yard almost every night this time of year. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what is doing it.


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## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

uncken said:


> They're trying to find/dig up stuff they may have previously buried, happens this time of year all the time. That's why there's nothing in the hole, they either found it or didn't, but if they had buried something it would be covered up.
> 
> I would just get a little hand pump sprayer and put some red pepper powder in it and use that, or if there's one area they keep coming to, maybe just sprinkle the powder itself


+1


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## tgreen (Oct 20, 2018)

This is squirrel damage. I empathize. I hate watching them dig in my yard. I could almost shoot a pellet at them.


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## Factor (Oct 10, 2019)

Lude100 said:


> View attachment 931
> View attachment 932
> View attachment 934
> View attachment 935


The first 2 are squirrels. They are Mother Natures way of telling you winter is coming.
The second 2 are birds looking for grubs or worms. Hopefully not Army worms.


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## Victor Von Lawn (5 mo ago)

Factor got it right...


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## Wile (Sep 17, 2020)

I have squirrels doing that in my yard. I don’t always find anything buried either.


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## PANICiii (May 14, 2020)

Yep, squirrels (bigger holes) and birds (smaller holes). I think the birds are looking for insects but the squirrels are just plain dumb, in my opinion.

They do these kind of holes in my lawn all year long, but more active now before winter. As if they try to find peanuts they may have left ... They are so dumb.

One of my neighbor feeds a lot of bluejayz with peanuts, eveyday of course this also please other birds and animals like the squirrels and there a way too many around here I find.

Squirrels pissed me off when I did my front lawn renovation last year and I still dont like them, if you can't tell .


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## rijkmus (Jul 12, 2021)

Lude100 said:


> Did anyone ever try one of those motion detector sprinklers? Do they work for squirrels/skunks/racoons/birds?


I used a motion detector sprayer to protect my tulips. It worked well on deer.


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## 2L8 (Mar 18, 2019)

Fortunately, our red squirrels only dig holes in the ground to hide food in the fall. Only in winter they look for it again to survive this season. I have not yet observed a squirrel digging holes in the lawn here. Only under the walnut tree in the yard for a week or two there were lots of nut pieces thrown down by the squirrel:

But I can not be angry with our squirrels, they are so cute:

The American gray squirrels are supposed to be more aggresive, but also more intelligent, but looking at this I doubt it:




On the other hand, blackbirds dig pretty big holes in the lawn here when they suspect grubs underneath:


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## ricks (Jun 8, 2020)

Lude100 said:


> I'm in zone 6a. I dethatched, aerated, sand leveld and overseeded my lawn about 8 weeks ago with a 50/50 PRG/KBG mix (lawn was mostly PRG before).
> Everything was going well until about 2 weeks ago. Some animal is absolutely destroying my lawn. Digging holes/divots and literally ripping up entire patches of gras.
> 
> I thought it was squirrels. I tried to deter them with an owl decoy and also got one of those ultrasonic rodent repellers but it's not working.
> ...


It's skunks... I have them seen on security video doing it. I spread chili pepper or other hot pepper smelly stiff lightly spread all over the lawn and it stopped immediately


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## Loading (Sep 19, 2019)

Lude100 said:


> I'm in zone 6a. I dethatched, aerated, sand leveld and overseeded my lawn about 8 weeks ago with a 50/50 PRG/KBG mix (lawn was mostly PRG before).
> Everything was going well until about 2 weeks ago. Some animal is absolutely destroying my lawn. Digging holes/divots and literally ripping up entire patches of gras.
> 
> I thought it was squirrels. I tried to deter them with an owl decoy and also got one of those ultrasonic rodent repellers but it's not working.
> ...


Are they shallow holes or tunnels? I think it’s hole or moles. I used vole killer grub at HD. I hear they like sweets so I put some in some gum. It didn’t work so I just added mouse traps near the holes. That did the trick.


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## steffen707 (Apr 9, 2021)

Lude100 said:


> I thought it was squirrels too, but there is nothing burried in those holes. And now I also have these smaller holes popping up as seen in picture 3 and 4.
> 
> How would i go about spraying red pepper? I there a solution/concentrate?


My squirrels dig little holes and leave nothing in them. I'm catching with live traps then.........


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## NH_USA (Jan 24, 2020)

It’s squirrels I have caught them doing that , some times chipmunks, I live in NH


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## LawnOCDfanatic (5 mo ago)

ricks said:


> It's skunks... I have them seen on security video doing it. I spread chili pepper or other hot pepper smelly stiff lightly spread all over the lawn and it stopped immediately


How often do you have to re-apply, doesn’t damage the lawn?


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