Lawn dug by some mysterious ???? (garden, bill, food)

[stamford06905]

Hi All,

I noticed this long stretch of bump in the lawn since last 2 weeks, and I initially thought it may have been due to lawn clippings washed out by rain and accumulated in one place. But then today when I tried to rake the grass, I noticed that is not grass clipping accumulation, but something dug a long hole all along. I tried to poke here and there and saw nothing so far, and fearing if this is something related to snake hiding or some creature which I should be worrying about.

Could you please let me know if you are familiar with this and any help appreciated. Attached is the photo.

[BC1960]

a mole?

[m378]

mole/vole/gopher whatever they are

[JeepCSC]

Voles are everywhere

[919 rtp]

My guess is voles. You can go all Bill Murray in Caddyshack on them, but the voles will win.

[NewUser]

My first guess is a mole. Second guess is a vole.

I've not seen voles push up the soil like that, so that's why I'm guessing a mole. However, the tunnel has a rather small diameter, so I'm guessing it's a small one.

Moles are carnivores. They eat grubs and worms. Grubs are bad, so you want to get rid of them, but not at the expense of a mole tearing up your lawn. I put down a grub killing powder, so in theory that kills off their food supply and they go away, but it doesn't always work that way.

My "favorite" way to get them is to hunt and kill them with a garden hoe. This method takes time and dedication. I go around the yard and flatten down all existing tunnels. Then, early in the morning, I go out and just sit and wait. Soon a mole will start traveling down one of his old tunnels (they prefer those to creating new ones), pushing up the soil as he goes. Carefully and quietly (they are blind, but have excellent hearing and sense of touch/vibration), walk out into the yard and stand near the tunnel. The moment you see movement, slam the hoe down BEHIND him, and with one quick move, yank him up out of the ground. Then it's just a matter of one more swing to dispatch him.

The bad thing about moles is that voles will also use their tunnels. And even worse, I've seen yellow jackets take over a mole's tunnel. Imagine the surprise when you run over a yellow jacket nest with your lawnmower.

Voles are different. They are vegetarians and will munch on plant roots. You'll know that you have voles if your new shrubs start dying. They will just fall over, and when you pull them out of the ground, the roots will all be eaten away and there will only be a bulb left. You will also see small holes in the ground, about the size of a golf ball or smaller, but those may be hidden under your mulch and difficult to see. I've tried many things for voles, but the only thing that works is rat poison. I put a few pieces down in their hole and hopefully they eat it. Don't do this if you have small children or pets in the yard.

To protect my shrubs against voles, I have started planting new shrubs surrounded by metal barriers. I dig a moat around the shrub, about 8"-12" deep and about 2 ft in diameter. Then I cut a 6"-8" strip of galvanized metal mesh, form it into a circle, and bury it in the moat. This keeps the voles away from the roots long enough that the shrub can survive.

I just had a brand new zoysia lawn put in last summer and I can already see vole damage to it, so I need to remedy that soon.

[luv4horses]

Probably a mole going after japanese beetle grubs.

[zinner]

I can vouch for yellow jackets loving abandon mole/vole tunnels.

[cchampagne232000]

My moms yard has voles that left tunnels like that. My beagle absolutely loves going over there. Treasure hunt every time.

[luv4horses]

FYI, my understanding is that moles are meat eaters and voles are vegetarians. That is why many of the responses say "moles".