Identifying the animal responsible for holes in your yard requires careful observation of the damage patterns. Understanding the size, shape, and location of the holes helps differentiate between animals foraging for food and those establishing underground homes. Knowing these characteristics is the first step in addressing the issue and protecting your landscaping.
Assessing the Hole’s Size and Location
The initial assessment should focus on precise, measurable details of the hole. Measure the diameter of the opening, which can range from a small one-inch puncture to six inches or more across. Also, note the depth, determining if it plunges straight down into a deep tunnel or if it is a shallow depression.
The location of the holes provides significant clues about the animal’s habits. Note if the damage is concentrated in the open lawn, near a fence line, or next to a concrete structure like a patio. Some animals prefer the cover of dense vegetation, while others may dig in the center of the yard to access a food source. Recording these measurements helps narrow down the potential culprits.
Tunnels Versus Surface Digging
Holes can be categorized into two types: those leading to permanent tunnel systems and those created by temporary surface foraging. Tunnels are the entry and exit points for animals that live primarily underground, such as moles, gophers, and voles. These burrows usually feature a distinct mound of displaced soil near the opening.
Tunnels often lead to extensive, semi-permanent subterranean dwellings. Surface digging, however, is characterized by shallow, messy disturbances where an animal has rooted around for a meal. These foraging holes are generally conical or bowl-shaped depressions that do not connect to a deeper burrow system. This damage is typically caused by nocturnal predators searching for insects, grubs, or bulbs near the soil surface.
Key Traits of Common Yard Pests
Specific animals leave distinct signatures in the soil, allowing for accurate identification based on the type of hole and associated soil disturbance. Moles create two types of damage: raised ridges that mark shallow surface runways and distinct molehills. Molehills are symmetrical, volcano-shaped mounds of fine soil that often have a plugged or hard-to-spot hole in the center.
Gophers build crescent or fan-shaped mounds where the hole is typically off-center and plugged with soil. Their tunnels are deeper than mole runways, and they push soil to the surface in a wave, creating an asymmetrical pile. Voles create small, neat, round holes about one to two inches in diameter, often without a noticeable dirt mound.
Vole holes are frequently found along visible, narrow pathways or “runways” in the grass, where the animals travel between feeding areas. Foraging animals like skunks and raccoons cause surface damage that does not lead to deep tunnels.
Skunks dig small, conical or divot-like holes about three to four inches wide, often described as looking like someone aerated the lawn. These small holes are created as the skunk pushes its nose into the soil to find grubs and worms. Raccoons often cause more extensive damage by tearing up and flipping over entire sections of sod to access subsurface insects. This results in larger, more scattered patches of disturbed turf, unlike the small, precise holes left by a skunk.