What is ruining my lawn??????

[scrapmom5]

Hey Y'all:

I went out to check on the chicks and on the way to the hen house found 1/2 in diameter holes in my lawn that goes fairly deep into the grass. I know my critters didn't do it for they stay in their run and when I do let them run free they head to the other side of my yard (and are supervised...Hawk patrol the neighborhood). I thought it might be racoon but when they torment the yard they just leave dirt pile not holes. What do you suppose it is?
How do we stop this? Interesting side note...The holes were in a row, not a straight row but decently straight and covered about 10 feet. We even thought they were earth worms (we have too many in the front yard and they leave small mounds of dirt as they burrow...the birds LOVE our home in the spring).

We live in zone 6b (northern utah).

 

[vickig]

We have gophers, but they leave a huge pile of dirt and their holes are usually scattered thoughout the yard.

 

[Tutter]

This is probably not what you have, but our 1/2" holes, which are pretty deep, are made by hunter wasps. They burrow to make a place for their young, and fill with paralyzed victims.

If it was made by them, you should be able to find caterpillars, other types of bee-like critters, spiders if it's the red-and-black ones doing it, etc.

They are very precise with their hole making.

There are also beetles/grubs, which make/emerge and leave holes.

Whatever it is, I hope you can solve your mystery!

 

[patandchickens]

Tutter may well be in the right phylum anyhow - it does sound like insects. Time of year being what it is, my first guess (not necessarily all that good a one) would be that the holes are from emerging junebugs. Their larvae are lawn grubs, and round about now-ish they finish pupating and dig their way up to the surface to bang into your windowscreens at night and provide your chickens with the occasional tasty snack.

Could be any number of things, but to me, 1/2" diameter says 'insect'.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[aquarose]

Sounds like cicadas to me. I think this is the year of emergence of the 17 year cicadas (according to a report I heard recently on the radio). Or is it too early for cicadas?

 

[Baymen Moe]

Cicadas are due this year but I'm with Tutter on this one. Either a wasp or ironically, Cicada killers which burrow like wasps do and look similar but are more orange than any wasp. Watch the holes when you can. There is another bee type insect that burrows early. I had them here in Mass on the athletic fields I maintain. Tons of holes, no pattern to them. That was late April, early May.

 

[Cassandra]

I can't picture exactly how big a 1/2" hole would be. About as big as a penny? No, that is closer to an inch, isn't it?

When I was a kid, our yard would be full of deep holes about the size of a drinking straw. My grandmother said "jack snipes" lived in there. I think a jack snipe is actually a kind of bird and whatever was in those holes was, I assume, a kind of bug.

Anyway, she would a long, thin blade of grass and stick it down in the hole. Sometimes, the jack snipe in the hole would start wiggling our grass stem and push it out of the hole.

You were supposed to be able to catch a jack snipe by pulling the grass out of the hole while the bug was attached to it--something like fishing, I guess--you wait for your bobber to go under, then yank up the line. I never successfully caught one, but my brother said he did.

Mamaw would set us out to catch them. I have grown to believe that this was just a form of snipe hunting to keep us busy for a while. It worked!

Cassandra

 

[scrapmom5]

Well mystery is solved...My DH is still laughing over this one. I was really concerned over what I could possibly have and noticed that the chickens paid no attention to them (I am sure they would go for the bugs if their were some). Anyhow my DH walked me around and showed me a pattern of sorts to them...the holes were perfectly lined up for about 8 holes then the would deviate and again about 8 holes would be line up. He asked me if I found that odd and I said it did seem odd...while holding my hand he carefully reminded me of the aerating he did several months back and said that the holes just haven't filled back in. I only now just noticed them because of all the rain we have had.

Well, after a good laugh, we went on to tend the other areas of the yard.

Somedays I just need to replace the air in my head.

 

[Baymen Moe]

That's a riot. Explains the uniform pattern. It's good to know however that help is here when you need it.

 

[d.k]

*Hi, scrapmom! Glad you figured it out. I was about to say that it sounded like fire ant runs, except you shouldn't have them there at all!