Some kind of varmint(s) is tunneling...

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The Big D

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...throughout my yard. Seems most to like tunneling near the fence line and in areas where there are hardscape borders.

Ground is very soft in spots, and I noticeably 'sink' a bit.

There are a few signs of ground level disturbance but mostly below ground evidence is apparent.

Questions: Moles, voles, other critters? (Have not seen anything that might be the cause.) What is the most effective way of getting rid of them? I live in the city thus an 870 is not an option. Ditto dynamite. :)

Thanks, in advance, for any advice.

Be safe...be well.
 
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Sounds like something in the Mole or Vole family. They don't hurt much and cause good aeration. They eat the grubs that kill your grass. And they give the dog or cat some entertainment! If you can stand the soft areas (which actually are a good thing) just let them go.

The best way to get rid of them is to treat the lawn for grubs.

Ivan
 
Jack russel terrier.
Probably moles looking for grubs. Get rid of the grubs and the moles will leave.
I use Bayer granules that kills the grubs ticks and a lot of insect pests.
I just saw that Ivan beat me to the punch
 
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Greetings from the "Land of Moles". We have lived on the same property for 40 years. I spent the first 25 years in a battle with the moles, they won every battle. Fifteen years ago we tore down the old house and built a new one. We brought in 200 yards of top soil and got everything ready to plant grass.
I had a old farmer from down the road stop as I was putting in the last of the landscape edging. I told him I was preparing for an all out war with the moles. He left and came back about an hour latter with a couple of bags of ant and grub killer. He told me it was a house warming gift, "just put it down every year and you won't have and mole problems". That was 15 years ago. We might get a single mole every now and then but they are right on the edge of the property. They never stay.
No food, no moles.
Try it, it really works. Neighbor's place was covered with moles and it took him about a month before they were gone. He put down grub and ant killer 3 times to get it to run them all off.
 
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There are mechanical traps, but a mole repellent recipe found on the internet might help. Mix the recommended concoction of 1/2 cup castor oil, 1/2 cup dishwater detergent and then use 3 tablespoons of that mix to make one gallon solutions which are sprayed on the areas showing mole activity.
 
I had an underground varmint about ten years ago. I read where they are pretty territorial so you might only have one critter doing the damage. They can tunnel around 8ft per day when active.

I was lucky to catch it when it just started to dig a new burrow and stuck a smoke stick in the hole behind it. Minutes later it came out and croaked on the sidewalk.

Your critter might be eating earthworms. If you had grub worms there would be patches of dead grass in the yard. Grub worms eat the roots of grass and the dead grass would easily come loose if you pulled on it.

There are bottled liquids you attach to the garden hose to spray for burrowing animals that are pretty effective. Home Depot should have them. I knew I had grub worms so I used this product.
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I had a half acre lot and I had a few moles. They provided some legal in town still hunting experiences. You sat where you could watch the tunnels. When you saw the dirt moving start your sneak. They could feel the vibrations of your walking and would stop digging. As soon as they started digging advance until they stopped. After a few stop and go's you would end up right at their digging point and when they started digging again a quick downward thrust of a sharp spade and you had your ugly little tunnel rat. Try it, nothing like still hunting for squirrels but it's fun.
 
We had a big mole infestation about 15 years ago. Our cat, Whopper, took it as a personal challenge and proceeded to eradicate the entire colony. As proof, he would leave the the thoroughly dissected remains of each mole on our doorstep. We really had to watch where we placed our feet when we left the house. Good Kitty!
 
Many years ago I had what appeared to be moles tunneling around in our
lawn just below the surface. I went out looking for some cats to bring home.
Came to a farmers sign FREE KITTENS. Our little girl said Daddy,
Daddy, can I have one. Mother said only one and it must be a Male. We
don't want the population to rise.

The farmer said I think this one is a Male, and I know the other one is
a Male. We took them both.

I noticed they almost immediately started getting bigger and bigger.
I thought that's good. They are catching and eating the moles.

April Fools Day they both had a batch of kittens in our outside shed.
The mole problem ended at about the same time. Coincidence?
 
The neighbors and I used to see the gopher and mole population rise and fall from year to year. We'd use the wire traps that spring shut around them and wouldn't let go.

Because I didn't use poison I'd put the carcasses out on the double yellow line in the middle of the road. Crows would constantly fly up and down the road looking for road kill. They'd be by in about 10 minutes and air lift them out.

Then we found that if you could get a gopher carcass just big enough, load him up in a spud gun using a slice of potato as a wad, and let 'er rip, they'd fly about 25 yards. They didn't group very well, and it smelled like burning hair and french fries after every shot. :eek::D
 
Our Italian Greyhound has gotten two so far this summer. Makes a mess of the lawn but it is easily repaired with a bag or two of garden soil.
 
UPDATE! Oh, my.

Spraying and granular applications of grub killing stuff hasn't worked.

So bought some solar powered electronic stakes from Amazon. They vibrate and emit a high frequency tone periodically. Stuck 'em in my yard yesterday.

ONE DISAPPEARED OVERNIGHT! :eek: It was firmly in the ground. Zero chance of human involvement in the theft.

Don't know whether I should laugh or be scared to death. :D

Be safe...be well.
 
I bet it was a coon. You need to set out a game camera.

One of our neighbors made a long, breathless, panties-in-a-wad, post on Nextdoor (a neighborhood forum) about miscreants stealing all her tomato's. The people across the street have a security camera that catches her tomato bushes too. The miscreants were a momma doe and THREE fawns! They like tomato's!
 
The Big D said:
Spraying and granular applications of grub killing stuff hasn't worked.

So bought some solar powered electronic stakes from Amazon. They vibrate and emit a high frequency tone periodically. Stuck 'em in my yard yesterday.

ONE DISAPPEARED OVERNIGHT! :eek: It was firmly in the ground. Zero chance of human involvement in the theft.

Don't know whether I should laugh or be scared to death. :D

Be safe...be well.
Click to expand...
May take longer than a week for the granular application to work.
 
I believe your problem is actually very young Graboids. It will only get worse as time goes on. Watch the movie Tremors for means or defeating these pests. They can bve very destructive if not checked when young.
 
You might've killed some grubs but it isn't the only food source for these burrowing critters. Stay away from the online gadgets and recipes. They're hit or miss and not 100% effective.

Unless you catch one while it starts to dig,like I did, you'll never kill them. All you can do is make their food source less appealing or nonexistent. One of the best things to try is a liquid spray which attaches to your hose. The common ingredient found to deter these animals is castor oil. You can find a home recipe online but it's easier to buy it.

I bought this product by Sweeney's.I bought a couple bottles to reapply as necessary. It will take a little time because the "mole" will keep digging until it's sure the food source is gone. It will try different spots but eventually move on.
 

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Online reading seems to say mounds & tunnels with no surface trails, moles.

Mounds & tunnels, plus surface trails, voles. Universities say the moles
like earthworms over grubs, and grub elimination won't discourage them.

The one thing I've found useful in past episodes is castor oil. Seems to
keep em away for six months to a year, in my soil and climate.
 
Steve912 said:
Online reading seems to say mounds & tunnels with no surface trails, moles.

Mounds & tunnels, plus surface trails, voles. Universities say the moles
like earthworms over grubs, and grub elimination won't discourage them.

The one thing I've found useful in past episodes is castor oil. Seems to
keep em away for six months to a year, in my soil and climate.
Click to expand...

Great explanation... Can't formulate an attack if you don't know what you're dealing with.
 
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