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Identifying the Cause of Holes in Your Lawn
By: Julie DayIn categories: Ask Julie Answers, Diseases & Pests, Lawn & Garden, Lawn Care, Soil & Fertilizer

“My lawn is full of holes – it looks like I have aerated, but I have not. What could be causing these holes, and what should I do about it?” -Jan
Small holes in your lawn are almost always caused by a digging or burrowing creature, and before you can address the problem you have to identify the cause. Holes can be caused by anything from voles to bees to worms to crawfish, and the solution depends on correctly identifying the creature. And unless you can catch the critter in the act, you’ll need to do a little detective work. Take a look at the holes and try to answer these questions:
- What’s the size and shape of the hole?
- Is it just a hole, or does it lead to a burrow or tunnel?
- Is there loose dirt around the hole, or is it relatively clean?
- Are there any small hills, mounds, or piles of soil elsewhere in the yard?
- Are any plants (or grass) damaged, chewed, or shredded?
Once you’re armed with these answers, you’ll need to consult a reference to match your holes with the correct creature. Here are a couple of suggestions:
- The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management has a great interactive search tool, with reference photos to take you through the identification process step-by-step.
- The article Holes in the Lawn from Clemson University has descriptions of holes dug by various creatures.
- This Wildlife Control article from Clemson University discusses various solutions for damage from wildlife.
Once you know what critter you’re dealing with, you can find a solution targeted to that creature.
Good luck!

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July 22nd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
hey, i have the same thing exept for me there no hole unless that dirt is cleared?
August 7th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
right now the most common suspect is the cicada who emerge evry 17 years
December 5th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Can not find an explanation for these tiny holes.. please anyone??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EdPulyxOxk
August 9th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
They could be cicada killers. They look like a huge wasp but they do not sting. They actually pull cicadas out of the trees and drag them into their holes, and lay their eggs in the dead cicada. So they are actually the good guys. But they can populate quickly. I have to kill 60-70 of them each summer to keep them from taking over the lawn.
October 3rd, 2011 at 7:20 am
holes are about 1 inch in diameter and about 2 inches deep.Very neat, no tunneling just the hole. What might this be?