what’s digging in my yard?

I just discovered an open, surface level tunnel in my yard. It is not under the ground like moles dig. It starts near my driveway and goes into my garden. It’s about an inch wide and about 2 inches deep. What is digging in my yard and how do I stop it before it damages my lawn? I live in MO if that makes any difference.

Most likely voles or shrews but even moles will dig an open tunnel when their food supply gets “high” near the top of the soil. In the summer, both worms and grubs get very high at the soil’s surface and are a food staple for many animals. Raccoons are another animal that can dig as will opossum and both love grubs and worms.

For now I recommend watching the behavior and note key information like when it happens (day or night) and how frequently they’re being dug. Once you get good info on these two variables, one can usually monitor the area with cameras or people to learn exactly what the culprit might be. For more information on any of these animals, visit our in depth articles listed here:

Vole Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/article/voles.html

Shrew Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/article/shrews.html

Mole Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/moles.html

Raccoon Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/article/racoonopposum.html

Opossum Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/article/racoonopposum.html