Skunks and raccoons often damage turf as they forage for grubs and other soil insects. Generally speaking, skunks dig precise holes. These holes are shallow and may be very numerous, they usually are not “large” (1.5 to 2 inches in …
How can you tell the difference between vole and mole damage in the yard?
Moles dig complex systems of feeding tunnels just under the soil surface. In lawns, the digging raises the turf so that the tunnels feel soft when we step on them. Most of these tunnels are closed, but the moles may …
We had field mice do a lot of damage to our lawn. Is there any way to prevent that from happening? My husband cuts the lawn very short in the fall to prevent damage, but it doesn’t work.
Field mice or voles chew a lot of turf under the snow, but the damage often looks worse than it really is. Grass in the affected areas usually recovers without repair by the middle of May. If the crowns have …
Squirrels are digging up newly planted crocus, hyacinth, and tulip bulbs. How can I prevent this?
Protecting Plants from Squirrels
Some gardeners have placed wire baskets over a small planting of crocus corms and tulip and hyacinth bulbs, while others have covered larger areas with chicken wire or hardware cloth. Others have given up on this …
Will deer eat raspberry plants?
Yes. Deer are especially fond of tender new growth, so first-year canes of summer-bearing raspberries are more vulnerable than fruiting canes.
Online Resources:
Deer Control…
My petunia’s blossoms are being eaten by something. Are birds or rabbits eating the blossoms? I have put eggshells around the plant as a repellent.
It is hard to say what is eating your petunias, but rabbits could definitely be the culprit since you know they are around. If you can find a stem that was eaten, see if the bite was taken at a …
We have something eating our impatiens plants every evening. We have tried every repellent to no avail. Our property abuts a woods, and we have had deer, fox, goundhogs, rabbits, and bobcats in the backyard over the years. What do we do next?
You have been introduced to the first law of dealing with wildlife: repellents are not fences. You might want to visit this site to see why repellents don’t always work: Why Repellents Fail
If a rabbit or woodchuck is eating …
Some animal (squirrels?) is eating plastic in our yard: plastic tray on the gas grill, plastic edging in the garden, plastic handles of tools, vinyl siding on the house. If this is a squirrel as we suspect, what can we do to stop it?
You need to find out what animal is doing this. Different animals are managed in different ways, so proper identification is key. If it is squirrel damage, you should be able to see the incisor imprints at the location of …
We have too many destructive chipmunks around! What can we do? They get in the garage, they chew on the landscape edging and they have chewed into electrical cords.
First, do you have a bird feeder? Typically, chipmunk populations explode due to the availability of non-natural food sources, such as a bird feeder that spills seed. See below for information on managing your bird feeder. Trapping is still the …
Is there a humane way to discourage pocket gophers from setting up residence in a yard and garden area? I do not want to use traps or poison.
Less-lethal Ways to Control Pocket Gophers
Mounds of the Plains pocket gopher. Photo by Dallas Virchow.
Only three options exist for keeping pocket gophers out of your property without using traps or toxicants.
- The first is to remove all the