For unlucky homeowners dealing with garden damages from skunks and raccoons, you have to know how to stop animals from digging holes in the yard
.When these animals start digging, they can create a huge mess. Most of these animals, especially raccoons and skunks, dig in the year during the fall, as they try to fatten up before the winter season.
Why Do Animals Dig?
One of the common reasons is to look for food. Animals like moles, raccoons, and skunks eat different kinds of food, such as grubs, insects, and worms.
Grub problem is a cause for animals digging in the yard, but that may not always be the case. In some instances, these animals will dig in the garden because they are hungry, and they found food in your yard in the past.
Meanwhile, they are most likely looking to build a den to raise their young.
What Problems Does It Cause?
- Create unattractive holes in the garden. These imperfections can be an eyesore, especially if you have a flat-surfaced lawn.
- When animals dig in the ground around the base of trees or shrubs, it can disrupt these plants. Ultimately, they may cause trees and shrubs to fall over.
- If animals are digging in your lawn to look for food, then they can also steal fruits and vegetables you have in your garden.
- They may accidentally dig and damage your vent or pipes in your water system.
- Digging near the house may also give these animals access in spaces where they can do immense damage to the structure of the house. They can cause the wall to weaken if this happens.
How to Avoid Animals From Digging?
Animals will return to your yard if they find attractive stuff in your garden or house, whether a good source of food or shelter. The key is to make your house or garden unappealing to animals.
Get Rid of Grubs
Most of the animals that burrow in the ground will eat grub, and they will go wherever they can get some.
Do grub control immediately. June is the best time to get rid of the grubs at home. It is the time when they begin to feed in your garden.
You can apply beneficial nematodes. The more of them you have in your garden, the lesser grubs there will be. It is one way to reduce the food sources of animals that are digging in your yard.
Live Traps
Like mice, one of the best ways is to trap and catch them. Then physically remove them from your yard.
You can set up a couple of traps in your yard, but if there are too many critters, a professional trapping service may be necessary.
Repellents
Animal repellents are another effective way. Our best pick is the CLEANRTH TSAR520. It features a triple scan technology that has two times detection coverage compared to other animal repellents. It can detect animals even from 52 feet away, offering around a 2,000 square feet detection range. But in open spaces, it can cover as much as 5,000 square foot area.
The CLEANRTH TSAR520 can successfully deter animals like raccoons, skunks, cats, rats, ducks, bears, deer, foxes, and many others. It uses Animal Dominating Ultrasonic Sounds to deter unwanted animals from getting in your lawn. Perfect to use outdoors.
This animal repeller is effective and efficient to keep your garden away from pesky animals, although it comes with a high price.
Physical Barrier or Fence
Set up a physical barrier between critters and your lawn. Placing a chain link or chicken wire fence will keep animals away and force them to find another feeding ground.
Seed Regularly
Overseeding your lawn will also help deter critters from digging on the ground. It can provide deep roots in your plot that makes the field more robust, so animals can’t destroy it quickly when looking for food.
Apply Cayenne Pepper
Animals like skunks, raccoons, and moles have a sensitive sense of smell, and cayenne pepper is not their favorite. A single sniff of this strong-smelling spice will send them running away.
Apply Soap and Water Solution
This simple soapy solution can deter skunks, raccoons, and moles from digging when you apply it to damaged areas in your plot.
What Kind of Animals Dig in Your Yard?
You need to identify what animals are doing the damages to take proper measures.
Skunks
Skunks are detailed and precise when it comes to digging. You can see that from the little holes they create, that looks like aeration systems in your yard.
Moles
The holes in the yard that moles can create looks like mounds and tunnels.
Raccoons
When it comes to animal diggers, raccoons are a bit more savage than both skunks and moles. They create a massive mess in the garden, flipping over sections in your yard as they try to search for food.
Conclusion
Animals can dig in your lawn looking for grubs, other food sources, or for shelter to raise their young.
Removing what attracts them into your yard is the first practical thing to do to keep these pesky animals away. That may be removing grubs in the garden or making sure that no leftover foods are lying around to attract them.
There is no single way that can keep animals away from your lawn 100%. However, these tips should help you on how to stop animals from digging holes in the yard and minimize the damages in your garden.
