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Lawn holes? #929194

Asked April 22, 2026, 8:53 AM EDT

Can you please tell me what would have caused these small holes in my yard and how to stop it from happening? thank you!

Presque Isle County Michigan

Expert Response

Hello Betty,

The usual suspects for spring digging in the lawn are skunks and raccoons, but the digging shown in your pictures are not consistent with how they dig.  They are looking for grubs and generally peel back and flip the chunk of grass to find them.

Moles dig in the lawn looking for earthworms and insects.  but they leave "volcanoes" of soil and/or tunnels in their wake.

Squirrels and chipmunks dig small, shallow holes looking for treats that were buried for later consumption.  Birds can dig little holes that look like aeration holes when they forage for grubs or sod webworms.

"lamp2" is consistent with squirrel or chipmunk digging.  The other two pictures are not detailed enough to hazard a guess as to who caused them.

If the chipmunks and squirrels are looking for things they buried in the fall, there is nothing you can do to stop them.  If it is a skunk, raccoon or bird digging for grubs, there are methods to control grub populations.  You can peel back a square foot of grass to see if you have grubs and how many you have.  This is an excellent resource that explains how to look for grubs and what pesticides to apply to reduce grub populations.  https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/how_to_choose_and_when_to_apply_grub_control_products_for_your_lawn

Hope this helps.

Edward A. Replied April 24, 2026, 7:37 AM EDT

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