Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine

The first culprit identified was the STRIPED SKUNK (Mephitis mephitis).  The Striped Skunk, which is about the size of an ordinary house cat, becomes a nuisance when their burrowing and feeding habits come into contact with humans.  Skunks will dig holes in lawns, golf courses and gardens searching for grubs, earthworms, etc.  Digging normally appears as small, 3-4" cone-shaped holes or patches of up-turned earth.

The second culprit was identified as the TREE SQUIRREL (Sciurus spp.).  Squirrels can become a nuisance to homeowners for a variety of different reasons.  They can invade attics, short power lines and transformers, chew holes in pipeline, eat nut crops and damage lawns looking for cached nuts.  Although they are fun to watch and feed, homeowners need to be aware of the potential damage that they can cause.

The third mysterious animal wreaking havoc on this lawn was identified as the RACCOON (Procyon lotor).  This creature can also cause considerable damage, whether it is dumping over garbage, getting into attics and chimneys, disturbing garden crops or in this case, digging up turf in search of earthworms and grubs.  Raccoons are amazing animals because they have a great memory of where they had their best meals and will come back time and time again to the same area.

Prevention or control of these animals is minimal at best.  Trapping or hunting, eliminating food sources or using habitat modification are a few of the choices.  Before dealing with any type of wildlife a person should check with Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife [ http://www.dnr.state.oh.us ].