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tbailey8

What are they?

tbailey8
16 years ago

My fiance and I purchased our first home about one month ago. Our house is backended by woods, so we have plenty of birds, squirrels and even groundhogs. Those critters do not concern me too much, however I noticed two burrows today and would like to plug the holes. Any suggestions for holes that are grapefruit-sized and what type of critter?

Another huge concern that we have are the 'flying bugs' that appear to be baby bees or wasps. Over the last week, we discovered at least twenty ant-hill like burrows in the grass, while the 'flying bugs' hovered. What would best the best solution to eradicate these pest (preferably a pet friendly treatment)?

Comments (5)

  • yborgal
    16 years ago

    You need to make sure those aren't yellow jackets in an underground tunnel. If they are, and they are provoked, they can attack in 100's and the results can be deadly.

    Are there bee keepers in your area you can contact for advice?

  • ron6519
    16 years ago

    The holes could be groundhog burrows. Or other animals that live in your area. Do a search for your local habitat and see what fits. Or mention where you live and someone might be able to let you know.
    Ron

  • lucy
    16 years ago

    The burrowing bugs could also be flying ants - a pest, but not deadly. As far as the groundhogs(?) go, it's nesting season and there'll be babies soon - can you at least leave them alone til the fall now?

  • airqual_guy
    16 years ago

    "Plugging holes" isn't going to do you much good, whatever dug them will just dig a new entrance to the burrow. You're going to have to identify the animal and then look into appropriate methods of pest control. There are all sorts of possibilities, depending on where you live: moles, gophers, woodchucks, ground squirrels, rabbits.

    "Baby bees" does sound like yellow jackets, and Monablair is right, they can be aggressive. A large colony provoked could be dangerous. However twenty colonies in one yard is a bit unusual, unless you have a very large yard.

    Are you in the South? If so, I wonder if these might be fire ant mounds, which can reach counts of several per hundred square feet.

    I might try talking to a neighbor, or someone at a nearby home center or hardware store who might be familiar with the pests one is likely to see in your area, and can advise you on how best to deal with them.

  • suburbanmd
    16 years ago

    The flying bugs that burrow in the grass could be mining bees. They're beneficial insects, and are supposed to be pretty docile. We've got probably thousands of their burrows in our back yard, and they keep expanding. They bring up lots of dirt in the spring. Eventually the turf (a "meadow", not official grass) grows through the dirt, and everything's fine until the next spring.