stopping tunneling rodents

[cc]

I have a large backyard that borders an open field. At night some type of digging rodent(s) come under the fence and dig up bugs in my lawn. While natural, it leaves holes in the lawn and holes under the fence.

Problem is that the land drops off past the fence, so am lookiing for a cheap way to put down some type of barrier along the back. Yes, have put down bug killer to lessen the food supply, but need a permanent solution.

Cannot afford a retaining wall or sunken stone wall, and with the drop off, don't know if it would hold anyway. ONe more thing - sprinkler line runs along same fence.

Anyone have a economica, viable, solution?

[enigma]

cc wrote in news: [e-mail]:

how do you know it's a rodent? does it tunnel or just dig holes? is it digging in under the fence or just pushing the fence up to get through? if it's something just digging holes & not tunnelling, my first suspicion would be a skunk. and since i'm a fan of skunks (they eat ground dwelling yellojacket nests), i can't tell you how to get rid of one. i've been encoraging *my* skunk to stick around (he's back, Cheryl! ). he eats with the barn cats. if it's tunnelling & making lumpy trails through the yard, it would be moles, in which case treating your yard with Milky Spore will kill the grubs that attract moles without killing the enviroment. milky spore does take a while to take effect, however. about a year. if it makes big holes (6") it's probably a groundhog. just shoot it. lee

[David E. Ross]

It could be a raccoon or oppossum.

You can use a large Havahart (have a heart) trap. When you catch an animal, take the trap to your local animal control agency. They should relocate the animal away from you.

Alternatively, trench along your fence about two feet down. Use chain link fencing to extend the fence the depth of the trench. If the existing fence is not chain link, extend the mesh about two feet up the INSIDE of the existing fence. (If you put it on the outside, it will provide a convenient way for an animal to start climbing your fence.)

[David Hare-Scott]

Having no idea where you are I wouldn't even guess what it is. Why don't you go out at night with a big torch and see. The nature of the culprit will determine the solution.

David

[Manelli Family]

I just priced Milky Spore at Lowe's yesterday. At $25 per small container it's cost prohibitive for anything other than a small yard.

[enigma]

"Manelli Family" wrote in news:fd9425$nmn$ [e-mail]:

so, how big is your yard, & how badly do you want to protect your lawn & plants? a 10 oz container of milky spore treats 2500 square feet. you can find that online for less than US$20. there's a lawn spreader mix that treats up to 7000 square feet for around $42, or a 50 gallon drum for treating up to 5 acres for around $1140... remember when figuring cost that once applied milky spore will keep working for at least 10 years, so it's not like you have to reapply every year. try a search for milky spore bulk & see the hundreds of hits & compare prices. Lowe's is pretty expensive. lee