Lawn Varmit (0/1)

[STOVEBOLT]

I live in South Carolina and for several years have had my lawn wiped out by some despicable vermin. Attached you will find several photos of my lawn which was limed, tilled, fertilized and seeded with Titan fescue two weeks ago. This unknown pest not only rolls a palm sized piece of turf over and thus kills the grass, the adjacent grass is killed because it is covered. Over a period of several days the turf looks as if it has been tilled again. You would be welcome to inspect the site. Could you assist in the identification of this culprit and reccommend a responsible method of their control? I failed to mention that three years ago the entire area was heavily treated with milky spore as a precaution against grubs that could entice pest digging.

[trader4]

"I live in South Carolina and for several years have had my lawn wiped

out by some despicable vermin. Attached you will find several photos of my lawn which was limed, tilled, fertilized and seeded with Titan fescue two weeks ago.

This unknown pest not only rolls a palm sized piece of turf over and thus kills the grass, the adjacent grass is killed because it is covered. Over a period of several days the turf looks as if it has been tilled again. You would be welcome to inspect the site.

Could you assist in the identification of this culprit and reccommend a responsible method of their control? I failed to mention that three years ago the entire area was heavily treated with milky spore as a precaution against grubs that could entice pest digging. "

As far as I know, you can't post pictures to this newgroup and consequently we have no photos. You say something has torn the turf up, which was only tilled and seeded 2 weeks ago? Not to be picky, but at that point, what you should have would be the beginnings of new seedlings, not what I would call real turf, that can be rolled over.

But anyway, the only thing that I know of that would cause this would be a varmit like a skunk, searching for grubs. You say the area was treated with milky spores 3 years ago. But do you now have grubs?

[Pat]

Raccoon. Look here

about 3/4 down the page

[World Traveler]

I agree -- I have a similar problem with raccoons, who are incredibly smart at finding ways to get food.

Since you know they're around, be especially careful with things like outdoor refrigerators or pet food, because the 'coons will get into them. You'll need a trap or need to hire a trapper to relocate the animal.

We have a raccoon who will come into the screened lanai through the cat door, go to the small refrigerator, open it, and take out the open can of catfood and finish it off. And it only comes on the infrequent times we have accidentally left a can in the outdoor frig.

On another occasion I heard someone walking on my side porch, at 3 AM -- with a limp. Step, slide, step, slide. The raccoon had taken a plastic jug of catfood accidentally left on the table, pulled it to the ground, and taken it back to the cat door. That was the sliding sound I heard. The jug was too big to go through the door, so the raccoon had pulled the mouth of the jug to the cat door, opened it, and then sat outside, reaching through the propped-open door to get the food out of the jug.

[bryanska]

.22 Long Rifles are cheap and have enough velocity to kill with a well-placed shot.

.22 Magnums are more expensive but more likely to kill.

Something like a .223 is chambered in many cheap rifles and will do the job conifdently.

[Doug Kanter]

You might want to ask the OP what kind of neighborhood he lives in, i.e.: How far's the nearest house? There are people dumb enough to take your suggestions without understanding that these bullets will travel as far as a mile under certain conditions.

[David Raleigh Arnold]

The parents of a friend of my daughter had some nice koi in a pond by their house. Raccoons shifted the circulating pump's hose over the side, waited until the pond was pumped out, and ate the fish. This is a cut above imitating tool use, it's actual invention. They are smart as hell. daveA

[Eric]

You cant post pictures or other binary files, post a link to them instead ie (something like) http:///var/www/html/pictures.htmlEric

[Stubby]

Without benefit of pix, what you describe sounds like a chinchbug problem.