Anyone know what kind of animal did this?

[MickOS]

A neighbor finds holes like this in his back lawn, just about every day. I’m not sure what that lighter-colored substance is in there, but he calls it frass. They are maybe 2 or 3 inches in diameter and 3 or 4 inches deep.

I’ve seen holes, but never filled like this. Several, most days.

Ideas?

View attachment 31847

Just wondering what this has to do with brewing? Are you considering using the scats as an adjunct?

 

[LloydGM]

The electric trap sounds fun!

Very effective! We started getting rats exploring our garage, so out came the rat trap I made in high school from a big honkin' capacitor from a huge TV, the thing was almost the size of a beer can. Rat walks onto the plate which presses down on the contacts...ZAP! Fried rat. Literally, insides sometimes burst out and you could smell the burnt hair, yuck. It stopped the rats, though. I was thinking of making a newer, more compact one and go to war with the moles in our yard. We had gophers in So. California, easy to scrape off the dirt mound and expose the tunnel, but spring-traps worked well for those. Electricity is certainly a lot more fun though!

 

[RoadRoach]

We dread the sight of frass on our apples, but the codling moths that ravaged our crop last year got most everyone else’s around us, too. Since we won’t be using any insecticides, we’re hopeful that with other mitigative efforts we will get to enjoy Spitzenburgs and Honeycrisps later this year.

Try some Neem oil after the apples have formed. It washes off in the rain(meaning you’ll have to spray again after each rain until codling mating season is done), nontoxic to humans/animals, 100% natural repellent. Doesn’t kill, just keeps the bugs off. Sort of. Some bugs will completely ignore it though (probably because it doesn’t kill them and the good stuff is just a bite away). There are other natural deterrents that are safe. If you want goodies that creepy crawlies also want, unfortunately you gotta explain opposing thumbs and higher sentience to them.

 

[RoadRoach]

As for the hole with what appears to be some sort of defecation in it, that would be an enormous insect. Insects rarely bury anything on the surface. Drop it wherever they are, yes, bury it, no. They’re not as polite as felines.

More like a cat with some digestive issues that was started before they were done covering it up. The color suggests domesticated feeding of dry feed.

 

[Donoroto]

As for the hole with what appears to be some sort of defecation in it, that would be an enormous insect. Insects rarely bury anything on the surface. Drop it wherever they are, yes, bury it, no. They’re not as polite as felines.

More like a cat with some digestive issues that was started before they were done covering it up. The color suggests domesticated feeding of dry feed.

Neem oil is also good if you have squeaky Neems…

As for the holes: he has dozens of these, a couple new ones every morning. Or at least he did when I first posted. I haven’t spoken to him in a couple weeks since I have been out of town.

 

[Hawkbox]

They're only 3" deep? Weird. The only burrowing creatures were have around here don't do anything like that.

 

[Daniel Parshley]

A neighbor finds holes like this in his back lawn, just about every day. I’m not sure what that lighter-colored substance is in there, but he calls it frass. They are maybe 2 or 3 inches in diameter and 3 or 4 inches deep.

I’ve seen holes, but never filled like this. Several, most days.

Ideas?

View attachment 31847

If it is a wet area, it could be crayfish digging down to the Georgia red clay layer. That would explain the red soil. I have a bunch of these in an area of my yard under a pecan tree. Good soil aerators.

 

[Sunfire96]

@Donoroto I think at this point we need you to find out the answer lol

 

[The Brew Mentor]

Skunk??

 

[Donoroto]

I’ll mosey over to the neighbor’s next week and see what I can see. He’s out of town this week. Not in time for tomorrow’s zoom call though.

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

If it is a wet area, it could be crayfish digging down to the Georgia red clay layer. That would explain the red soil. I have a bunch of these in an area of my yard under a pecan tree. Good soil aerators.

Interesting idea. Here in S.Louisiana crawfish make little chimney hills all over the yard. But this could be what it looks like when they get started before construction is complete. And the quantity of holes sounds about right.

 

[Donoroto]

I went there today - he’s out of town - but didn’t see any holes. Not a particularly wet area, no water within several hundred yards, so who knows?

Not me.

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

Squirrels. A buddy of mine recently re-homed his dog, who used to chase off the squirrels. Now he's finding small holes like that all over.

 

[Donoroto]

Squirrels. A buddy of mine recently re-homed his dog, who used to chase off the squirrels. Now he's finding small holes like that all over.

I suspect you are correct. Neighbor Tom is out if town for still another few weeks, but I found a hole like that in my own backyard, without the reddish stuff at the bottom. For me, it was definitely a squirrel.