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Any ideas what’s digging this hole?

 
Joe Hallmark
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I’ve noticed several of these holes / tunnels. They haven’t caused actuall damage to any plants yet but I have no clue what’s digging them. Holes are at least 6” deep and about a half inch or so wide.
65DFCDD5-8DE1-4D08-996A-6879F93E932C.jpeg
[Thumbnail for 65DFCDD5-8DE1-4D08-996A-6879F93E932C.jpeg]
 
Anne Miller
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Quite possibly a vole:

https://permies.com/t/189788/permaculture/Rodent-Contol

https://permies.com/t/144133/Quick-critter-ID-mole-vole

https://permies.com/t/12100/VOLE-invasion

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

 
Mk Neal
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It could be an exit tunnel of a cicada, also.  Or burrow of a “cicada killer” wasp.

Weeds are just plants with enough surplus will to live to withstand normal levels of gardening!--Alexandra Petri

 
Jan White
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Trapdoor spider?
 
Joe Hallmark
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Something dug a real hole close by a day or two ago. Luckily didn’t get the young plants
 
Anne Miller
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If it is a vole it will eat the plant roots and any root vegetable.  

If it was a cicada or trapdoor spider I feel everything will be okay.

Best wishes for your garden and only time will tell ...

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

 
Luke Mitchell
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Anne Miller wrote:If it is a vole it will eat the plant roots and any root vegetable.



We have a lot of field voles and, so far, they don't seem to be causing us any problems. I think they may have nibbled the roots of a big sorrel plant but that's it. Their tunnels are a real pain, however, as they burrow along the paths between our beds and cause them to cave in.

Over the weekend I spotted an excavation into one of the vole burrows. It looked like a fox or perhaps even a badger got hungry and decided to dig them out! Thankfully this didn't cause any damage but it could have if it had dug elsewhere.

Friends of ours had voles in their polytunnel and it was a different story: the voles ate all of their carrots and felled their pea seedlings! They resorted to trapping them.

We've now scattered chili flakes along our vegetable beds in the hope that they will deter the voles, in case they do decide to eat our potatoes. We bought 2x 1kg bags from a wholesaler and spread them quite liberally. It's only been a few days but I will report back, if I remember.

Small-holding, coppice and grassland management on a 16-acre site.

 
Joe Hallmark
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Ok thank you
 
Trace Oswald
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Another vote for trapdoor spider.

A build too cool to miss:Mike's GreenhouseA great example:Joseph's Garden
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Redhawk's excellent soil-building series

 
Kristine Keeney
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I hate to mention other rodents, but I have a problem with small field mice digging holes like that around my yard. There are some complicated burrows that run under the yard where the chickens can't quite get to them.

Voles are just really small specialized rodents, so another vote for voles. I hope they didn't damage your garden and the red pepper flakes worked!

There is nothing so bad that politics cannot make it worse. - Thomas Sowell
Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom. - Albert Einstein

 
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