I have an unknown pest in my lawn. Something pushes up little loose, uneven, clumpy mounds of dirt and somewhere in there, there will be a narrow hole that goes down about 1-2 inches. I measured this by pushing a grass stalk down - it was usually a tight fit, and they appear to be air holes. However, the little mounds are not joined together by tunnels. Each one is separate and they are spaced 1-2 feet apart, very irregularly, over large areas, making the lawn bumpy and uneven. They occur in bare patches or under lawn, it doesn't matter. If under lawn, the mounds still have grass growing through them and the amount of loose dirt around the narrow hole is usually a little less.

Anyone know what is causing these mounds? They are smaller than anything a mole or vole makes, and there are no tunnels, as I already mentioned above. I have never seen anything escape through the holes. This is the 2nd year I have them and they seem to be spreading. Thought of termites or cicadas, but holes looks too small. Maybe spiders, but see no webs.

Hope someone has seen this before. Would naturally also like to know how to get rid of them.

Best, KPW

Sounds like a digger wasp laying eggs. Have you seen any flying around?
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