Contents
INSECT, SPIDER AND MITE QUESTIONS
I found a gigantic wasp. What is it?
What are the extremely tiny red critters that have invaded my house?
WILDLIFE QUESTIONS
How can I control moles in my yard?
How can I deal with garter snakes or bull snakes around my house and in my yard?
I have holes in my lawn. What animal is the culprit?
Also refer to Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
I found a gigantic wasp. What is it?
If the body is about an inch and a half long and it has yellow and black markings similar to a yellow jacket wasp, it is probably a cicada killer.
They are not often seen, but look very intimidating. A cicada killer will sting a cicada ("locust") to paralyze it, then carry it into a hole in the ground. There it deposits the cicada and lays an egg on it. Upon hatching from the egg, the cicada killer larva feeds on the paralyzed cicada.
For more information go to Professor Chuck Holliday's Cicada-Killer Page
What are the extremely tiny red critters that have invaded my house?
The most common intruder to match that description is the clover mite.
Clover mites are smaller than the head of a pin, and are reddish in color. Although they do not bite people or animals they can stain furnishings and, when wiped, leave behind a reddish stain on the wall or other surface. They most commonly occur in rooms on the south or west side of a house.
For suggestions about what to do, refer to Managing Clover Mites, on the Lancaster County Extension Web site.
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How can I control moles in my yard?
First, make sure you know the difference in moles and gophers. Trapping is usually the most practical means of control for either, but you need to know the difference. Spring and fall are the best times of year for trapping.
Select an active burrow for placement of the trap, by looking for a straight burrow, especially one the goes along a sidewalk or connects two mounds. To make sure it is active, press down on the burrow with your foot then go back after a few hours to see if the burrow has been pushed back up.
See the NebGuide for directions in setting traps and other information, such as directions for making a repellant from castor oil.
Home remedies normally do not work. Don't plant gopher purge because it is more likely to poison a child then your moles or gophers and besides, the plant may become a weed.
For more information on moles, gophers and other problem animals, go to IANR Publications and click on "Wildlife Management."
How can I get rid of garter snakes and bull snakes around my house?
Garter snakes are common in western Nebraska, adapting well to town and rural situations. Bull snakes are common in rural settings and occasionally are found in cities.
Keep in mind that snakes do more good than harm, so we discourage killing them indiscriminately.
In dealing with snakes, first identify potential access points into the house. Keep out young snakes as well as adults by closing openings 1/4 inch wide or wider. Gaps under doors can easily be closed by attaching door strips, available at hardware and lumber stores. Seal openings around pipes that enter the house through exterior walls or the floor above a crawl space.
Garter or bull snakes may hibernate beneath porches or in crawl space. By summer they should have vacated those areas, so summer is a good time to look closely and seal openings that would allow them to return for hibernation later on.
If snakes are under a porch or crawl space, a large funnel can be attached over the access hole, with the small end pointing outward. The small end must be large enough for the snake to crawl through it. It will be difficult for the snake to find it’s way back into the funnel from the outside.
If a snake gets into a building a pile of damp rags may be used to attract the snake, to facilitate removal. Glue boards (sold at hardware stores) may be placed, three together, to trap the snake. Then the snake can be taken outside and a little vegetable oil poured on the boards to dissolve the glue, freeing the snake; or kill the snake quickly and humanely.
Remove piles of rubbish and thick layers of mulch, which may provide shelter for snakes. Trimming bushes to a foot off the ground may reduce their attractiveness to snakes.
Nuisance snakes may be killed but relocating snakes more than 100 yards from the place where they are found is prohibited by Nebraska law. The western massasauga, a rare species occurring in southeast Nebraska, may not be killed
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I have holes in my lawn. What animal is the culprit?
Most animal-caused holes in residential yards in western Nebraska are the result of gopher or mole activity. Ground squirrels, skunks, rabbits and voles also sometimes damage residential lawns.
Although snakes can inhabit holes created by other animals, they are not able to not dig holes except for shallow impressions in loose soil.
The following information should help in identifying the offending critter:
Gophers leave mounds, often many of them, especially during their most active periods in spring and fall. The mounds are typically one to six inches tall and roughly fan-shaped. They are formed by tunnel excavation, but usually the tunnel entrance is closed. Gopher tunnels do not raise the soil surface.
Moles leave fewer and smaller mounds than gophers, and the mounds are more evenly rounded. Tunnel entrances are rarely left open. Mole tunnels are very shallow, so they raise the soil surface and make it very bumpy.
Ground squirrels create open holes about two inches in diameter, without mounds. Ground squirrels are active during the day in mild weather, so may be observed from a window. They usually do not do significant damage to a yard, so control may not be necessary.
Rabbits occasionally create nests in a yard, disturbing some turf in the process. They rarely do any significant damage and control is usually not necessary, based on destruction of the turf.
Skunks and occasionally birds may dig for grubs in a lawn, leaving divots about an inch in diameter. Controlling the grubs may be the best way to deal with this activity. Skunks may be trapped.
The presence of a skunk during the day is evidence that the animal may have rabies. Use caution in dealing with this situation.
Spotted skunks are endangered and are protected by law. Avoid harming a spotted skunk. If you see one, contact Nebraska Game & Parks. The North Platte office number is (308) 535-8025.
Voles (field mice) do little damage to turf, but they leave obvious runways on the soil surface, leading to their tunnels. The tunnels entrances are often located at the bases of shrubs and trees. Voles may damage woody plants by feeding on their bark or roots.
Control (measures most likely to be effective in home yards):
Gophers: trapping
Moles: trapping. Controlling grubs in the lawn may help. A castor oil based repellent (purchased or homemade) can help.
Voles: trapping with a mouse trap baited with peanut butter and placed in a runway.
Skunks: See the guide available from UNL Wildlife Damage Web site.
For more information about wildlife damage control, please refer to IANR Publications / Wildlife.
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