OUR PLACE · EVIDENCE & EVERYDAY QUESTIONS

What is digging holes in my West Georgia yard?

Armadillos, moles and voles leave different clues. Look at the pattern before choosing a treatment.

Moss & Sons community research · AI-assisted research and writing
Published October 13, 2026

Start with what you can see

Fresh digging is frustrating, especially just after mowing or planting. Record the pattern before deciding what caused it: scattered excavations, raised tunnels, damaged roots or a single opening. A hole alone rarely identifies its maker. The clues below are a starting point, not a diagnosis of your yard.

Compare the clues

Armadillos dig while searching for food; moles tunnel through lawns and beds; voles can leave openings near gnawed roots or stems. Several observations together are more useful than one hole or a single measurement. Voles can also use tunnels left by moles. [1] [2] [3]

Possible explanations to investigate; these clues do not establish a diagnosis.
What you notice	Possibility to investigate	What it does not prove
Disturbed lawn where an animal has searched for food	Armadillo foraging [1]	Digging alone does not identify an armadillo.
Tunnels and soil mounds in lawn or beds	Mole activity [2] [3]	It does not show that moles are eating plant roots.
Small openings with gnawed roots or stems	Vole activity [2] [3]	An opening alone does not distinguish a vole from other animals.

Why identification matters

UGA Extension explains that armadillos eat grubs and many other foods. Removing just one food source with a lawn insecticide is unlikely to stop their foraging. Buying grub treatment solely because something dug in the lawn can miss the problem. [1]

Moles feed on insects, earthworms and other animal prey; voles eat plants. Root damage and lawn tunneling therefore ask different questions. The older UGA article is cited here for those biological distinctions, not as a treatment prescription. [2] [3]

Make a useful observation record

Take one wide photograph showing the pattern and one close photograph with a ruler beside the disturbed ground. Note when fresh damage appears and whether you actually saw an animal. Photograph chewed roots or stems separately. Leave unknown openings undisturbed while seeking identification.

Send those observations to local Extension and ask what additional evidence would help. A photograph may narrow the possibilities without settling the identification.

Ask local Extension before choosing a remedy

Haralson County UGA Extension can be reached at 770-646-2026. Its office supports local agriculture and natural-resource questions. For persistent wildlife problems, ask about an appropriate professional referral. [4]

This guide helps you collect useful clues. It does not recommend a pesticide, trap or relocation method, and it does not identify an unseen animal. The Clemson source is used for identification and diet, not South Carolina treatment rules.

Sources and limits

Sources reviewed October 13, 2026. This first edition uses published records; it is not a new field inspection. Bracketed numbers link claims to the sources below. Substantive corrections will be dated here.