Help Identify 'Holes' In Mulched Yard

[rk911]

We are being visited by toads. We live very near a protected marsh and a patch of woods which is where I suspect the toads are coming from. Over the past few months I have dispatched half-a-dozen to toad heaven. I want to rid the yard of them but don't want to damage our plants and trees. I'm usually a live-and-let-live guy but if we're not watchful when we open the back door these little critters hop into the house.

I let the dog out every morning between 5-6 AM and find at least a dozen fresh holes in the mulch. I suspect these holes are caused by toads burying themselves into the mulch...I observed a small toad doing just that a few weeks ago.

Does anyone have this same toad problem and how did you solve it? Is my theory about the holes on target?

 

[fosterscik]

We get lots of holes like that in our mulch. I think they are more likely dug by squirrels (and used by the toads you see). Certainly see squirrels digging them in our yard.

 

[MissMolly]

Yeah The squirrels dig in my mulch like that all the time. Also raccoons but they make bigger mess.

 

[Koolau]

Hopefully, you don't find out that the toads are some protected species and you aren't allowed to deal with them! We had a bat in the house recently and I was talking to the pest guy about it. He pointed out that these little guys are protected and you aren't allowed to eliminate them. Keeping them out of an old house is problematic. Fortunately, they don't really like being in the occupied part of the house and I'm guessing it was an accident and that this particular guy was a rarity.

This was the second bat we'd had in recent years. I finally got him out of the house by opening the front door, turning on all the lights and waving my shirt at him as he flew around. Eventually, he sensed the open door and left on his own. I guess if it's a rare occasion, I can deal with it.

Good luck with your toads situation.

 

[pacergal]

We have tons of little holes in our garden, attributed to squirrels, bunnies, or voles. We've seen them all.
Neighbors used to have an outdoor pond that collected frogs, heard them croaking in the evening.

 

[imjustawarrior]

Why do you kill the toads? They are beneficial in the garden. They eat things you probably do not want.

 

[Aerides]

Why do you kill the toads? They are beneficial in the garden. They eat things you probably do not want.

The bullfrog toads in my area are poisonous to pets, among many other issues. It is legal to kill them, but it requires catching them, spraying them with an anesthetic on their stomach which sleeps/paralyzes them, and then you can freeze them before disposing. There are also services you can hire to do this, because it can be worth it if you are overrun with them.

 

[Gumby]

At my house, the squirrels are the main culprits when it comes to digging holes in the mulch.

 

[rk911]

wow! I'll take my toads over a bat any day. My neighbor thinks the mulch holes are the work of squirrels as well. We have a lot of squirrels and chipmunks, the occasional rabbit and one stray cat. Less commonly seen but in the area...deer, skunks. coyotes and ground hogs or at least something that looks a lot like a ground hog. Lots pf wild birds..robins, woodpeckers, hawks, canada geese...we have a pair of redbirds in the neighborhood.

Why do you kill the toads? They are beneficial in the garden. They eat things you probably do not want.

A). We don't have a garden
B). I don't want them in the house

Our backyard has been 100% mulched for a number of years...not enough sunlight to grow grass but this is the first year I've noticed these holes.

 

[jollystomper]

I have not seen squirrels digging on our mulch, but I have seen birds digging or even "bathing" in our mulch, and leaving holes similar to what OP has posted.

 

[EastWest Gal]

We have resident squirrels which leave lots of holes in the mulch and the lawn. And I usually have to pull some tiny trees out of the lawn each year.

 

[target2019]

wow! I'll take my toads over a bat any day. My neighbor thinks the mulch holes are the work of squirrels as well. We have a lot of squirrels and chipmunks, the occasional rabbit and one stray cat. Less commonly seen but in the area...deer, skunks. coyotes and ground hogs or at least something that looks a lot like a ground hog. Lots pf wild birds..robins, woodpeckers, hawks, canada geese...we have a pair of redbirds in the neighborhood.

A). We don't have a garden
B). I don't want them in the house

Our backyard has been 100% mulched for a number of years...not enough sunlight to grow grass but this is the first year I've noticed these holes.

Toads or frogs?

Since you live near a protected marsh you may want to take into account your responsibility for the area.

Something in your general environment is glad to eat a frog or toad from time to time. So if you dispatch some members, there's another species that declines. Of course this isn't everyone's cup of tea.

BTW, the holes look like what squirrels and chipmunks do in our yard when we use mulch.

 

[rk911]

Toads or frogs?

Since you live near a protected marsh you may want to take into account your responsibility for the area.

Something in your general environment is glad to eat a frog or toad from time to time. So if you dispatch some members, there's another species that declines. Of course this isn't everyone's cup of tea.

BTW, the holes look like what squirrels and chipmunks do in our yard when we use mulch.

The dog wakes me around 4am each morning (Maggie is 15+) and each morning when I take her out our mulched backyard is peppered with new holes, some are a few inches deep. I've yet to see anything actually digging a hole save for one small toad who disappeared under the mulch as I watched. As for the toads/frogs...the only responsibility I assume for myself is keeping them out of the house which means dispatching them to toad heaven when they squat by the door. Otherwise they are free to roam.