What Could Be Digging a Hole in My Flower Bed at Night?

Note the size of the holes and other clues around the dug area.

When something is digging holes in your garden at night the most likely culprit is an animal pest. Animal pests are smart, making them one of the hardest type of pest to get rid of. Methods of controlling the pest's digging habit depend on the type of pest. Most animal pests will remember deterrents and stay away from those areas, while some will find ways around the deterrents and continue to dig. The best thing to do is to figure out what type of pest you have and then test a few humane ways to deter the pest until the digging ceases.

Cat

Cats are beneficial in a garden because they keep the rodent pest population down, but cats are also notorious for digging in gardens -- especially gardens with freshly tilled soil. They dig up new plants and leave scratch marks on soil and plants. If a cat is digging holes in your garden, it will leave feces and urine in the soil holes.

Dog

Dogs love to dig holes -- it's in their nature. Dogs dig large holes that are usually under fences or on the sides of buildings. The holes will have claw marks in the soil and sometimes on the structure. If your garden backs up to such a structure, then you may have a digging dog. Dogs may also dig holes in the garden in areas they feel are safe to bury items, such as a dog toy or treat. Signs of a doggy digger may also include trampled plants, uprooted plants and feces and urine.

Chipmunk

Chipmunks frequent gardens to eat seeds, plant roots, tubers and bulbs. The little rodents live in underground tunnels. The entrance holes are mounds of dirt with a small hole in the top, like a little volcano. Chipmunks may also uproot plants in the garden looking for seeds. Chipmunks will dig alongside perennial plants to gain access to their tender bulbs and tubers.

Mole

Moles are helpful in the garden and yet they can be a nuisance. They help to aerate the soil with their tunnels but they also tend to uproot garden plants while doing so. Moles eat pest insects but also beneficial earthworms. If you have moles digging holes in your garden, you will also see tunnels protruding from the soil in your lawn or garden.

Vole or Mouse

Voles and mice live in grasses and in leaf mulch. They build underground tunnels much like moles for traveling purposes. If you have voles or mice digging holes in your garden, the holes will most likely be around plants with bulbs, and the bulbs will have teeth marks on them with two teeth that are side by side. Other signs of voles and mice are chewed-up leaves and bark on garden plants around the hole.

Groundhog/Whistle pig/Woodchuck

Groundhogs are midsized rodents that live underground in North America. Groundhogs dig large burrow holes with usually two or more entrances. The entrance holes are mounds of dirt with holes in the center that are large enough for a terrier-sized dog to crawl into. You will see the groundhog emerge from one of the burrow's entrances at sunrise and at dusk to feed on flowers, bark and vegetables.

References

• University of Vermont: Controlling Animal Pests in the Flower Garden