[Grasshopper]

Hi all,
Ive been finding a few dead spots on the lawn where there is a tiny mound/bump of soil like something burrowed up from the ground.
Any ideas on what's doing this?

 

[Jconnelly6b]

Could be Coles or moles. Did you put down any grub preventer?

 

[Grasshopper]

Never used grub preventer...
What are coles?

 

[crunk]

Never used grub preventer...
What are coles?

I think that was a typo. Voles are little rodents that eat grass and dig tunnels. Maybe that's what he meant.

 

[Alpine]

Could be moles. Are there any small holes located at the mounds?
I had a problem a few years ago with a colony of ants. They also created some mounds. That was pretty easy to take care.

 

[Grasshopper]

Some of the mounds look like a pile of soil has been squeezed out of a really small tube of toothpaste.
Don't see any small holes.

The lawn is also pretty heat stressed and dry even after 1/2 inch of water yesterday.

 

[Jconnelly6b]

Yes it was a typo. Meant to say voles. You might have grubworms... the moles tunnel under the yard and eat them.

Can you try to pull up the grass by hand on the brown overstressed areas that are nearby? If you use both hands and grab the turf and pull upwards with consistent pressure (don't jerk your hands upwards) and the grass and roots come up, you will likely see white grubs underneath.

This may be the cause of your dirt mounds. The dirt doesn't look fine enough to be ants in my opinion.

 

[Delmarva Keith]

Some of the mounds look like a pile of soil has been squeezed out of a really small tube of toothpaste.
Don't see any small holes.

The lawn is also pretty heat stressed and dry even after 1/2 inch of water yesterday.

From the description, sounds like insects emerging from underground. Time of year is right for that. You may not see any grubs because they have pupated and emerged, leaving hole and piles of dirt as you describe.

Now is a good time to apply grub prevention for next year's brood, especially because you have the signs that they've emerged. Best to try to get them at egg lay or just after (which would be right about now). If the turf otherwise looks ok, you can choose to apply preventative or not. A few grubs here and there are normal.

 

[Turfguy93]

Some of the mounds look like a pile of soil has been squeezed out of a really small tube of toothpaste.
Don't see any small holes.

The lawn is also pretty heat stressed and dry even after 1/2 inch of water yesterday.

Maybe worm castings