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Small holes all over the yard (locusts?)
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Author:  routerpimp [ Mon Aug 04, 2003 8:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Small holes all over the yard (locusts?)

I have dozens and dozens of small dime sized holes all over the back yard. It's a heavily wooded backyard and mostly dirt. These holes are EVERYWHERE. I'm assuming they are locusts coming out. What can I do about these holes and how can I get rid of all these things making them. I remember reading when I was a kid that the locusts could be 'brewing' underground for years and finally come out.

Author:  charmvalerie [ Tue Aug 05, 2003 12:54 pm ]
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funny that you guessed locusts. when i found holes as you describe in my yard, they turned out to be turantulas.

Author:  routerpimp [ Tue Aug 05, 2003 4:16 pm ]
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Well, after a little reading it seems these are Cicada holes and not locusts.

Author:  creaturefeeder [ Tue Aug 05, 2003 4:39 pm ]
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my holes are bigger than dime sized, they are more like 2" across.............any ideas????

Author:  charmvalerie [ Wed Aug 06, 2003 8:01 am ]
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yes, that sounds like my spider holes. do they go straight down- or seem to turn off at some point if you try a stick or something? our go off to one side or the other at some point a ways down. this indicate a den.

Author:  routerpimp [ Wed Aug 06, 2003 1:09 pm ]
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I'm going to dig one of the holes up. They do appear to go off to the side. When I stuck my fingers down the hole (with a very thick leather work glove on :)) it seemed to go down at an angle. If they were spiders wouldn't I see them somewhere? I don't see them in the house, on walls, fences, around the foundation, etc.

-A

Author:  routerpimp [ Wed Aug 06, 2003 1:12 pm ]
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woops - replied to the wrong one! The holes appear to go straight down. There are TONS of cicada shells around where they have molted and flown away. I'm pretty sure they are cicada holes. I wish I knew how to get rid of them. I understand that they come out of the ground after 17 years under the ground. How do I nuke them while they are down there?

Author:  charmvalerie [ Wed Aug 06, 2003 1:15 pm ]
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you will wince at this but we poured (well actually trickeled) gasoline down a hole to see if was indeed a turantula. They dont come out even if you fill the hole with water. very nocturnal. Also, a guy at home depot told us that leaving on outside lights at night attracts them becuase they eat the bugs that are attracted to the light. Motion sensitive are better than constant burning. You may want to try a few drop of gas after you have left the hole(s) alone for a while.
they do bite, but not poisonous.

Author:  northwesterner [ Wed Aug 13, 2003 5:37 pm ]
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Please!!! don't pour gas or anything else down the tarantula holes. They're marvelous beneficial creatures.

When I called in to Howard's radio show several months ago to ask about my tarantulas, he bent over backwards to stress how beneficial they are. As the call concluded, he was heard to say "I wish I had tarantulas in my yard!"

These large sleek spiders are very shy. They generally come out after dark. If you come upon them slowly they will often freeze, hoping you'll go away and not notice them. I realized a couple of nights ago that I interrupted a "stake-out" as a cricket was able to move out of range when I distracted the spider. :wink:

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