This just in from reader Gale Huffman of Woodland, Cal:
One area of the lawn has small mounds & the grass isn't healthy. In each small mound about 1 inch high is a small hole. When walking across the lawn it feels like night crawlers. Bumpy. But the hole in the mound isn't worms. Can't figure it out?? Need your help. Thanks.
It sounds like Gale has cicada-killing wasps or ground-nesting bees of some sort. If it's something else (which is possible, as I'm not familiar with all the critters in that part of the world) the same advice would apply: The only way to get rid of them is to fix the lawn.
Ground-nesters take advantage of poor soil cover. Get the grass going nicely and they'll move on. Call your local agricultural extension office for a recommendation for the best grass seed for your area. Then seed once a week and water every day until the lawn is lush. The bees will move on.
