What Landscaping Pros Actually Do to Stop Pests From Burrowing in Your Yard

The Hidden Battle Beneath Your Lawn

There's nothing pleasant about spending hours tending to your yard, only to find that a pesky bug or wild animal has burrowed into it. Beyond creating visual eyesores, these pests can threaten the well-being of your garden and overall landscaping if left to their own devices. And yet, every summer, millions of homeowners watch helplessly as moles, voles, groundhogs, and insects quietly dismantle the results of their hard work. The good news? Landscaping and pest control professionals say the fix is less complicated than most people think.

Experts — including Lindsey K. Kerr, a consumer horticulture educator at Michigan State University, and Allan Bossel, an operations expert at BBE Bed Bug Exterminator — have shared the most effective strategies for keeping pests out of your yard. Their advice cuts through the noise of ineffective home remedies and targets what actually works season after season.

Start With What You Can See

Pests are more likely to burrow in undisturbed areas of your property with significant debris and overgrowth. Removing areas that could offer cover — such as rocks, debris, and brush — is one of the first and most important steps. It sounds simple, but this single habit dramatically reduces the number of invitations you're unknowingly extending to wildlife.

Mowing and weeding regularly can also help fend off voles in particular, who tend to seek out weedy areas and tall grass as sources of shelter while foraging on the surface of your yard. Consistency is the key here. A yard that's regularly maintained gives pests fewer reasons to settle in and far fewer places to hide.

Go Underground to Stop the Problem at Its Root

Fences that go one to two feet underground are the most foolproof way to keep pests larger than insects from burrowing into your lawn. "Dig down at least one foot and install a below-ground fence made out of a material that will not rust, like hardware cloth," says Kerr. The underground fence should come straight down and then angle out in an L shape, so that digging animals are discouraged from going further. Yes, it takes effort — but for homeowners who battle the same critters year after year, it's a one-time investment that pays off every single season.

For insect pests specifically, pros recommend a more targeted approach. Allan Bossel recommends selectively adding diatomaceous earth (DE) to kill insects — but sparingly enough to leave other garden visitors alone. "Be careful, because it can kill a lot of beneficial insects and pollinators," he warns. Though it feels soft like flour, diatomaceous earth is made of sharp silica particles that can damage insects' outer layers, causing them to dehydrate. The trick is precision — apply it in targeted areas, not broadcast across the whole garden.

Trap Smarter and Know When to Call for Help

Live-trapping — trapping and removing a pest without injuring or killing it — is another effective method. Many of these traps, such as wire-drop door traps, are suitable for most small to medium-sized mammals and can be purchased at farm or hardware stores. Placing the trap in the direct vicinity of yard areas that typically receive pest activity, and creating a "funnel" with logs or sticks, can entice pests to enter on their own.

Pros also caution against one of the most popular misconceptions in pest control. Kerr warns against relying on repellents to fend off yard pests — including insecticides as a means of controlling mole activity. "Many people think that by killing grubs, moles will disappear," she says. "However, if you use grub-killing insecticides, it kills all of the good bugs as well, like fireflies." And when all else fails, if other methods aren't working, it might be time to contact a pest control professional. "If someone has a problem animal, like woodchucks burrowing under their foundation, they should hire a licensed pest control person to remove the animals," Kerr says.

The broader takeaway from the pros is this: prevention is far easier than remediation. A few proactive habits — clearing debris, maintaining your lawn, installing physical barriers, and using targeted treatments — can spare you a summer of frustration and keep your yard looking exactly the way you intended it to.