What Are Wild Pigs Digging Up in Lawns?

Worms and Insects

• Grub worms, insect larvae as well as earthworms are found in large numbers underground. Because a wild pig can smell a meal 25 feet underground, it digs up large amounts of earth to uncover a meal. The pig's hard snout is a perfect tool for flipping over large blocks of sod.

Reptiles

• Because their tusks are so strong they can snap a tree root with little effort, wild pigs easily kill large snakes, lizards and turtles. Because such reptiles often live underground as well as under rocks, mulch and compost piles, a wild pig causes extensive damage to a landscape while seeking them.

Small Mammals

• Some mammals that spend time underground often fall prey to wild pigs. Mice, rats, ground squirrels, chipmunks, moles and gophers all nest underground, and wild pigs dig up a lawn in search of them to eat. Wild pigs also prey on above-ground newborns of larger mammals, including deer and livestock.

Plant Material

• Wild pigs eat mushrooms, tree roots and other tender plant material that grows underground. They are especially fond of acorns and underground tubers, such as potatoes. Peanut crops are also vulnerable to the voracious appetite of wild pigs.