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Mystery burrows at base of palms

eevans

By eevans
in DISCUSSING PALM TREES WORLDWIDE

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eevans Enthusiast

eevans

Posted
Posted

Over the years, I've sometimes found mysterious burrows in the dirt right at the base of several of the palms in my yard. I've never seen them elsewhere in the yard. So far I have found them next to Sabal minors, a pindo, and a windmill palm.

The picture here is at the base of a young windmill palm. I probed this one down to at least 18 inches, and it seems to curve under the base of the plant.

Having grown up in southeast Texas, they look to me exactly like crawfish holes with a short "chimney", but of course burrowing crawfish don't live here in Austin. I have searched around the web but can't find any obvious answers. The closest potential candidates seem to be:

  1. Cicada - doubtful. The hole is an inch wide, which seems too large. Also, a cicada emerges from the ground only once. I have filled these holes in, only to find them re-excavated the next day.
  2. Cicada killer wasp - maybe. We do have them here. But why would they prefer palms?
  3. Rhinoceros beetle - stronger maybe. I have found dead and live ones this year - both times near two of the palms that have these burrows. But I couldn't find any information that hinted they feed on or otherwise prefer palm roots.

Have any of you ever seen something like this?

Should I be worried?

DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

Posted
Posted

Pictures?

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

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eevans Enthusiast

eevans

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Looks like the photo was too large. Here it is, resized.

post-2969-0-93396200-1439766553_thumb.jp

Neil C Mentor

Neil C

Posted
Posted

Looks very much like a Tarantula burrow but these are usually silk lined. Do you get Tarantulas in your yard?

Regards Neil

Yunder Wækraus Veteran

Yunder Wækraus

Posted
Posted

I've never seen anything like that. Why don't you place a sticky trap near the holes and see what you get.

Cocoa Beach Jason Mentor

Cocoa Beach Jason

Posted
Posted

That is the hole of the mysterious crabquatch. The crabquatch is very often talked about, but rarely seen.

Stevetoad Grand Master

Stevetoad

Posted
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Reminds me for a crayfish burrow due to the way the soil is balled

"it's not dead it's sleeping"

Santee ca, zone10a/9b

18 miles from the ocean

avg. winter 68/40.avg summer 88/64.records 113/25

Austinpalm Experienced

Austinpalm

Posted
Posted

Looks like Rhinoceros beetle to me. I get at least a few every year.

Clay

Port Isabel, Zone 10b until the next vortex.

awkonradi Mentor

awkonradi

Posted
Posted

The balling of the soil does look like the work of an arthropod.

Andrei W. Konradi, Burlingame, California.  Vicarious appreciator of palms in other people's gardens and in habitat

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