Mounds of sand
 

Can anyone tell me what creates those small mounds of sand we sometime see appear on golf courses. They can be about 6 inches high and 12-18 inches around. They are not ant hills or full of insects. They just suddenly appear.

Do you mean the colored sand filling in divots? Or do you mean fire ant mounts? Follow suit with the first; do not approach the second.

Kick it. If you feel pain it's a fire ant mound.

Leave those mounds alone...and if you have them in your yard (most of us do) treat them or have them treated. The fire ant stings are very hurtful and last a long time and the little varmints crawl on you and the leader hollers sting and they do it all at once.

Picture of bites/stings.

fire ant bites pictures - Bing

Hi ArtB: Yes those mounds of sand are created by fire ants. Fire ants live some 8 feet underground but carry their eggs to the surface to capture the sun's heat for incubation

I think what you are talking about is not ant hills but moles. If you drive west on 44 to Inverness you'll sometimes see hundreds of them. Last year driving my cart along the MMP on 466a I saw several, stopped and kick a couple and nothing happened......not fire ants for sure.

I forgot about tortoise moles? Mole tortoises? No, Gopher tortoises. THEY are protected. Also birds who nest in your chimney in Ohio.


Fact Sheet on Gopher Tortoise, a dry-land turtle | North Florida ESO Jacksonville

I think you might talking about pocket gophers.

Yep, but definitely not ants.

Do the mounds look like this?
 

probably gophers !!