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Proven Tips: How To Keep Armadillo Out Of Yard Fast
To keep armadillos out of your yard, you need to make your yard less appealing to them. Often, this means removing their favorite food source, which is usually grubs and other insects in the soil. You also need to make it hard for them to get into your yard, possibly with fences or other barriers. Armadillos can cause a lot of trouble. They dig in your yard, looking for food. This digging ruins your grass and plants. Seeing small holes, turned-up dirt, or lifted-up sod are clear signs of armadillos in yard. These simple steps can help you stop armadillo digging and protect your green spaces from armadillo damage to lawns.
Why Armadillos Cause Trouble
Armadillos are interesting creatures. They are covered in bony plates. They like to look for food, especially at night. Their main tool for finding food is their strong claws and nose. They dig a lot to find tasty insects and worms underground. While they are just looking for a meal, their digging messes up yards quickly.
Decoding Armadillo Damage
The most common sign of an armadillo visit is the digging. They leave small holes in the ground. These holes are usually 1 to 3 inches deep. They are often cone-shaped. You might also see larger areas of dirt that look like someone has lifted up the grass or soil with a shovel. This is especially true if the soil is wet. They are looking under the sod for insects. This armadillo damage to lawns makes your beautiful green grass look messy and uneven. It can even kill patches of grass by disturbing the roots.
The Trouble with Digging
Armadillos dig for food. Their favorite foods are things like beetle larvae (grubs), earthworms, ants, and termites. If your yard has a lot of grubs, it’s like a free buffet for armadillos. They will keep coming back to eat. This is why their digging can be so bad. They aren’t just passing through. They are actively hunting in your yard. To stop armadillo digging, you often have to deal with what they are digging for.
Finding Out If It’s Armadillos
It is important to know if armadillos are the real problem. Other animals like squirrels, raccoons, or skunks can also dig in yards. But armadillo digging looks different.
What to Look For
Look for those specific holes. Remember, they are usually small and cone-shaped. Or look for bigger areas where the sod looks like it has been flipped up. These are the main signs of armadillos in yard. You might also see narrow paths through taller grass. These are paths they use to travel. If you have soft, moist soil, you are more likely to see their tracks. Their tracks show four toes on the front feet and five toes on the back feet. However, the digging is usually the clearest sign.
When They Are Most Active
Armadillos are usually most active in the early morning and late evening. They might also be out during the day if the weather is warm and cloudy, or after it rains. This is because the rain brings their food closer to the surface. If you want to see them, you might look at these times. But often, you just see the damage they leave behind after the night.
Ways to Manage Armadillos
There are different things you can do to get rid of armadillos. Some ways try to make your yard less attractive. Some use barriers. Some try to scare them away. Others try to catch them. These are all part of armadillo control methods. It’s best to use more than one method at the same time for the best results.
Making Your Yard Less Welcome
This is a very important step. If you make your yard a bad place for armadillos to visit, they might just leave on their own. This is all about armadillo prevention tips.
Changing the Habitat
Armadillos like places where they can hide easily. They use thick bushes, tall grass, or piles of brush for shelter. If you clear away these hiding spots near your home, armadillos might feel less safe. Keep your grass cut. Trim bushes. Clear away woodpiles or debris. Making your yard open and tidy can help make it less inviting for them.
Removing Their Food
As we talked about, armadillos dig for food. Their favorite food is often grubs and other insects living under your grass. If you can get rid of armadillo grubs, you take away their main reason to dig in your yard.
Dealing with Grubs
Grubs are the young form of beetles like Japanese beetles or June bugs. They live under the soil and eat the roots of your grass. This damages your lawn even without the armadillos digging. Getting rid of them helps your lawn in two ways: it makes the grass healthier and it removes the armadillo’s food.
- Natural Grub Control: Tiny worms called nematodes can kill grubs. You can buy these nematodes. They are natural and safe for pets and people. You mix them with water and spray them on your lawn. The nematodes find the grubs and kill them. This is a good natural armadillo deterrent because it takes away their food source in a natural way. You usually need to apply them when grubs are active, often in the late summer or early fall.
- Chemical Grub Control: There are also sprays or granules you can put on your lawn that kill grubs. These are chemical treatments. You need to follow the directions carefully. Some chemicals work to prevent grubs for a long time. Others kill the grubs that are already there. Use these products wisely. They can sometimes harm other helpful insects. Applying grub control is a direct way to get rid of armadillo grubs and thus stop armadillo digging.
By reducing the number of grubs, you make your yard much less tasty to armadillos. This is one of the most effective long-term armadillo control methods.
Putting Up Barriers
Armadillos can dig, but they are not great climbers. A fence can be a good barrier. However, a simple fence above ground is not enough. They will just dig under it. An effective armadillo fence barrier needs to go underground.
Building a Proper Armadillo Fence
To stop armadillos, the fence should be about 2 to 3 feet tall. The important part is what happens underground. The fence material needs to go down into the ground. Bury at least 1 foot of the fence material below the surface. You can use chicken wire or a stronger wire mesh. For even better results, bend the bottom 6 inches of the buried part of the fence outwards in an ‘L’ shape. This bent part should face away from your yard. When the armadillo tries to dig down next to the fence, they will hit the buried wire that is angled away. This makes it hard for them to keep digging under.
- Fence Height: 2-3 feet above ground.
- Fence Depth: At least 1 foot into the ground.
- Underground Bend: Bend the bottom 6 inches outwards at a right angle.
- Material: Sturdy wire mesh or chicken wire.
Putting up a fence like this all around your yard can be a lot of work. But it is a very effective armadillo prevention tip. It physically blocks them from getting in.
Temporary Barriers
If armadillos are digging in a specific small area, you can put a temporary barrier around that spot. This could be a short fence segment that goes into the ground, or even just staking down some wire mesh flat on the ground over the area they are digging. This might make them try to dig somewhere else, hopefully outside your yard.
Using Things They Don’t Like
Armadillos rely on their sense of smell and hearing. You can use certain things that might bother them. These are armadillo repellent options. Some people call these natural armadillo deterrents.
Smell-Based Deterrents
There are many products sold as armadillo repellents. Many of these use strong smells. Some common smells in these products include:
- Cayenne pepper or other hot peppers
- Garlic
- Ammonia or urine (like from predators)
- Castor oil
You can sometimes make your own simple sprays using water mixed with cayenne pepper or garlic. Spray this in areas where you see digging. Some people put rags soaked in ammonia near the holes.
Do these work? Opinions vary a lot. Strong smells might make an armadillo avoid a spot for a short time. But armadillos are driven by hunger. If there are lots of tasty grubs, they might just ignore the smell or dig somewhere else nearby. Rain washes away sprays quickly. Rags need to be re-soaked often. Many people find these armadillo repellent options are not a long-term fix. They might offer a little help right away, but don’t rely on them alone to stop armadillo digging.
Sound and Light Deterrents
Armadillos are shy and easily scared. Sudden noises or lights can startle them.
- Motion-Activated Sprinklers: These are one of the more effective natural armadillo deterrents. You place them in your yard. When an armadillo walks in front of the sensor, the sprinkler turns on suddenly. The spray of water and the sound scare the armadillo. This often makes them run away. If this happens often enough, the armadillo might learn that your yard is a scary place and avoid it. This is a good armadillo control method that doesn’t harm the animal.
- Lights: Bright lights, especially motion-activated ones, might deter armadillos. Since they are often active at night, bright lights turning on suddenly can startle them. However, they might just learn to avoid the lit area and dig somewhere else in your yard.
Using motion-activated sprinklers is generally considered more effective than just smells or lights alone because of the sudden spray of water.
Catching Them
If other methods don’t work, or if you have a big armadillo problem, you might consider trapping. How to trap armadillos usually involves using a live trap.
Using Live Traps
A live trap is a cage that catches the animal without hurting it. It has a door that closes behind the animal when it walks inside. Armadillos are not easy to bait into a trap. They are looking for live food underground. Food like fruit or vegetables usually does not work well as bait. The best way how to trap armadillos is to place the trap correctly.
- Placement: Place the trap near the areas where you see fresh digging. Armadillos often follow regular paths. Try to find these paths. Place the trap along a path they are using, or right next to a hole they just dug. You can even use two long boards or fences placed in a V-shape leading to the trap opening. This guides the armadillo into the trap as it walks.
- No Bait Needed: Often, you don’t need bait. The armadillo walks into the trap just because it’s in their path.
- Checking Traps: Check the trap often, at least once in the morning and once in the evening. You don’t want to leave an animal trapped for too long.
What to Do After Catching One
This is a very important step. Before you trap, know what you will do with the animal. Laws about moving or releasing trapped wildlife are different in different places. In many areas, it is against the law to move and release wild animals far away. This is because it can spread diseases or cause problems for animals already living in the new area. It is best to call your local animal control or wildlife service before you trap. They can tell you the rules in your area. They might offer services to remove the armadillo, or tell you where you can take it, or advise on humane ways to handle it. Do not try to touch or handle a trapped armadillo. They can scratch or bite, and they can carry diseases, like leprosy in some rare cases. Leave handling to professionals. Trapping is one of the armadillo control methods but requires careful planning and following local rules.
Other Ideas
- Professional Help: If you have a big armadillo problem and the tips here don’t work, you can call a professional wildlife control company. They have experience and tools to deal with armadillos. They can use different armadillo control methods that might not be easy for a homeowner.
Keeping Them Away for Good
Dealing with armadillos is often not a one-time fix. You need a plan to keep them from coming back. This means using armadillo prevention tips over time.
Your Long-Term Plan
The best long-term plan involves making your yard permanently less attractive.
- Manage Grubs: Continue to monitor and manage the grub population in your lawn. Using natural methods like nematodes can be done regularly as a preventative measure. This is key to stopping the armadillo damage to lawns by removing the food source they dig for.
- Maintain Barriers: If you built a fence, check it regularly. Make sure it’s still buried properly and there are no new spots where they could dig under.
- Keep it Tidy: Keep your yard clean. Reduce places where armadillos can hide or find shelter.
- Use Deterrents Wisely: Keep using motion-activated sprinklers in areas where you see new signs of activity. They serve as a reminder that your yard is not safe for them.
Mixing Different Methods
The most effective way to keep armadillos away is to use several methods together. This is called an integrated approach.
- First, try to get rid of their food (get rid of armadillo grubs).
- Second, put up barriers like a proper armadillo fence barrier.
- Third, use things that scare them, like motion-activated sprinklers (natural armadillo deterrents, armadillo repellent options like these work best).
- If necessary, use trapping (how to trap armadillos) to remove the ones that are already causing problems.
By using different armadillo control methods together, you make your yard a very difficult place for armadillos to live and find food. This greatly increases your chances of keeping them out for good.
Quick Ways to Act Now
If you see fresh digging and want to do something right away, here are some quick actions:
- Water the Area: If you have motion-activated sprinklers, make sure they are working and aimed at the problem spot. A sudden spray might scare them off quickly.
- Try a Strong Smell: While not long-lasting, spraying a cayenne pepper mix or putting ammonia-soaked rags near fresh holes might make them move to another spot tonight. It’s a temporary fix but easy to do fast.
- Prepare a Trap: If you have a live trap ready, set it up near the fresh digging or a known path right away. This is a fast way to try and catch the animal causing the immediate problem.
These quick steps can help stop the digging happening tonight, but remember that long-term prevention is key.
Simple Answers to Common Questions
Here are some quick answers to questions people often ask about armadillos in their yards.
Are Armadillo Repellents Good?
Armadillo repellent options like sprays with strong smells might work for a very short time. They can sometimes make an armadillo avoid a spot. But they are often not strong enough or long-lasting enough to stop them if there is a lot of food (grubs) in your yard. They are not a proven long-term fix.
Is Trapping the Only Way?
No, trapping is not the only way. It is one method (how to trap armadillos), used to remove an animal that is already there. But making your yard less attractive (removing food, using barriers, using sprinklers) is often more important for preventing future problems. These armadillo control methods are often better for the long run.
Can I Stop Them Just by Removing Grubs?
Getting rid of grubs (get rid of armadillo grubs) is one of the best ways to stop armadillos from digging (stop armadillo digging). It removes their main food source. While it’s not a guarantee that no armadillo will ever walk through your yard, it greatly reduces the reason for them to stay and dig. It’s a very important part of armadillo prevention tips.
How Deep Should a Fence Go?
An armadillo fence barrier should go at least 1 foot deep into the ground. It helps even more if you bend the bottom 6 inches outwards. This makes it much harder for armadillos to dig under the fence.
What Are the First Signs?
The first signs of armadillos in yard are usually small, cone-shaped holes (1-3 inches deep) or areas of lifted or disturbed soil, especially in soft or wet ground. This is the beginning of armadillo damage to lawns.
In Summary
Getting armadillos out of your yard and keeping them away needs a few steps. First, look for the signs of armadillos in yard like holes and lifted soil (armadillo damage to lawns). To stop armadillo digging, you should try to remove their food source, mainly grubs (get rid of armadillo grubs). You can do this with natural nematodes or chemical treatments. Building an armadillo fence barrier that goes deep into the ground is a strong physical way to block them. Natural armadillo deterrents like motion-activated sprinklers can scare them away. Armadillo repellent options like smell sprays might help a little but are often not enough. If needed, learning how to trap armadillos with a live trap can remove the animal, but check local rules first and never touch a trapped armadillo. Using a mix of these armadillo control methods is the best approach. Keep using these armadillo prevention tips like grub control and maintaining barriers to help make sure armadillos don’t come back. Be patient and keep trying different methods. It takes time to protect your yard.