Armadillo Lawn Pests

Description

• Depending on variety, armadillos range in size from 6 inches to 5 feet long and come in red, gray, black or yellow color. The animal has bony plates covering the legs, back, head and tail of the animals. Armadillos have pointed, shovel-like snouts, very small eyes and poor eyesight. The animals seek out food with their keen sense of smell. The large front claws and strong legs help the animals dig and their sticky, long tongues pull out their prey from their tunnels.

Habits

• The greater majority of armadillos sleep for up to 16 hours every day. The animals dig around for food during the early morning and early evening hours, feeding on ants, termites and beetles. Other favorite foods include small vertebrates, fruits, plants and carrion meat. Armadillos have a low metabolic rate that makes them intolerant of cold weather. The animals thrive in temperate and warm areas, living in grasslands, semi-desert regions and rain forests in their native habitat with an average life span of 12 to 15 years.

Damage

• Armadillos create small holes in lawns and gardens as they forage for food. The holes are generally 3 inches wide and about 5 inches deep. The animals easily uproot smaller plants and flower growing in loose soil. Armadillos live in large burrows that are up to 25 feet in the ground, damaging trees and shrub roots and foundation in the process.

Control

• One of the best ways to control armadillos in the landscape is to use live traps, cite Trey Rogers in "Lawn Geek" (2007). Use a trap large enough for a raccoon and set it up in the most damaged lawn area. Place fresh fruit or earthworms filled in an old stocking in the trap as bait. Release the trapped animals near a body of water that also has some brush close by for cover. After the armadillo is caught, fill in the burrow tightly with a mixture of pea gravel and earth.