“Nothing good happens after midnight,” is an oft used phrase by the parents of teenagers. It is a subtle way of saying a lot of mischief occurs under the cover of darkness, so be home to stay out of trouble.
Unfortunately, the same statement can be made about late night visitors to the lawn and landscape. The first light of morning can reveal random pockmarks in what had been the perfect lawn the previous evening.
The culprit is not likely the neighborhood teenager with a reputation for inappropriate practical jokes. The offender is usually an armadillo, sometimes called a Florida-speed-bump or a possum-on-the-half-shell.
Armadillos eat adult insects and their larvae. They incessantly dig holes in lawns and landscapes in their search for food, many times uprooting plants in their bug hunt. The freshly dug holes are approximately one to three inches deep and three to five inches wide.
It is unusual to see armadillos during the day, as most of their plundering occurs after dark. The exception is July when their mating season is in full swing.
Using insecticides to decrease the armadillo food supply is not guaranteed, but may help reduce the digging. In cases where there is a large, and always ravenous, armadillo population, this reduction of food may increase digging activity as they search more diligently for a reduced food supply.
Another consideration is that all chemical treatments must be reapplied on a permanent basis for impact. Always read and follow label instructions for the safe use of insecticides.
To add insult to landscape injury, armadillos may burrow under driveways, foundations and patios, potentially causing structural damage. Additionally, their burrows in pastures pose a potential leg-injury hazard to livestock, especially horses.
Burrow openings are approximately seven to eight inches in diameter, about the size of a one-gallon plastic jug, and up to 15 feet in length. The sandy soil is piled up right outside the burrow entrance. Armadillos rest in a deep burrow during the day and are usually active after dark.
Because armadillos are frequently nocturnal, trapping techniques designed to capture them as they emerge from their burrows should be applied late in the afternoon and checked several hours after darkness. Fencing is another option to discourage the presence of armadillos.
Several live-trapping techniques can be used to capture armadillos as they exit their burrows. One method is to firmly insert a six-inch or greater diameter PVC pipe into the entrance of an active burrow. Adult armadillos will get stuck in the pipe as they try to exit.
Another option involves a nylon throw-net staked down to cover the burrow entrance. Armadillos will get tangled in the net as they emerge. Laying chicken-wire along a patio, driveway or house foundation will also discourage burrowing.
Armadillos can also be trapped using a raccoon-size metal trap, available from local pest control, feed and home improvement stores. These animals are more likely to enter a cage trap with leaf litter or soil placed over the wire bottom.
Suggested baits for the trap are live earthworms or meal worms in surrounding soil placed in hanging bags made of old nylon stockings. Overripe or spoiled fruit which will attract insects may be also used as bait.
Poison baits are illegal and no chemical repellents or fumigants are registered for use in Florida.
Relocating captured animals is illegal and not recommended because it only transfers the problem elsewhere and can spread an endemic invasive species.
Handling armadillos is not recommended, dead or alive. They are capable of carrying leprosy.
Fossil records indicate the armadillo’s ancestors were as large as modern-day rhinos. One can only imagine what front yards would look like if those giant pests existed today.
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