In case you may be one of the lucky ones that has not had the misfortune of having your lawn or landscape areas roto-tilled and aerated for free by armadillos, be on the lookout for them this fall. I have talked to several people recently who have had armadillo problems in their lawn and landscape areas.

The damage that they do is pretty much cut and dry. They dig shallow holes - and lots of them - about one to three inches deep and three to five inches wide. These holes are dug in search of their favorite food – white grubs, earthworms, and other soil inhabiting insects. In fact, about 90% of an armadillo’s diet is made up of insects and their larvae. They have been known to eat lizards, small snakes, and frogs, as well as the eggs of these animals.

If you are lucky enough to see an armadillo in your yard, you won’t have to wonder what he is. He is pretty unique looking in the fact that he is covered with a coat of armor that is made up of nine movable rings between the shoulder and hip areas. The head is small with a pig-like snout. His feet have three toes with long claws on them.

Armadillos are about the size of a possum – weighing eight to 17 pounds. We tend to refer to them as a “possum on the half shell”.

They feed and create most of their damage at night. You may see one during the day but you are more likely to spot one late in the evening or at night.

Armadillos prefer dense shady cover in woodland sites and they also like to reside in areas next to streams and creeks. They will even burrow under rocks if they can.

Armadillos have poor eyesight, but do have a keen sense of smell. They can run fairly fast and can also swim pretty well.

Armadillos have been known to keep people up at night by rubbing their shells against the house or another structure in their vicinity. So, if you keep hearing a strange noise outside the house at night, and you are seeing holes all in your yard, get a flashlight and see if you can see your resident armadillo.

People ask us what can be done to control these creatures. There’s not much you can do to stop them other than to shoot them at night. We have suggested applying a lawn insecticide to an area where they are digging and water it in to try and kill some of the insects in the soil. Hopefully by eliminating their food source, they will move on to another area to feed.

An excellent lawn insecticide product currently in many garden centers that can be applied to lawn areas for white grubs is a product made by Bayer Advanced Lawn called “Season Long Grub Control”. This product is deadly on white grubs and can be applied and watered into the soil. Several other lawn insecticide products are also available for homeowner use and most of them have to be watered into the soil after they are applied in order to control soil insects in a lawn or landscape area.

Trapping armadillos is also an option but I will tell you now that they are difficult to trap. They can be trapped using a 10X12X32-inch live or box type trap such as a havahart trap. The trap should be set along a pathway or fence. It should be open at both ends and have boards or wings on the front end to help guide the animal into the front of the trap. Overripe or fetid fruit or mealworms should be used as bait. Good luck on trapping them!

So be on the lookout for a possum on a half shell because armadillos may decide to visit your yard in search of soil insects. For more information on armadillos and other wildlife pest problems, call your Jones County Extension Office at 986-3958.