Hats off to WSG, Wolf and Rjj for taking the bull by the horns and SHOOTING those pesky dillers! I hate them with a passion. I'm with Herb as far as their total destructiveness goes. I don't rear earthworms [yet] but my "crop" is the many species of sphinx moths I attract to my yard and garden. Armadillos are very hard on the underground pupae, as well as those that pupate just at ground level. Some of these species are quite rare and I'm trying to re-establish them locally.

BTW, when shooting the dillers, be sure to leave their bodies a comfortable distance away, but not buried, in oder to provide food for the fabulous turkey vultures.

I want to say unfortunately, that's my answer too. I got three one night last fall (within 2 hours). Lord, the holes (tunnels really)....I hate to kill "native" wildlife, however, considering their reproductive rate (and the fact that they're only "native" after manmade environmental changes)....ummm I don't feel too bad.
Unfortunately, the dogs tend to find (and enjoy) the carcasses (yuck...rotting armadillo....on Fido)!
I may have to take up the burying part...or feed the catfishes instead.
I read that these are the only other hosts of Leprosy besides man?

I've heard the same thing about Leprosy, so when one of those little armadillos runs right into a flying bullet on our property, we ALWAYS wear gloves when disposing of it. Wish we had a nickle for every armadillo we've buried.

The only success we've had in getting rid of them is by fencing them out of places where we don't want them. (This does work if you bury the bottom of the fence deep enough in the soil that they can't dig under it.)

I am going to try beneficial nematodes and Milky Spore both this year, 'cause as long as we have something they want to eat they will keep coming.

Okie, just for the record, if you choose to feed the vultures [which are really in bad need of human support] they neither can contract, nor carry the leprosy virus. Birds really are of a different feather.

I have started hunting them at night with my .22 also. I had never shot anything before, but when it finally happened, I was so excited! I ran in and got the digital camera and took pictures to show the guys I work with. ha! I hate them so much because they are so destructive. I had one trying to dig a den under my large hardy hibiscus. I would fill it in and the next morning it was dug out again. The roots were just hanging in mid air. I shot 3 last summer and plan on it again this year!! woo hoo!
nona

Thanks to all of you.. I dont kill animals unless I am going to eat them.. HOWEVER when in comes to the dillers I am going to stay up at night the first nice night and have a turkey/diller shoot. They always hit the greenhouse and garden. I'll make a few gun ports in the greenhouse, bring along the ole coffee pot and do some plinking.. I'm going for max attritian.

Thanks again guys/gals!

Herb,

As a rule we don't kill animals either--for any reason. The three exceptions are: 1)armadillos, 2) poisonous snakes, and 3)any wild animal that is attacking or killing our animals.

Good luck getting those 'dillos.....we have harsh memories of the "Mother's Day Massacre" of 2002 when one or more armadillos COMPLETELY tore up our veggie garden and its' surrounding flower and herb (oops--that's you!) border. And they had to dig under TWO fences in order to destroy everything. (The armadillos massacred the garden, we didn't kill them 'cause they didn't come back that year.)

Happy hunting!
Dawn

Herb,
My uncle uses a cheap driveway alarm to alert him when the armadillos are in his yard. He has killed quite a few that way, going outside when the alarm sounds.

I bought a more expensive alarm at Lowes hoping it would alert me when the armadillos were in my yard. It never worked well for me, and I accidentally dropped mine in the Fry Daddy before I got a chance to fine tune it. (Very clumsy here, LOL). My uncle got his driveway alarm through one of those mail order catalogs, Carol Wright Gifts. Here is a link to the one he bought. I believe I'll order me another one while I'm at it. :-) Happy Hunting!

Here is a link that might be useful: Wireless Driveway Patrol

Wolflover,

What a WONDERFUL idea. Gotta get one too.

Ya know, Dawna, I will eat almost anything deep fried. But I draw the line at deep fried driveway monitors!

~Heidi

The critters have our yard and area around the barn looking like a war zone. The baby monitor is going out on the patio tonight to begin our battle. I put the receiver on the window ledge next to the bed and you can hear when they begin their rooting. It worked very well when they were tearing out my perenials, I hope it picks up the noise from the fruit trees and barnyard. Our dachshund ran one into the hay this morning but "Jake" couldn't wedge between the bales to reach him. It's all out war!
Cooper

Just an update. We've caught two more armadillos this week in the live trap. We open the gate and set the trap right in the entry way of the fence, using the gate as a funnel. I can't believe this is working! This is sooo easy compared to having to hunt them during the night. We also caught a cottontail rabbit this way, though I have no grudge against them until the garden goes in. :-)

Just wondering whatever happened to the driveway alarm? Has it been replaced by the trap? and, the ultimate question we all want the answer to....have you had anything deep fried lately?

Now, if only we could figure out a way to just make them go away and stay away. Otherwise, we'll be trapping and killing them forever, since nature abhors a vacuum. I guess this must be how northern gardeners feel about woodchucks.

Hi Dawn,
I haven't replaced the armadillo alarm because I've been spending all my money on new PLANTS... And since I don't want anyone thinking I fried an armadillo, I will explain how I managed to fry the driveway alarm. I unplugged the alarm to plug in the Fry Daddy, and in the process dropped the alarm into the grease. Oh well, it hadn't worked that great on alarming me that the armadillos were on the prowl, but it might have worked for alerting me to a car driving up the driveway. DH got a new one for Christmas but it's still not hooked up. It only detects large METAL objects so I don't think it will work for armadillos.

Hey Wolflover,

You know that the fried driveway alarm is just my favorite story!!! Especially because it sounds like something I would do. I hope you know I am laughing with you, and not at you. :)

Look at the bright side: if large, metal armadillos ever appear in your driveway, you'll know right away. Well, it could happen...there's a herd of metal horses outside a bank in Ardmore!

Shooting the only solution!? Can't do that- and besides don't have a gun. After reading various ideas and also a hint about diatomaceous earth to kill roaches in compost which I nixed because I assume it would kill earthworms as well as grubs, I've decided to do this: Walk around my garden at night swinging a cheesecloth bag of moth balls to scare the armadillos off with the scent. I figure if I add a chant while I'm doing this I might succeede with the raccoons and deer too! Not to mention neighbors' dogs,stray cats,husbands....Now only have to wait for a full moon.....

LOL ...picturung kaboolis doing that.
~Heidi

Kaboolis, use the DE in good conscience. It will NOT harm earth worms! Trust me on this. earth worms at dirt and are a fleshy kind of animal with vessels of real red blood, much like ours. However, I can't use DE lest I destroy all I have worked for, creating a habitat for sphinx moths. Those caterpillars must get off the plants and onto the ground to pupate. Not all sphingids bury themselves to pupate, but those that don't, stay on the ground amongst the leaf litter.
This is exactly why I can't stand armadillos, either. Not only do they harbor leprosy, but will uproot dozens of tomato plants to find the few hornworm pupae I missed or deliberately left behind for the wild. Then, they go undr the Virginia creeper to eat every Myron pupa or larva low enough to reach. They root amongst the dock to get my lineatas and also clean up any feeding larvae there, too. Perhaps the encroachment of dillers is also partly to blame for the loss of Io moths in Oklahoma as well as much of Texas. They cocoon on the ground, too.

Here's another update on using the live trap for catching armadillos. I believe we are up to 7-8 caught for the year. This has been a wonderful way for catching/killing armadillos. I would have never dreamed a live trap would work.

We still haven't tried the Milky Spore for killing grubs, but I'm planning to apply it to my lawn this fall. Has anyone used it and have you seen a reduction in grubs?

Wolflover,

I have used Milky Spore, but it was years ago and in Texas. I'm using it here this year though.

In Texas, it did bring about a marked decrease in the number of white grubs worms. I saw quite a lot of improvement the first year, and massive improvement after putting it on our lawn for three years in a row. After that three year period, I never put it out again, and never had a grub problem, so I'm assuming the milky spore became established in our soil and continued to do its thing each year.

We have has less armadillo damage this year than ever before (and had less last year than the year before that), so I am hopeful that the situation is improving. It may be that a combination of things we've done...like using beneficial nematodes on the soil and fencing armadillos out of parts of our landscape (using fencing buried in the soil that they can't dig under) is finally paying off. On the other hand, it may be all our armadillos moved north to hang out at your place!

Keep us posted on your progress in the armadillo war!

Dawn

I have had armadillo, deer, and skunk problems as well. I have three solutions I have used this year and they have worked for me. First, I used mothballs, which are very effective, even for cats using the flower beds as litter boxes. Snakes also do not like mothballs. Just distribute them liberally. Later, I bought a bottle of "Deer Off" at Lowes. It works great! It has kept the deer,armadillos, and even rabbits, from the flower beds and garden. I still use the mothballs for the snakes. Now, skunks dig holes too, seeking out grub worms, just not as bad as the armadillos. "Deer Off" doesn't keep these pests entirely out of my life, it just lessens my night patrols so I can just concentrate on the lawn area. If you use a .22 cal, buy the little CB shells at WalMart and the neighbors won't even know you are shooting. They are very quiet, yet still very deadly. I prefer the 12ga shotgun, but will not shoot after 10pm, because in the country, the sound of the blast carries in the night air a very long distance. Sounds like a cannon at night!!! Happy gardening.

David

Dawn & David,

Thanks for the information. I am definitely using the Milky Spore this fall, even though my yard is large and it will be expensive. In the long run it should be worth it though, because no matter how many armadillos we kill, more move in to take their place. And some day I am going to wind up with a broken leg from falling in one of their holes.

We caught another armadillo last night in the live trap. That's two this week!

I don't have a problem with armadillo's in my garden cuz I have 2 pyrenee's (dogs) outside to keep the coyotes away, they keep all the other animals that don't belong away but I do have armadillos in my field and you really need to watch when riding horses those dilla holes can break a horses legs.So they really need to go...On rabbits well where ever there is rabbits and other rodents there is chiggers like when ya pick those nice juicy blackberries and then later have chiggers well thats because the rodents live in the blackberry bushes..Ticks are also bad this year and they are carried by the rodents...I really am a animal lover and before I moved to OK couldn't kill a thing but now armadillo's and rabbits are driving me nuts OHHHH and living in the country where cow farmers are all around me and a pig farmer not far those DARN flies are all over..You open the door to walk in the house and you get 10 flies that go in with ya..got fly paper all over the house..BUt was wondering if there is something better....Whew Ok thanks for letting me vent..LMAO

njdjs,

I got a kick out of your reply, LOL. Yes, we have armadillo holes all over our pastures too, along with gopher holes, and I worry about my horses breaking a leg too. Also have many flies from a dairy right down the road. Yuck!!

Now you will think I am crazy, but try it before you laugh too hard. I've read many times that this will work. Hang a baggie full of water over your doorways, or even the doors in your barn, and that will keep the flies from entering the doorway. LOL. Sounds like the craziest thing in the world, but it works. My problem has been keeping the baggies from falling and spilling all the water. Try it and let us know how it works for you!

Here is a link that might be useful: Google search of flies, baggies of water

njdjs, I have to laugh about the question on the flies. NOT that it's funny, by any stretch of the imagination, it just brings back funny memories. We were bothered by flies especially just before a rain. On a road trip,we kept seeing clear plastic bags around the perimeter of cafe entry ways and residential garages. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer so stopped and asked someone what they were for. I was told to keep flies out of the areas! I laughed and laughed at this answer, thinking I was the object of a joke.........I wasn't. When we got home, we agreed not to tell a soul what our bags were for, until we could see if it really worked, or not. We got clear plastic ziploc bags, filled them three quarters full of water, twisted and tied string around the tops, and hung them across the overhead garage door entry about every two feet. We hung them on the outside of the door frame, so we wouldn't have to take them down everytime we wanted to close the door. This is the only entry we use, out of habit, so this was the only place we used the bags. Out of amazement we could sit in the garage and NOT be bothered by the flies!! It seems they will not fly under the water bags! I did a search on the web and sure enough, found evidence of the bags being used, but no answer as to why this works.......just unproven theories, but the main thing is it worked, for us. If you do this, prepare yourself for lots of curious questions. I even had someone to stop and ask me about the bags. I told him and he said he was heading home to hang some of his own. He didn't report back to me tho.

David

I've never tried the bags of water for flies, but may have to now, after reading about it here!

I have been told by "old timers" that one way to keep rabbits out of your garden is by placing mason canning jars full of water around the garden. I tried it the first year here, back when the garden was not yet fenced, and it worked. I can't tell you why it worked, but it did!

As for flies, many companies like Arbico or Planet Natural that sell beneficial insects do sell beneficials that are supposed to control flies. I don't know what kind of insects they are....maybe some sort of parasites? Seems the plastic bags to repel flies would certainly be less costly.

Dawn

Hey Wolflover,
It sounds like you have this armadillo trap figured out! Share your secrets. I've heard that they were hard to trap. Do you leave the trap in the same spot or move it around? What do you bait it with?

I'm really tired of them digging up the yard and garden. The only thing that I've seen that works on them well around my house is the traffic on Waterloo Rd.

I was told that using cut up watermelon for bait will help catch armidillo. I live in the middle of town so shooting them is out of the question. Sure am tired of them diggin holes in my yard though.

I think armadillos must like beer--maybe you could get them drunk and then haul them away. I once saw an armadillo along I-40, on its back, feet skyward, and a beer bottle on its snout. It seemed to be dead drunk.

LOL, Wise One. I've seen those drunk armadillos too!

Skeetermagnet, we don't use bait. We just open the gate and funnel the armadillos into the live trap. They root along the fence looking for an opening, and when they get to the gate, they just walk right into the trap. If we don't open the gate, they tunnel in under the fence. If you can find where they are getting in your yard, set the live trap right in front of the opening or hole, and they will walk right into your trap. They've got to be the most stupid creature on earth. I've walked right up to them in the garden and shot them and they never even knew I was there!! We stake the gate closed tight along the opening of the trap so they can't push the gate open. I hope this post makes sense to you.

I live in the city so I can't shoot them with a 22 though that is REALLY WHAT I want to do. I've tried the live traps with no luck... Perhaps mine is not tall enough to trick them.

I put clippings in the cage because I read that they don't like their feet on metal and I have used night-crawlers in a nylon for bait but no luck.

I did hit one with shovel before it dug under the fence but these things are really fast and I'm too old to chase them. Do you think I could kill them with a powerful pellet gun?

John,
I don't think a powerful pellet gun would kill an armadillo, but I'd try it anyway. You might have to shoot them several times. They're kind of hard to kill even with a .22. I hate armadillos with a passion, and 1 1/2 years after this thread started, I am still doing battle with them. I haven't used the live trap since spring. Gotta try that again. I've been hunting them every night with a .22. What I'd REALLY like to do is blow them up with dynamite!! That's how BADLY I hate those little bulldozers! I only had two nice flower beds left in my entire yard after this drought, and the armadillos have terrorized them both every night recently, totally ruining the plants. GRRRR

My live trap is between 18" and two foot tall. Hey John!!!! Thanks so much for bringing this thread back up. I just stepped out on the porch to see how tall my live trap is, and damned if there wasn't an armadillo in my flower bed, bulldozing along like crazy. He never even noticed me. I grabbed a gun and had to shoot him FOUR times before I killed him! Thanks so much for getting me outside just now at 1:00 a.m. to check that live trap, which caused me to see and kill that armadillo that has been ravaging my gardens. I wish you so much luck killing yours. As many times as it took to make that armadillo quit thrashing around all over my plants, I sincerely doubt that a pellet gun will kill one. I was only six feet from it and it took me four shots. One shot might have done it but I was trying to keep him from thrashing all over the remaining plants. Sorry everyone, if this post is too gory for you. But I doubt it is to anyone who has ever fought these monsters! :) Doing the happy dance now that that wicked witch is dead, hahahaha.

Hi, all - Just finished reading all your posts. Enjoyed them all! I just evened out my "war zone" this afternoon. Fortunately we are moving back to the Pacific NW where 'dillos aren't a problem. I just hope we can get our house sold before they do more damage! Wish we had a .22 - or a dog! I was not aware that they carry leprosy. Uggghhh!
Thanks for all your suggestions.

I haven't checked in here for quite some time, wish I had, we have been having diller problems all summer, the worst ever. Since we're out in the country sorta, the 12gauge has taken care of them, I believe 9 for the summer. Used grub killer early in the summer and that helped until Aug. I guess the drought and my watering and no large dogs brought them back. I didn't loose too many plants but they made a war zone out of the yard and we had an outdoor wedding in Sept...it was all out war. I think we won, at least no one fell in one of the holes and sued me which is what I was concerned about.
Sure is nice to have some time and check in again.

A new Kill.... for the winter.

I have been using "giant destroyers" lately with some serious luck. I'm in the middle of town and over run with Armadillos and skunks...

Recently I found these smoke bomb things called "giant destoryer". Anyway... the package says use 1 0r 2 in a hole. I'm using at least 3 sometimes 4. Anyway... when you find the burrow, simply light them, drop them in, and cover the hole.

One Armadillo tried to climb out while I was smoking em, and I killed it with shovel. No luck with the winged traps yet... but the giant destroyers seem to work (assuming they're nesting in your lawn.) Look for holes around trees, under sheds, concrete, etc. One of mine was under the pool deck.

Happy hunting.

I had armadillo problems in a raised azalea bed several years ago and everyone told me to shoot them but I don't shoot guns so I tried everything I could think of, filling the hole with all kinds of things but the next morning it would be back. I covered it with heavy concrete slabs and the next morning they just moved the hole over. Finally I got 2 flea and tick bug bombs and set them off, threw them in the hole, covered it with the concrete stepping stone and from that day forward, no more holes. Hope this helps someone.

I've had problems with armadillos for several years. I've tried going out all times of the night, but my best luck seems to be between dusk and about 9:00 PM. I walk around with a strong flashlight and a 20 guage shotgun. I'm on five acres of land in rural Mississippi, so gunshots at night are no big deal. And, in this area we have a very big problem with them, so this is a constant battle.

When I find an armadillo hole, I have two possible solutions. First, make sure the armadillo is using the hole. Place several twigs over the hole before dark, then check it before bedtime. If the twigs have been moved, you know the devil is using the hole. Place the twigs back over the hole and check it again the following morning. If the twigs have been moved again, you can feel fairly confident that he's nesting for the day.

After I've confirmed the hole is in use, then comes the kill. If the hole is near a water faucet, I place a heavy cement block over most of the hole, place a hose in the hole, then turn the faucet on. If he comes out, he'll be digging around a small opening that I left, and I'll be waiting with my shotgun. A little research found that armadillo can stay under water for up to six minutes, so make sure you stay around for awhile after the hole fills with water.

If the hole is well away from the house, I use another solution. I pour a couple of cups of regular gasoline down the hole, then wait for several minutes for the fumes to saturate the hole. Back off a few feet, then light a small stick or other piece of flamable, then toss it at the hole. When the gas ignites, it sears the animals lungs because he breathed the fumes. Sounds dangerous, but it's really not because all of the gas is in the hole. Once the fire dies down it's safe to leave the area. (Just in case he decides to exit before I'm ready to light the gas, I'm waiting with my shotgun.)

Now comes the big question - Do I fill the hole after I've killed him? Depends on where the hole is located. If it's out of the way, I leave it it alone and keep trying the twigs. Armadillo will use an abandoned hole rather than dig a new one. So, if the hole is not a problem, you might try leaving it alone.

Live near Houston TX, had armadillos digging up prpoerty, found their hole, remembered Amonia Liquid and a chlorine tablet (for swimming pool) if put in the hole together would release chlorine gas (deadly for all living creatures (including man). I no longer have an armadillo problem!

so, I started noticing holes in my landscaping about a month ago. I would fill the holes and sure enough the next day it would be dug out again. The pest control guy came today to spray and he said he would put grub killer down and that I might want to try using a 22. I guess i'm goin dillo huttin....lol. Wish me luck!!

It won't work for armadillos but I have a product that will work on deer. The Wireless Deer Fence is a patented, guaranteed deer control system.
Please see our website, wirelessdeerfence.com

Here is a link that might be useful: Wireless Deer Fence

I live in Prattville, OK just outside of Tulsa. I live in a retirement community and have a family of Armadillos under my home. My yard is a nightmare and I see the young ones throwing out Armadillo poop and dirt from under my home. I have spent hours of labor, tons of money and am in serious fear that they will destroy the foundation under my home. I live in a senior community but association is worthless and I have no idea what to do. Even the professionals say they are very difficult to get rid of when they have borrowed under the home. I am surrently pour amonia into their holes and it is a short term fix but they have not moved away. HELP.

Oh, yuck! That sounds awful. One of the suggestions above was ammonia and a chlorine tablet, it creates a deadly gas.

Jjnewellr,

Someone above mentioned using a live trap. It really does work. The trick is to remember that when an armadillo encounters and obstacle, it generally follows it until getting around it. So a fence or a building will direct their path, so to speak. If you place a large live trap alongside of a fence or building, where they frequently pass, you can funnel them into it. I often place buckets of water or logs, in the form of a "V" to funnel them into the trap. So:

1) Get a large live trap.
2) Place it right up against (parallel to) a fence or building where they pass.
3) Place some more obstacles to help funnel them into the trap.

I've done this and collected my first catch within half an hour.

George
Tahlequah, OK

After you catch one...I have a friend who has gassed skunks using carbon monoxide after they were no longer allowed to drown them or shoot them.

I have a family of armadillos under my foundation. My front yard looks like a disaster zone with the babies working full time throwing out dirt in large piies and destroying all flowerbeds. I have glass across the front of my house and can se the little devils throwing out dirt and occassionally almost coming out of the pile of dirt. They are fast and destructive. Even the professionals in my area say they cannot gaurantee success and it is very expensive. I am currently using amonio pour it on the little devils when I can and down their holes. I have used soaked paper towels and sponges also. I soak them with amonia and bury them in the area they are digging. This is a temporary fix but it is constant. Is there any poison legal or otherwise I can usse for this dillos? If I try to shoot the little ones, will the smell of a dead dillo really ruin the entire neighborhood forever?
Anyone have any success in making them leave their home under MY HOME?

I don't know of any legal form of poison that you can use to rid your yard of the armadillos. Armadillos are there because there's some sort of living critters in the soil that they like to eat. Normally they are after the white grub worms in the soil, so treating the yard at the right time of the year to kill the grubs will reduce the available food supply. I used Milky Spore Powder scattered on the ground and watered in during the month of either July or August in our early years here and it really reduced the grub population which made our yard less attractive to armadillos. However, in the absence of grubs, the armadillos just dig and eat other soil-dwellers, including earthworms, so you'll never be able to completely rid your soil of things the armadillos like to eat.

Cayenne pepper works for me if I scatter it right on the soil surface in areas where they are digging, but I generally don't use it because we are on rural acreage and the wild animals have to eat to survive. I try to coexist with them as much as possible because there's no way you'll ever get rid of all of them. Nature abhors a vacuum, so when you eliminate the dillos you have, more of them just move in from elsewhere. That's how nature works.

We have fenced the digging dillos out of our veggie gardens, and I grow fruit, flowers and herbs in the veggie gardens along with the veggies since that's the only armadillo-proof area that I have.

If I had armadillos under my house, I'd go to Sam's Club, CostCo or to an ethnic, oriental-type grocery store, and buy the huge bulk containers of hot pepper that they sell and I'd sprinkle it on the ground where the armadillos are burrowing under the house, and I'd sprinkle it wherever they were feeding. They don't like getting a snout full of hot, cayenne pepper and usually will move along elsewhere after experiencing that a few times. You will have to sprinkle more cayenne on the ground after each rainfall.

The Dirt Doctor always has been a big proponent of repelling them with cayenne, so I'll link a page from his website where he discusses using this method to repel the armadillos.

If you kill them and they are under your house, you will have to put up with the smell of their decomposing bodies for however long it takes the soft tissue to fully decompose. It will not be pleasant to smell that. The smell won't ruin the neighborhood forever, but it might make living in your house really unpleasant for several weeks.

If you're able to drive them out from under the house by using the cayenne pepper, I'd suggest you lay down chicken wire several feet wide to completely cover the area where they were going under the house, and use boards to hold it down. This will exclude them if they should forget about the misery of the cayenne pepper and try to return in a few weeks or months.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Dirt Doctor: Armadillos and Cayenne Pepper

I just found a huge armadillo burrow in the middle of my field when mowing late yesterday. Went to check this morning and he was active last night. With lots of small holes all over the place. I put sticks over burrow to double check activity. How do I kill it while he's in his burrow? I've read where people used a cut hose and put ammonia and chlorine in it and then sealed the hole with a concrete slab. I also read about putting flea & tick bombs in it. Then another person poured gas in the hole waited a few minutes and then used a large stick with wrapped paper to set the hole on fire. Thoughts please!! CrazyCritter

we are now at war with armadillos..tried flooding them out and now have a live trap..Hopefully it will work so we can kill them or it...

We have been having trouble with the armadillos tearing up the lawn in the front. Now they have gotten in a fenced in rear yard. They dug a hole under it so I bought a cheap wireless motion detector that sends an alarm to the receiver in the house. 10 pm Alarm went off so I go out with a 22 rifle loaded with 22 quiet rounds, ya he didn't make it. Fed it to the vultures, they love um. Two in one night and another 2 days later. I have left the hole to see if more come through. We live in a subdivision with the same lawns all over.

QUESTION I HAVE IS WHY THEY ALL COME UNDER THE FENCE IN THE SAME PLACE?

Because they are smart and just sort of nose their way along until they find a weak spot by touch (soft soil, loose fencing, whatever) through which to enter. Their eyesight is notoriously poor, which is why they are so often seen dead in the roadway or near the roadway. You can use this to your advantage. If you block that spot with boards or whatever, they might not be able to find another way into the fenced back yard. We have had them find their way into the fenced dog yard in the same way, usually after heavy rainfall has made the clay soil soft. Needless to say, in a dog versus armadillo battle, the armadillos usually lose.

We have mellowed over the years and just ignore them now, but we're really rural and set so far back from the roadway that no one can see our lawn unless they drive up our long driveway to the house. Everyone in our neighborhood just has to deal with them, so we're used to torn up lawns. We have a lot less armadillos than we did when we first moved here 20 years ago, and they don't do as much damage as they once did. They are fenced out of the veggie/herb/flower garden with very sturdy fencing because otherwise they just destroy a garden.

After we used Milky Spore on our lawn in the early years at the right time (August), we didn't have many armadillos, at least not on the lawn, for ages. I did use beneficial nematodes too at the same time, more or less. The fact that we are seeing them again might mean that we've lost all the Milky Spore (it perpetuates itself but a very hot or very dry year seems to wipe it out now and then) population here. I might need to put out Milky Spore next August.