Home Gardening

Armadillos send tempers raging
The Coast Gardener Newspaper and Web Column - June 29, 2002

Nothing seems to provoke anger quite like armadillos digging up lawns and gardens. They are voracious diggers that just love to see how much lawn area they can dig up in one night's time. Unfortunately, urbanization sometimes encroaches upon wildlife habitat, and headaches for homeowners often result.

Armadillos are similar in size to a possum with a protective shell and a long snout. They have no teeth. Armadillos have a very strong sense of smell but poor eyesight. They can even run and swim well. Frogs, spiders, ants, insect larvae and a host of other invertebrates are favorite foods of armadillos.

Mississippi is home to only one of the more than twenty species of armadillos that can be found digging up yards all over the world. Mississippi's nine-banded armadillo immigrated here several decades ago from the Southwest. High temperature, high humidity and sandy-loam soil create the perfect habitat for these pests to call Mississippi and the rest of the South home.

Armadillos easily send tempers raging with their destructive nature, but digging for insects is not the only reason they are unwelcome guests to our landscapes. Armadillos have strong claws and can even carry infectious diseases. These animals are wild and should be treated as such. Never should someone attempt to handle or keep them.

What can you do to keep them from ruining your pristine piece of paradise? Although there are all sorts of potions, concoctions and tales floating around, exclusion and trapping are the only two methods that really work.

Armadillo traps really do work-I've caught over 40 of them. Be sure to follow manufacturers directions regarding the proper use of the traps. Armadillo traps set along fences and pathways can be quite effective. It may take a while for the critter to stumble into the trap, but sooner or later it will. Be patient and follow the trap instructions carefully to see results. Low fences built at ground level that lean outward at a 40-degree angle will also keep armadillos from entering an area.

Moles, like armadillos, can cause quite a bit of damage. There characteristic mounded "runways" are left in the lawn as they are searching for food. They can uproot the grass, and cause it to die.

They feed on a variety of insects such as white grubs, earthworms, beetles, centipedes, spiders, and ants. They even feed on some plant material like seedpods or husks. They move through the soil very quickly at night searching for food; therefore, this expenditure of energy will cause them to eat 70 to 100 percent of their body weight in food each day. It takes a lot of insects to satisfy this appetite, hence the large surface area they will cover in the lawn.

Moles are thought to be loners with only three to five usually found per acre. However, in the Southeast, a longer growing season means more insect generations. More insects mean a greater chance for an acre to support more than three to five of the critters.

The den area for moles is often found under a tree or sidewalk. These areas are usually drier, which provide excellent environments for young to be born. Three to five young are born in March and April each year.

There are quite a few "home remedies" for mole control-everything from chewing gum to human hair. Trapping is really the only somewhat effective method, but even it is time consuming. Moles may use several tunnels in their hunt for a meal; therefore, it takes patience before a mole revisits a tunnel where a trap is set. Some fumigants are registered for mole control, but they can possible kill the roots of nearby trees and grass.

These archived gardening columns were written by Chance McDavid, former Harrison County Extension Agent.