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Armadillos, Trapping, Repelling, Prevention
The little armored ones are native to South America and named by the Spanish. The nine banded Armadillo came to the US about 150 years ago. They are famous for not being very bright, mainly because they don’t see well, and need their armor for protection. Different species have different numbers of plates but all the plates are made out of dermal bone with small overlapping scales and a horn covering. They have this armor on their shoulders, hips and heads. Their bellies are soft and vulnerable so when they are threatened by a predator they roll into a ball. Armadillos can move fast and stay underwater for up to six minutes. No wonder they have been around since the late Paleocene era.
Armadillos like to dig. They dig for food, mainly grubs and other invertebrates and they dig for shelter. This digging is what irritates humans. Actually, it is more of a nuisance than any monetary loss. They can dig up a field, a lawn or an ornamental garden. There needs to be a way to prevent this or repel them. Or at the worst they need to be trapped and removed to a place where they can dig all they want. There is an ‘up’ side to all this digging. They eat harmful insects including fire ants, which are almost impossible to get rid of.
The best way to repel the armadillo is to remove the brush that gives it cover. It will move on if it has no where to hide. Make sure the area around the places you do not want armadillos is cleared of high grass or brush. Fences may or may not work. Armadillos can did under most ordinary fences or even climb over them so the fence needs to be buried deep in the earth and be difficult to get over. A stiff overhang of about a foot or more will repel them. Also, if the fence is wobbly or soft the armadillo will not like to try climbing. There are websites that give suggestions for several types of fencing and other ideas that will make your home or garden unpleasant to armadillos.
Trapping armadillos is possible but there is no bait found that is very effective. You can use overripe fruit or rotten meat and hope for the best. The kind of trap that works is a live or box trap. There are several companies that make these or you can make your own. The traps should be set along pathways or fences where they are known to go. Leghold traps can also be used, but they need to be carefully targeted in front of armadillo burrows to reduce the possibility of other animals getting caught.
Is it possible to prevent armadillos from coming around your garden or farm? Absolutely! The little armored ones are looking for food. If you can remove the food source from your soil they will go elsewhere. They are a basically harmless, funny little animal and truly unique, but if they are targeting your garden for food, you need to trap, repel or prevent then from having any interest.
Redwood Chemical is located in Houston Texas, we sell pest control products like pesticides, insecticides, bug spray, flea, termite and cockroach control products however we also service all 50 states including New York NY, Los Angeles CA, Miami, FL. Chicago, IL. Denver CO., El Paso, Texas, Dallas TX DFW, San Antonio, TX, Austin, TX, Boise ID, Atlanta GA, Raleigh-Durham NC, WashingtonC, Albuquerque NM, Huntsville AL, Fayetteville AR, N Dorfolk VA , Madison WI.
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