Noticed mysterious craters in your lawn or flower beds? You might have a sneaky nighttime visitor—armadillos. These armored diggers love to tear up yards in search of grubs and insects. But don’t worry—Jerry Baker’s armadillo control tips offer safe, effective, and garden-friendly ways to stop the digging and reclaim your landscape.
Why Armadillos Are Digging Up Your Yard
Armadillos aren’t trying to destroy your garden on purpose—they’re after food. Their favorites include grubs, worms, and soil-dwelling insects. The digging damage they leave behind creates real problems like uprooted flowers, damaged root systems, and holes in lawns around patios.
The solution is to make your garden uninviting and cut off their food supply with these armadillo control tips.
Use Smells They Hate – Great Armadillo Control Tips!
Armadillos have sensitive noses and can’t stand pungent odors like ammonia and vinegar.
Armadillo Repellent Rags
Mix 1 part white vinegar with 1 part household ammonia. Soak cotton balls or rags in the solution and place them near burrows, flower beds, and digging spots. Replace every 2–3 days or after rain.
Since armadillos are nocturnal, place repellents in the evening for best results.
Lawn Grub Treatment – Cut Off Their Food Source
If you’ve got grubs in your lawn, armadillos will keep coming back. Use organic methods to treat your turf naturally.
Beneficial Nematodes for Grub Control
Beneficial nematodes provide a quick solution to grub infestations, actively seeking out and infecting grubs within 48 hours of application. These microscopic beneficial organisms will reduce the number of grubs in your lawn by 50-75%, which should be enough to keep them from causing damage.
Apply beneficial nematodes like Heterorhabditis bacteriophora or Steinernema glaseri to your lawn using a sprayer or watering can. A typical dose is 5 million nematodes covering up to 2,000 square feet, costing anywhere from $15 to $50 depending on the species and brand. Apply when soil temperature is between 60-85°F for best results.
Milky Spore Organic Lawn Grub Treatment
Milky Spore uses the naturally occurring bacterium Paenibacillus popilliae, which primarily targets Japanese beetle grubs before they become destructive adults. Once infected, the grubs die and decay, releasing billions of new spores into the soil.
To reach maximum spore levels and achieve best grub control, apply Milky Spore granular before grubs hatch in spring, summer and fall for 2 consecutive years. This treatment is guaranteed to last 10 years after final application.
Chemical Treatment as Last Resort
If organic methods don’t provide sufficient control after one full season, consider applying a grub control insecticide containing imidacloprid or clothianidin in late spring or early summer when grubs are actively feeding. Always follow label directions and apply only when necessary to protect beneficial insects.
Try Physical Barriers for Burrow Zones
If armadillos are burrowing under sheds, decks, or garden beds, install hardware cloth or garden fencing buried at least 12–18 inches deep. Make sure the barrier curves outward at the bottom to prevent tunneling underneath, and secure it tightly against the structure to avoid gaps.
These barriers also help keep out raccoons, skunks, and groundhogs.
What NOT to Do
Avoid harmful or ineffective tactics including poisoning or trapping without a license (illegal in many areas) and overwatering your lawn which draws more grubs.
Stick to safe, scent-based deterrents and food source removal for long-term success.
Conclusion
Armadillos may look like little garden tanks, but with the right approach, you can outsmart them. Focus on strong scents, organic grub control, and light barriers to stop the digging in its tracks. Follow Jerry Baker’s armadillo control tips to help keep your yard safe, tidy, and armadillo-free.
Don’t forget, you can always contacting the Cooperative Extension Service in your state! Your local office has the expertise specific to your area.
Check out this post from the vault: Deputize a Pest-Control Posse.
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