Do Armadillos Dig Holes in Your Yard? Ways to Keep the Hard-Shelled Pests Away

“Do armadillos dig holes in your yard?” They definitely can, so if you’ve seen large holes in your yard and know of an armadillo presence on your property, you can probably deduce that they’re the culprit. 

In this guide from our experts in integrative pest management, we’ll discuss armadillos in Alabama, their burrowing habits, and how to prevent them from leaving holes all over your yard. 

Armadillos in Alabama

Only one species of armadillo roams the land here in the Yellowhammer state: the nine-banded armadillo. 

The Nine-Banded Armadillo: Quick Facts

• Scientific name: Dasypus novemcinctus
• Interaction With Humans: Like all armadillos, the nine-banded armadillo is a mammal that tends to be skittish around humans and larger animals (i.e., dogs and cats).
• Leprosy: The nine-banded armadillo can carry leprosy and spread it to humans. Do not ever try to touch a wild armadillo, dead or alive. You don’t have to worry about contracting leprosy from areas where an armadillo has been, though, because the bacteria that causes the disease cannot survive without a host. 
• Burrowing Habits: Although some species of armadillo do not burrow underground, the nine-banded armadillo is known for its underground digging habits and complex burrows.
• Territorial Habits: Outside of the mating season, Armadillos are usually solitary travelers and establish their territory similarly to other mammals by leaving behind scent gland secretions, urine, and feces. They sometimes share burrows, though, and the pheromones and other territory markers they leave in their burrows draw other curious armadillos to them. 
• Waking and Sleeping Habits: All armadillos are nocturnal.
• Diet: The nine-banded armadillo’s diet mainly consists of small invertebrates (e.g., insects, arachnids, and small crustaceans), reptiles, amphibians, bird eggs, small abandoned mammal pups, berries, mushrooms, and rhizomes (e.g., potatoes).
• Unique Talent: This may surprise you, but swimming is one of the nine-banded armadillo’s non-burrowing talents. According to the National Wildlife Federation, nine-banded armadillos can hold their breath underwater for up to six minutes.

Why Do Armadillos Dig Holes in Your Yard?

Now that you know the most essential facts about nine-banded armadillos in Alabama, let’s discuss this question: Why do armadillos dig holes in your yard?

Armadillos dig holes in the ground for two reasons:

1. To hunt for food (a detailed list of their expansive diet is in the quick facts section above). Armadillos do not store food in their underground burrows. They forage for food each night.
2. To create a shelter that protects them from predators and the elements and serves as a nursery for their young.

Make Armadillos Stop Digging Holes in Your Yard

Let’s examine our best prevention methods for armadillos digging holes in your yard and stealing food from your garden. 

Method 1: Trapping

Using insects like grubworms as bait, trapping armadillos on your property, and releasing them into the forest far from your home can be effective in the short term. However, once an armadillo makes burrows in your yard and leaves their scent, the burrow will draw other armadillos to it. 

Wild, solitary animals don’t usually “learn their lesson” about staying off your property if they witness another of their kind being trapped or killed since they aren’t critical thinkers and don’t create emotional bonds. Let’s move on to more effective methods.

Method 2: Keep Lights on Outside at Night

Since armadillos are nocturnal, keeping lights on outside can trick them into thinking it is nighttime and retreating to where they are sleeping. However, this is only a temporary solution for preventing armadillos from being active on your property at night. They’ll come out at some point (as in a day or so) to forage anyway, even if it has to be when they think it’s daytime. 

Method 3: Deprive Them of Food

Since armadillos mostly dig in search of insects to eat, call our pest experts for help with this method of armadillo prevention. We will implement our effective pest control solutions for insects like subterranean termites, one of the armadillo’s favorite foods.  

Armadillos don’t eat plant matter as often as they consume insects. Still, if you have an efficacious insecticide keeping little critters away, armadillos on your property will go for your garden. Consider only keeping a garden inside a contained bed, harvesting as soon as your crops are ready, and installing in-ground fencing.

Integrative Solutions From Seasoned Pest Experts

For 40+ years, our team of integrative pest solutions professionals from Vulcan Termite & Pest Control has proudly aided hundreds of families in Birmingham and nearby communities by eradicating invasive pests on their property. 

Call us today at 205-663-4200 or contact us online to request our services. We’ll gladly perform a FREE evaluation and create and implement an effective strategy using our tried-and-true methods, so you and your family can return to your daily activities safely and comfortably in a pest-free home.

Thanks for reading this edition of our weekly pest blogs! Are you curious to keep learning about common critters found in Alabama or how to safely and humanely deal with them when they show up on your property uninvited? Check out more of our blogs for helpful tips, tricks, and educational content!