How to Get Rid of Armadillos in the Lawn (2026)

Dozens of cone-shaped holes across the lawn overnight mean one animal in the South: the nine-banded armadillo, out hunting grubs and earthworms after dark. The fix is mechanical, not chemical. Confirm the sign, make the yard less inviting with less water and less cover, shield small beds with buried fencing, and catch the digger in a large cage trap funneled with boards along its path. No repellent, poison or gadget is registered for armadillos, so skip that aisle entirely.

Is it armadillos digging up the lawn?

Start with the animal. The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is the only armadillo species found in the United States, named for the movable bands across its midsection and for the Spanish words meaning little armored one (Clemson Extension). Adults run 24 to 32 inches long including the tail and weigh 8 to 17 pounds, about the size of a large house cat (UGA Extension). Eyesight is poor and the sense of smell is sharp, which is why the animal roots soil with its long nose instead of hunting by sight. Females bear four identical pups each spring, so one visitor can become a family by next year.

The feeding sign is unmistakable once you know it. Clemson describes several cone-shaped holes 1 to 3 inches deep and 3 to 5 inches wide, and Georgia agents add that each hole tapers to a point like an ice cream cone. One animal can dig dozens of them in a single night, with the worst damage landing on moist, well-kept turf where prey sits near the surface. Look for torn flower beds, scattered mulch rooted like a pig pen, and broken-open insect mounds as backup clues.

Burrows tell the second half of the story. They measure 7 to 8 inches across and run up to 15 feet long, tucked under brush piles, stumps, dense shrubs, patios or foundations, with several dens per home range (Texas A&M AgriLife). A burrow under a driveway or slab is more than cosmetic and deserves faster action. Armadillos work mainly from twilight through the early morning in summer, switch toward daytime in cold weather, and peak between 2 and 5 a.m. during hot months, so fresh morning damage with no daytime suspect fits perfectly.

Rule out the look-alikes before you buy anything. Skunk and squirrel pits run smaller and shallower, under 4 inches wide and 3 inches deep (Oklahoma State Extension), so compare them against a tape measure before blaming the skunk. Raised turf ridges mean moles, crescent mounds with a side plug mean gophers, and surface runways without holes mean voles. Cone holes plus a big round burrow near cover means armadillo, and the plan below follows from that diagnosis.

Full-body view shows the banded shell, ringed tail and digging claws that mark the nine-banded armadillo.

Will grub killer stop armadillo digging?

Only at the edges, and it can backfire first. More than 90 percent of the armadillo diet is insect matter, with earthworms, spiders, scorpions and grubs all on the menu (Texas A&M AgriLife). White grubs are a favorite in fall and spring while they sit near the surface, which is exactly when Georgia offices field the most plowed-lawn complaints. But earthworms carry the diet year-round, so a grub-free lawn still serves dinner.

Here is the trap most homeowners walk into. Texas A&M notes that an insecticide can push armadillos elsewhere by shrinking the food supply, yet warns the animals often dig harder first while hunting dwindling prey, so damage climbs before it falls. Oklahoma State gives the same warning and adds that soil insecticides kill many beneficial insects, which is why its agents recommend targeting the armadillo rather than the insect community unless a true insect pest is also damaging the turf. Georgia’s Bartow County office goes further: removing one slice of the diet rarely stops foraging, and the digging can spread as the animal searches wider.

Water is the quieter lever, and it is free. Damage runs worst in irrigated summer lawns, because watering softens soil and pulls invertebrates toward the surface. Cutting back to deep, infrequent watering hardens the ground and thins the menu at once. Treat grubs only when the lawn itself shows grub injury, such as spongy turf that peels back to reveal C-shaped larvae, and talk to your county extension office about products before broadcasting insecticide across a yard the armadillo will keep visiting anyway.

Method	What it does	Verdict
Grub and insect control	Shrinks one food source	Slow help at best, digging can spike first, harms beneficial insects
Buried exclusion fence	Blocks beds and gardens	Works on small areas when built to spec, impractical for whole lawns
Cage trap with board wings	Removes the digging animal	Most reliable method named by every extension office cited here
Repellents, sound stakes, mothballs	Supposed to scare or sicken	No product registered, no proven effect, skip them
Poison baits and fumigants	Supposed to kill underground	None registered for armadillos, do not use them

How do you trap and fence out an armadillo?

Trap the traveler and fence the bed. Those two moves carry the whole plan, since nothing you spray, scatter or plug into the ground has proven power against this animal.

Funnel the traveler, do not bait the hunter

A funnel set is a trap placed so walls, fences or boards steer the animal in, and it beats bait because armadillos patrol by nose along barriers. When one hits a solid edge it follows the edge, so two boards in a V in front of a trap mouth turn a wandering digger into a caught one. Georgia agents call the armadillo dim for exactly this habit, then use it against the animal.

Buy enough trap. Texas A&M calls for cage traps at least 10 by 12 by 36 inches, while Oklahoma State favors roughly 12 by 12 by 32 inches and warns that smaller skunk-size traps are too tight. Two-door models double the odds, since the animal can enter from either direction along its path. Set the trap at a burrow mouth, in a visible travel lane, or tight against a fence or building wall. Add wings of 1-by-6 lumber about 6 feet long in a V, or run poultry wire from the trap to the nearest wall so no gap lets the animal slip past. No bait is needed with wings in place. If you insist on bait, extension offices list overripe fruit, spoiled meat or earthworms in a nylon stocking, but treat it as garnish, not the engine. Line the wire floor with fresh soil so the feet feel ground, and check the set each morning.

The law comes before the steel, because a trapped armadillo is your legal responsibility. Rules change at every border: South Carolina forbids relocating trapped wildlife outright, Texas asks trappers to notify parks officials before moving one, and Georgia agents remind owners that releasing animals on land they do not own is illegal (Clemson Extension, Texas A&M AgriLife, UGA Extension). Read your city, county and state rules before the first night, and line up either humane dispatch or a licensed nuisance remover in advance. Relocation also spreads disease and drops your problem on new habitat, which is why offices discourage it even where it is allowed.

Handle every step with gloves. Armadillos startle straight up, leaping 3 to 4 feet when frightened, so keep your distance and never corner one by hand. Gloves also guard against soil contact, covered in the last section. Where shooting is legal in rural ground, some states allow it at twilight with a shotgun or .22, but most suburbs ban discharge outright, so confirm ordinances first and lean on the trap in town.

Fencing earns its keep around beds, not lawns. Clemson specs a fence at least 3 feet high and buried 12 to 18 inches deep, deeper in sand, and warns the animal can jump that height when provoked. Georgia’s Newton County office sets the minimum at 2 feet high and 18 inches deep. Texas A&M describes a fence slanted outward at 40 degrees with at least 18 inches buried. Oklahoma State keeps it simpler for small beds: just over 12 inches tall and fitted tight to the ground so nothing roots under. Pick the strictest numbers your soil allows, since sand needs depth. Ring the vegetable patch and the prize flower bed, and accept that fencing acres of turf costs more than years of trapping.

Repellents deserve one short paragraph: a burial. All three extension sources agree no repellent, toxicant or fumigant is registered for armadillos. Castor-oil granules show up on shelves with armadillos on some labels, yet no trial behind them convinces the universities. Mothballs, bleach, glass, noise stakes and scare lights fail the same way. Money spent there is money missing from the trap fund.

Fresh digging beside cover marks an active burrow zone, the best place to set a funnel trap.

How do you keep armadillos from coming back?

Take away shelter first. Burrows sit where cover stands, so clear brush piles, rock heaps, fallen limbs and tall grass near the lawn, and trim the dense shrubs armadillos den beneath. Each cleared pile makes the yard feel exposed, and exposed ground is ground they avoid. Keep this habit yearly, because one quiet corner of brush can anchor a new burrow within weeks.

Then repair smart and set expectations. Bermudagrass and other spreading warm-season turf usually fill small pits on its own once holes are raked level. Fescue and cool-season lawns need seed in fall, and their heavy summer watering keeps them attractive, so weigh that cost before replanting the same grass in armadillo country. Some seasons the honest math is tolerance: Oklahoma State notes control costs in time and money often exceed cosmetic damage, and a few smoothed holes beat a second trap campaign in a rough back corner.

A calm word on health closes the safety file. Armadillos can carry the organism linked to leprosy, but Georgia’s extension service reports very few known human cases from wild animals, and Oklahoma State puts the probability of infection as low while still advising gloves. That is the whole precaution list: gloves for traps, soil and burrow dirt, handwashing after yard work, and kids and pets kept back from burrows and traps. No panic, just hygiene.

Call a pro when burrows run under foundations, driveways or retaining walls, when trapping fails across two weeks of correct sets, when local rules confuse you, or when dispatch is more than you signed up for. A licensed nuisance operator carries the permits, the traps and the hard decisions in one visit. Meet the species in the armadillo hub, compare diggers across the lawn and garden group and the full pest list, or open the pro finder when the territory outgrows the trap line.

Dense shady cover near the lawn invites burrows. Clearing it takes away daytime shelter.

How to: How to Get Rid of Armadillos in the Lawn (2026)

Confirm the digger, dull the yard, fence the beds, then funnel-trap along its path.

You'll need

• cage live trap at least 10x12x36 inches
• 1x6 boards about 6 feet long
• poultry wire or welded-wire fence
• work gloves
• rake and topsoil for repairs

Tools

• flashlight
• tape measure

1. Confirm armadillos, not look-alikes

   Look for cone-shaped holes 3 to 5 inches wide plus burrows 7 to 8 inches across near cover. Smaller shallow pits mean skunks or squirrels, raised ridges mean moles.

2. Make the yard less inviting

   Water less often, fix soggy spots, and clear brush, rock piles and tall grass that shelter daytime burrows.

3. Fence the beds worth saving

   Ring small beds with wire at least 2 feet high and 18 inches buried, fitted tight to the ground. Whole-lawn fencing costs more than it saves.

4. Set a funnel trap on the travel path

   Place the trap at a burrow mouth or along a fence or wall, add board wings in a V to steer the animal in, line the floor with soil, and check it each morning wearing gloves.

5. Finish legally and repair the lawn

   Follow your state and local rules on dispatch or pickup, never release on land that is not yours, then rake holes level so turf can fill back in.

Frequently asked questions

Will grub killer get rid of armadillos?

Not by itself. Grubs are only one item on a menu led by earthworms and soil insects, and extension offices warn digging can spike first as the animal hunts harder across poorer soil. Treat grubs only when the lawn shows its own grub damage, and pair it with trapping and exclusion.

Do armadillo repellents, sound stakes or mothballs work?

No. No repellent, toxicant or fumigant is registered for armadillos, and universities report no reliable effect from frightening devices or home chemicals. One castor-oil granule lists armadillos on its label, but evidence is weak. Spend the money on a trap and fence wire instead.

What size live trap catches an armadillo, and do I need bait?

Use a cage trap at least 10 by 12 by 36 inches, with doors on both ends if possible. Skip the bait and set the trap along a fence, wall or burrow mouth with board wings funneling the animal in. Traps half this size, made for skunks, let armadillos back out.

Can I release a trapped armadillo in the woods?

Usually no. Rules differ by state, and several forbid it: South Carolina bars relocation, Texas requires notifying parks officials, and Georgia makes dumping on someone else's land illegal. Check city, county and state rules before you set a trap, and line up humane dispatch or a licensed remover first.

Can armadillos give people leprosy?

The risk is very low. Armadillos can carry the leprosy bacterium, yet extension offices note very few known human cases from wild animals. Wear gloves when handling traps, soil or burrow dirt, keep children and pets back, and wash up after yard work.

Useful links (4)

1. Clemson Extension HGIC 2912: Armadillos (2024)— hgic.clemson.edu
2. Texas A&M AgriLife: Managing Armadillo Damage— mytexas.ag.tamu.edu
3. UGA Extension Newton County: Best Practices Armadillo Control (2024)— site.extension.uga.edu
4. Oklahoma State Extension: Managing Nuisance Armadillo Damage— extension.okstate.edu

Photo credits

Thank you to National Park Service, no rights reserved and Enrique González for sharing these beautiful photographs and helping bring this guide to life.

Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · CC BY 4.0