Probably fewer armadillos than you think. A single nine-banded armadillo keeps an average of about ten burrows across its range, and most of the small holes in a lawn aren’t burrows at all. They’re feeding holes, dug overnight while the armadillo rooted for grubs and earthworms. One busy armadillo can make a Lakewood Ranch yard look like it was hit by a backhoe.
Here’s how to read the holes, why armadillos picked your lawn, and what actually helps.
Feeding holes vs. burrows
The two look different, and telling them apart tells you a lot:
- Feeding holes are small and shallow. UF/IFAS describes them as 1 to 3 inches deep and 3 to 5 inches wide, often scattered across the lawn and flower beds. They show up overnight, because armadillos rest in a burrow during the day and feed in the late evening, at night, and in the early morning.
- Burrows are where the armadillo lives. The entrance is much bigger, and the tunnel can run up to 7 feet deep and 20 feet long. Look for them under shrubs, sheds, A/C pads, and the edges of slabs and patios.
A lawn covered in small, shallow holes with one or two burrow entrances nearby is usually one armadillo feeding.
How many armadillos are you dealing with?
It’s hard to tell from holes alone, but a few facts help:
- One animal, many burrows. Each armadillo maintains about ten burrows within its home range, so several burrow entrances don’t mean several animals.
- Your yard is only part of its range. UF/IFAS puts summer home ranges at 15 to 20 acres and winter ranges at 2 to 8 acres. The same armadillo is probably visiting your neighbors too.
- Spring can add a family. Armadillos breed once a year in summer but don’t give birth until the following spring, usually to four identical young. Extra digging in spring and summer can mean a mother with young in the area.
Why armadillos are digging in your yard
They’re after food. Armadillos eat mostly insects and other invertebrates: grubs, beetles, earthworms, and ants. A moist, well-fed lawn is exactly where those live. As UF/IFAS puts it, a lush, well-watered landscape is perfect for earthworms and insect larvae, and armadillos love earthworms.
That’s a real problem in Southwest Florida, where overwatering is already the most common lawn mistake. Sandy soil is also easy to dig, and in new neighborhoods like much of Lakewood Ranch, fresh sod and irrigation create moist, grub-friendly turf.
What actually helps
- Water and fertilize less. UF/IFAS says reducing watering and fertilizing reduces armadillo damage, because it cuts down on the worms and grubs they’re hunting. Water only when the lawn shows signs of wilt, and follow your county’s watering schedule.
- Check for grubs. If the damaged turf peels back like carpet or you find C-shaped white grubs under it, the lawn has a grub problem worth treating on its own. Our white grub guide shows how to check. Treating grubs removes one food source, but armadillos also eat earthworms and other insects, so it won’t stop digging by itself.
- Pick up fallen fruit. Rotting fruit draws the insects armadillos eat.
- Fence the areas you care about most. For a garden or flower bed, UF/IFAS recommends a fence about 24 inches high with the bottom buried 18 inches deep and the top slanted outward. Armadillos dig and climb well, so a fence works best around smaller areas.
- Repair the damage. Press lifted turf back down, refill feeding holes with soil, and water it in.
- Don’t count on repellents. UF/IFAS notes that no chemical repellents are registered for armadillos in Florida.
One more: don’t handle armadillos. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission notes they can carry diseases, including leprosy.
If you want the armadillo removed
Waves Pest Control doesn’t trap or remove wildlife. If an armadillo needs to go, call a licensed nuisance wildlife trapper.
A trapper will know the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s nuisance-wildlife rules. Keep in mind that removing one armadillo leaves the food behind, so another may move in unless the lawn changes too.
Where Waves fits
What we can do is treat the lawn insects that make your yard worth digging up. Our lawn care in Lakewood Ranch includes insect control for grubs, mole crickets, and chinch bugs, along with advice on watering, which matters as much as any treatment here. If digging keeps you up at night, ask us to check the turf for grubs on the next visit.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If I see 12 holes in my yard, does that mean I have 12 armadillos?
No. Most of those are probably shallow feeding holes, and a single armadillo keeps about ten burrows within its range. Twelve holes is often one animal.
How can I tell if a burrow is active?
Look for fresh, loose soil at the entrance, clear paths leading in and out, and new tracks. An old, unused burrow usually has leaves, cobwebs, or plants growing across the opening.
Is there a time of year when I’m more likely to have multiple armadillos?
Spring and summer. Armadillos give birth in spring, usually to four identical young, so you may see a mother and her young foraging in the same area for a while.
How large is an armadillo’s territory?
UF/IFAS reports summer home ranges of 15 to 20 acres and winter ranges of 2 to 8 acres. In a neighborhood like Lakewood Ranch, one armadillo can cover many yards.
If one armadillo is removed, will another move in?
It can. If the lawn still has plenty of grubs and earthworms, another armadillo may take over the area. Cutting back on watering and fertilizing makes the yard less attractive to the next one.
