Armadillo Removal in Holly Springs, GA

Armadillos digging up your Holly Springs yard

Builders in Holly Springs reshape rolling land before they build, cutting the hills and filling the low spots, then laying sod over the new grade and watering it heavily so it takes. To an armadillo, that's ideal ground. The filled soil is loose, and the constantly wet new lawn keeps grubs, worms and beetle larvae near the surface. The damage shows up as rows of cone-shaped holes, strips of sod rolled back, and new shrubs dug out at the roots. It can look like hogs went through the yard.

Most homeowners try the store remedies first, and none of them work. Armadillos are armored, nearly blind and dig on instinct, so granules, sprays, mothballs and buzzing stakes don't change what they do. They also can't be lured with bait. What stops the digging is removing that animal with a trap set on its own route, then blocking the spots where it burrows. Armadillos are becoming more common in Georgia every year.

Lawn damage now, structural damage later

There are two kinds of armadillo damage. The first is the nightly digging for food: holes, rolled sod and torn-up beds. It looks bad but it's shallow and fixable. The second is the burrow. In loose fill, an armadillo can tunnel beside a patio slab, under an AC pad, or along a new foundation, and over time a hollow forms under something that needs solid ground. That's the main reason not to let an armadillo settle in on a new lot.

Why a new Holly Springs lot is so attractive

Construction creates almost everything an armadillo wants. Fill dirt is loose and easy to dig, and a new lawn that's watered daily keeps food near the surface. Brush piles and uncleared woods at the back of the lot give it a place to hide during the day. Dry spells make it worse, because a watered new yard is the softest ground in the area.

Store remedies don't work, and grub killer makes it worse

Mothballs, castor-oil pellets, predator-urine granules and solar stakes haven't been shown to keep armadillos away, and mothballs shouldn't be spread around a yard anyway. A common follow-up mistake is treating the lawn for grubs. With less food available, the armadillo just digs harder and over more ground to find what's left. Every week spent trying these products is another week of damage.

Where the trap goes matters most

Since nothing works as bait, the pro uses traps the armadillo walks into on its normal route. A pre-set wooden box trap is the most effective option. The pro finds the burrow entrances and the path the animal takes each night from the woods into the yard, often along a fence line, a silt fence that was left up, or the edge of a bed. Traps are set right on that path, with boards angled to guide the animal in. Placed correctly, it catches the armadillo doing the damage. Georgia doesn't restrict armadillo trapping.

Block the burrows so a new one can't move in

Removing one armadillo leaves the habitat for the next one, so a complete job also blocks access. The pro buries an L-shaped wire barrier along the base of decks, sheds, patios and AC pads so a new armadillo can't reopen the old tunnel in the loose fill. They'll also suggest pulling brush piles back from the yard. They won't recommend a grub treatment.

When the tunnel runs under something

Call quickly if you find a burrow under a slab, a deck footing or the AC pad. The pro traps the armadillo first, confirms the burrow is empty, then closes the entrance with buried barrier. They don't seal it before it's confirmed empty. Skipping that check is the most common reason the digging comes back after a DIY attempt.