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Orlando Armadillo Control
Armadillos are a common wildlife pest species in Orlando, Florida. The biggest problem that they cause is that they dig up people's yards:
- Large burrow under the house
- Torn up & destroyed landscaping
- Little holes all over the yard
- Tunnel caused crack in foundation
- Tunnel destroyed pipes under home
For the above reasons, it's often a good idea to have nuisance armadillos trapped and removed from the property. This is the only effective control means.
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| ARMADILLO BEHAVIOR: Armadillos are primarily nocturnal, although in cooler weather, they will emerge during daylight hours. They spend most of their time underground,
sleeping in their burrows. These burrows are usually 8 or so inches in diameter, and usually dug under cover or around structure. This is why it's so common to find armadillo burrows next to homes or under AC units
or oil tanks. Armadillos often have several burrows, and will visit most of the burrows in their range periodically, digging them ever deeper. When armadillos emerge from the burrows, they spend most of their time
rooting around and sniffing for earthworms and grubs to dig up and eat. They usually won't eat food on the surface of the ground, and this is why there's no good bait to use to trap armadillos.
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MY ARMADILLO PHOTOS - Click any below image for larger photo and more info.
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| BIOLOGY: Armadillos are biologically unique in several ways. This primitive animal is on an older branch of the evolutionary tree, and has many retro characteristics.
The most notable is the shell, a bony covering that offers the animal protection. The nine-banded armadillo has nine segmented bands around its midsection that allow it flexibility of movement, despite the shell. Armadillos
can actually run fairly quickly. The shell is tough, but somewhat flexible. It's also covered with hairs. Armadillos seem to grow to adult size in about a year's time, and then they remain at a stable size and weight,
unlike many other mammals that continually grow or can vary in size amongst members. Most adult armadillos are about 14 pounds. They don't bite - they have teeny mouths with small peglike teeth. They use their long tongue,
like an anteater, to lick up food. The interesting biological facts are that 1)Armadillos are known to carry leprosy and 2)They always give birth to four identical quadruplets, as the embryo splits into four after
fertilization. I don't know the life span of an armadillo, but I think they can live to a ripe old age, at least 15 years. I also think that the birth rates are low, because I only occasionally encounter juveniles.
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| NUISANCE CONCERNS IN ORLANDO: Armadillos are excellent diggers, and Florida's soft, sandy soil makes it easy for them to tear up the earth. They dig two types of
holes that my customers seem to object to. The first type is the small hole in the lawn, when they are rooting around for worms and grubs. They can often rip up an entire lawn with this type of digging. The second type
of hole is the large burrow. They dig several burrows within their range, both to live in and to use as escape routes should they face danger. Whenever I set traps at a burrow, I catch the animal within a day or two,
proving that they visit all of their burrows on a regular basis. The problem with these burrows is that they can destroy pipes and wires under ground, and that they move so much dirt that they undermine the foundation of
the thing they're digging under - I've seen decks collapse, concrete walkways crack, and even concrete slab pool decks and concrete home foundations crack due to lack of dirt support.
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| HOW DO I SOLVE THE PROBLEM? There's no magic repellent or device that will solve an armadillo problem. I've seen people try many tactics - they usually try to
pour something down the burrow, such as mothballs, bleach, ammonia, etc. This really isn't legal or environmentally sound, but that's beside the point. The point is that these tactics don't work. The armadillos don't
care. Once they have a burrow, they use it forever. In fact, many homeowners simply fill in the hole - and it just gets dug out again. Or they block the hole - and the armadillo simply digs around the barrier, no matter
how big, and the problem is often worse. The only way to stop armadillo presence on the property is to physically trap and remove them from the area. This is what we do. Give us a call at 407-278-2705 any time to schedule
an appointment.
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