Armadillos can be very cute and funny when you look at them from a distance. But once you see the havoc they have wreaked on your lawn, it’s a different story, right?
Setting out to deter these unwelcome diggers from my property, I’ve filtered through tons of information on how to repel armadillos. And as a result, I’m ready to share with you how to use vinegar to get rid of armadillos.
Also, I’ll share some other alternative ways to drive armadillos away. Don’t worry, these are the most humane options without harming the animals.
Understanding Armadillo Behavior
To start somewhere, let’s understand why armadillos are doing all that digging. The point is that they are primarily insect-eaters and are attracted to areas with loose, well-drained soil, where armadillos find it so convenient to search for their food.
Oh yes, your garden fits that description perfectly. Unfortunately, well-maintained and landscaped backyards and lawns are ideal hunting grounds for armadillos. They have a keen sense of smell that helps them locate insects, grubs, and worms in the soil.
Armadillos dig burrows, which can damage flower beds and other landscaping features. They have been recorded breaking pipes and disrupting electricity in their digs. Of course, homeowners watching all this were faintly consoled by the fact that there were fewer insects in the soil now.
What to do if an armadillo has taken over your garden
Native to South America, armadillos have adapted well to the humid and warm weather in the US. In more northern areas, the mission of fighting grubs, worms and insects has fallen to moles.
But you have to admit, there is a difference between burrowing after an animal weighing a few ounces and digging up an armadillo weighing a hundred lbs. So now, we have no choice but to find legal methods to keep them off our property.
Essentially, all armadillo control methods boil down to making your garden either inaccessible to them or uninteresting. If you’ve encountered an armadillo in your yard once, get to the bottom of it and make your property unattractive to your next guests.
Vinegar to Discourage Armadillos
The smell of vinegar is unpleasant to them in itself, and moreover, it prevents armadillos from finding their food, because it blocks the scent of insects that armadillos feed on – earthworms, caterpillars, grubs, etc.
Vinegar is very widely used in household tasks such as killing mold in attic, repelling raccoons, squirrels, rats, gophers, and chipmunks, as well as dishwashing and mopping. Vinegar can also be used to clean and scrub a lot of things, here is for example how to get sweat smell out of workout clothes.
And here’s another plus one use – how to use vinegar to get rid of armadillos. Now let’s see what you need to have ready on hand and how this method works.
Preparing vinegar spray bottle
Here’s a 5 step guide on how to prepare a deterrent vinegar solution. Also have old rags or cotton balls on hand.
- Mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle.
- Add a few drops of cayenne pepper or castor oil to enhance the repellent properties.
- Shake the bottle well to combine the ingredients.
- Use rubber gloves when handling the vinegar solution to avoid skin irritation.
- Store the leftovers in a cool, dry place to maintain its effectiveness.
Using white vinegar to repel armadillos
The most logical rule of thumb when treating gardens is to apply vinegar spraying after watering or rain. If otherwise, heavy rainfall or water will simply wash the vinegar into the soil and dilute its odor too much.
Then, spray the vinegar solution around the perimeter of your yard, including areas where armadillos have been spotted. Be sure to treat potential armadillo hiding places such as under bushes, sheds, benches, and porches.
Apply the spray to cotton balls or rags (or even soak them in vinegar) and place them in areas where armadillos dig their holes. To prevent rags or cotton balls from blowing away, press them down with a rock.
Also, find where animals can get into your yard. Be sure to leave there soaked rags or even a loosely sealed bottle of vinegar there. Protect your especially valuable flower beds in the same way.
To keep the vinegar smell and maintain effectiveness, repeat spraying every few days and after every heavy rainfall. It takes time for animals to learn to avoid your lawn.
Last, use the spray to deter armadillos from pet food and other potential food sources. Consider using moth balls or other repellents in addition to vinegar to discourage armadillos and other wildlife.
6 Benefits of repelling armadillos with vinegar
If you’re still indecisive, here’s a list of benefits you can get by using vinegar:
| #1 Versatility | Vinegar is an affordable remedy with a thousand household uses |
| #2 Eco-friendly | It is a non-toxic alternative to traditional pest control methods. Safe for the environment, including soil, plants and pets |
| #3 Workability | Using vinegar to deter armadillos can help protect your yard and garden from damage |
| #4 Affordability | Vinegar in large packaging is always in stock |
| #5 Cost-efficiency | It’s a completely DIY project, you don’t need to hire someone to handle your yard |
| #6 Extra features | In addition to vinegar, use other repellents, such as castor oil, cayenne pepper, or ammonia |
Alternative Methods to Deter Armadillos
Besides vinegar, there are other ways to rid your lawns of armadillo holes. First, to deter all unwanted visitors, you can try motion-activated devices such as flashlights or water sprinklers. Just imagine an armadillo coming to save your plants from pests, but getting a light shower instead. However, you should be ready for such a trap to have a lot of false alarms.
The second option to scare away all pests at once is to get a dog and let him loose in your gardens at night. A dog barking is not what you want to hear at midnight, and neither is an armadillo. You can be sure that the armadillo prefers a quieter place for its dinner.
And third, you can drastically reduce the number of insects in your lawns. In spite of insecticide treatments, there are nematode worms that feed on the same species as armadillos. Pretty soon your site will become uninteresting to all other insectivores.
Among the remaining methods are to make your flower beds unreachable to the invader or take the captured armadillo as far away as you can. So, here’s how to set a trap on an armadillo.
Armadillo trapping
To catch an armadillo without harm, purchase or rent a cage around 12“ x 10” x 30” in size. These cages are called catch-and-release traps or live traps. Place your trap near a fresh burrow or in the nook of the yard where the armadillo is most likely to hide.
Speaking of which, if you do decide an armadillo trapping, don’t use a repellents with vinegar or castor oil. The unpleasant smell will provoke the armadillo to explore areas of your garden where it has not been noticed before. In short, the trapping method is contrary to deterrence.
It is essential to try a trap without bait. Armadillos are not usually prone to picking up food from the surface of the ground; they trust more in what they dig up themselves. Conversely, the bait of food sources may attract possums, dogs, or other animals.
Once the armadillo is in the trap, take the cage at least 5 miles away from your home and release the animal somewhere in the backcountry. Once home, make sure that no armadillos can get into your yard ever again.
Fence construction
Installing a fence or remodeling it is a very time-consuming and costly method, but sometimes it is the only way to safe your gardens. The essential nuance is that the fence must start at least 1 foot below the ground to prevent armadillos from digging burrows.
If your existing fence isn’t that deep, try finding armadillo entry points and reinforcing them with an anti-root barrier. Choose rigid and strong barrier panels that can be pressed into the ground to the desired depth.
It’s also not unreasonable to soak rags in vinegar or ammonia and place them on the outside of the fence, close to ground level. The foul scent will make the armadillo change its mind about digging a burrow under your fence.
Safety precautions
- Wear protective gloves when handling the vinegar spray to avoid skin irritation.
- Avoid spraying the vinegar solution near other wildlife, such as pets or beneficial insects.
- Keep the spray out of reach of children and pets to avoid accidents.
- Consider consulting a pest control professional for a free estimate if the problem persists.
FAQ
How to get rid of armadillos with vinegar?
Place rags soaked in white vinegar in areas where armadillos enter your yard, near their burrows and hiding places. The unpleasant smell will scare them away, but will not harm them.
What smells do armadillos hate?
Armadillos have a sensitive sense of smell and it plays tricks on them. All extraneous strong odors prevent them from detecting insects in the soil, and the most essential is the smell of vinegar. Also on the top list of what armadillos hate are ammonia, castor oil, cayenne pepper, garlic, and other spices.
How do you get rid of armadillos permanently?
The only way to get off armadillos for good is to install in-ground fencing. Install a fence at least a foot into the ground to protect your plants from armadillo digging ever after. All other methods of deterring or trapping an armadillo require your participation over and over again.
What is the best home made armadillo repellent?
The most effective way to repel armadillos is to use a homemade deterrent solution. It can be prepared by mixing vinegar and water, and to increase the effect you can add castor oil or cayenne pepper. Such a solution will not harm either plants or wildlife.
Closing Thoughts
Using vinegar to get rid of armadillos is a safe, eco-friendly, and effective method. By understanding armadillo behavior and using the vinegar spray, you can create an environment that discourages armadillos from visiting your yard.
The method of repelling armadillos is perfectly combined with deepening the fence, also it is not superfluous to treat the fence from the outside with vinegar. We hope you get your pest-free yard as soon as possible!
