Question: My lawn is being ruined by armadillos. They’re probably going after grub worms, but I don’t see any grubs at all. They’re also plowing up my groundcovers and flowers. What will control them?

Answer: They are very difficult to eliminate, and they usually move in families, so your work won’t be finished when you catch the first armadillo. While they may be looking for grub worms, they really seem to have no method to their digging. The best way to eliminate them is with a humane trap. There are several on the market, or you can make one yourself. It will need to be large enough to hold a mature armadillo, and you’ll need some type of triggering mechanism that will drop doors at each end of the trap. Raw bacon makes a good bait, but be sure you don’t have dogs that will come in after it. It really helps to build some type of temporary “fence” to act as a funnel. Use chicken wire, for example, to make a low fence on either side of the armadillo’s run. It will hit the fence and be guided directly into the trap. If you release the armadillos elsewhere, take them 5 to 10 miles away and free them away from anyone else’s landscape, garden or farm area. You may also find raccoons and possums in your traps. They also dig, and they can be relocated in the same way.