Armadillos can be harmful to thriving gardens particularly when they get the smell of fresh fruits, vegetables, and insects. However, you can easily and effectively deter armadillos from your home, garden, and yards using common household items like vinegar. In this case, knowing how to use vinegar to get rid of armadillos can help you get obvious results quickly.
You can spray white vinegar solution directly on the yard, place the vinegar-soaked sachet around a flower bed, or hang a vinegar rag on the tree to deter armadillos from entering your property.
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How To Use Vinegar To Deter Armadillos Quickly From Your Home And Yards?
Armadillos are nocturnal and they depend on their extremely strong sense of smell to navigate their surroundings and get food. So you can use the strong and sharp scent of white vinegar to get rid of armadillos from your yards or garden. However, you have to choose white vinegar in place of apple cider vinegar. This is because apple cider vinegar doesn’t have the acidity to force armadillos to leave your yards.
Spray Vinegar Solution
Armadillos hate the strong and pungent scent of vinegar. So you can spray the vinegar solution on your yards to discourage armadillos from mooching off your garden. It’s the most versatile technique and effective to remove armadillos from hard-to-reach areas like decks or under the sheds.
First, determine the areas where you want to spray white vinegar solution. This way you’ll understand how much area you should cover and how much vinegar you require. Then collect an empty spray bottle and white vinegar. Pour an equal amount of water and white vinegar into your spray bottle and mix them thoroughly. Spray the solution on your yards, garden, or desired areas. If you want to get rid of armadillos in the garden, avoid contact with plants.
Use Vinegar Soaked Sachet
If you want to get rid of armadillos from the garden without affecting plants, you can make a sachet. To do so, soak cotton balls in white vinegar and put them in mesh or an aerated bag. Then weigh down the sachet with rocks from the yard and put it in a place where armadillos attack most. If you want to remove armadillos from the tree base, place the vinegar-soaked rags.
Use Vinegar Rags
Soak a rag or towel in white vinegar and sit on top of rocks or hang the towels near the garden to get rid of armadillos. You can also hang the rag on a tree trunk’s bottom or flowerbed if armadillos dig there most.
You’ll need to apply white vinegar solution once a week and increase the amount if the solution rinses away or the rags get thinner due to rainfall. This will make the solution most effective and force armadillos to leave your garden.
What Smells Keep Armadillos Away From Yards?
If you don’t have vinegar, and looking for alternative home remedies to remove armadillos from your home or yards, you can try these options:
Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is one of the most popular homemade repellents for armadillo as it is offensive for armadillo senses. So you can use cayenne pepper to get rid of armadillos from your garden’s green grasses and flower beds. To do so, prepare a mixture using one cup of water and 10 to 15 drops of hot sauce. Then place the mixture in your spray bottle and sprinkle in your yard to remove armadillos. You can make the solution more powerful by adding garlic, or onions into it.
Pine
Though the scent of pine is pleasant for humans, it’s irritating for armadillos. This is because the strong scent of pine covers the normal food scent that armadillos look for to eat. To remove armadillos from your yard, spread pine straw-like pine needle mulch around your yard. You can also prepare a solution using 1 cup water and 10 to 15 drops of pine essential oil and place it into a spray bottle to spray around the garden or affected area. There is also pine cleaner available in the market that you can spray in your garden to eliminate armadillos.
Essential Oils
You can also use essential oil to deter armadillos from your homes, yards, or gardens. However, all essential oils can’t repel armadillos. In this case, you’ll need to choose essential oils with the strongest scents like lavender, lemon, catnip, cinnamon, and peppermint. Spray essential oil in your yard regularly to keep the scent sharp and prevent armadillos from digging into your yard.
Garlic
Armadillos hate the strong scent of garlic as it overpowers their ability to find food sources. Garlic also contains sulfur compounds and allicin chemicals that produce its signature smell. You can repel armadillos using garlic in plenty of ways. For example, you can spray garlic powder around your home or yard and then lightly water the area to keep the garlic powder stuck to the place. You can also mix chopped garlic with half a cup of boiling water and ¼ cup of sliced cayenne pepper and spray the mixture on the ground to remove armadillos.
How To Get Rid Of An Armadillo From Home Naturally Without Using Toxic Products?
Armadillos are beneficial for the environment. So you shouldn’t harm or kill them. But if you want to get rid of them from your yards, take the aid of local animal control agencies. And the best method you can apply is trapping and relocating the armadillos. However, you shouldn’t apply anything toxic as there may be lots of beneficial animals.
Eliminate Food Source
Armadillos eat grubs, termites, various insects, fruits, and vegetables. So you can trim and lop your landscaping to make it less appealing for armadillos. You can also use a broad range of insecticides or environment-friendly nematodes to remove grubs from yards. Then collect fallen fruits immediately and cover flower beds and vegetable gardens using wire mesh to block the food sources of armadillos.
Destroy Hiding Places
Armadillos require additional coverage during burrowing along with their armor. Armadillos hide under bushy trees, shrubs, debris, and rock piles from various predators including foxes, coyotes, bobcats, and cougars. If your garden has such places, block them with gravel or replace them using low-lying ground cover so armadillos don’t have any places to hide. Trim the bushes neatly and clean fallen branches and leaves regularly.
Install Fencing
An in-ground fence will work as a physical barrier and prevent armadillos from moving under your yard’s surface. If you don’t have the budget for fencing the whole property, cover vegetable gardens and flower beds to prevent armadillos from coming to your garden and eating food. Armadillos can dig deeply. So install in-ground fencing a minimum of 18 inches deep into the ground, keep it 1 foot high from the surface, and bend the top in an L shape to discourage armadillos.
FAQs on How To Use Vinegar To Get Rid Of Armadillos
How Do You Get Rid Of Armadillos Permanently?
If you want to deter armadillos from your yard permanently, remove their food sources from the ground. It will make the armadillos less inviting to your yard or garden. To do so, remove insects and other animals from your yard that the armadillos eat. Then control pests regularly to keep armadillos away.
What is The Easiest Way To Get Rid Of Armadillos?
The easiest way to get rid of armadillos is to build a sturdy fence. This will prevent armadillos from entering your yard. You can also trap the armadillos and relocate them.
Will Coffee Grounds Keep Armadillos Away?
Coffee grounds may keep armadillos away from your yard as it has a high acidic pH level and strong aroma. These compounds will keep pests away from the yards. So armadillos won’t get any food and may stop coming back. Coffee gound’s strong aroma also covers the scent of various plants that the armadillos eat. So coffee grounds may indirectly deter armadillos from your yard.
Final Words
You’ll require time and patience to keep armadillos away from your property effectively and completely. You may fail to do so even after knowing how to use vinegar to get rid of armadillos or applying other alternative options. In this case, you’ll need to call a local pest control agency or lawn care experts to get rid of armadillos from your property.
