Armadillo Removal in the Charleston Lowcountry

A new arrival with a big digging problem

The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) expanded into South Carolina over the past several decades, following the Atlantic coastal plain northward from Florida. They are now established across the Lowcountry and are increasingly common in suburban neighborhoods in Goose Creek, Summerville, Johns Island, and even urban areas of North Charleston.

Armadillos are almost entirely nocturnal. Most homeowners first notice their presence not by seeing the animal, but by finding the damage in the morning. They are solitary and do not form colonies, but a single animal can dig multiple burrows over a large area as it forages each night.

Their primary food source is earthworms, grubs, beetles, and other soil invertebrates. Lawns that have been treated with fertilizers or are naturally high in organic matter tend to have higher grub populations and therefore attract more armadillo foraging activity.

Why professional trapping works better

Armadillos are notoriously difficult to trap because they rely heavily on scent rather than sight. Cage traps placed in the wrong location, even just a few feet off, are ignored entirely. Our technicians read the burrow pattern and scent trails to identify the active travel routes and place traps where they will actually catch the animal.

After removal, the exclusion barrier is critical. Without it, a new armadillo (or the same relocated one if released too close) will simply move in to the vacated territory. We install rigid exclusion barriers buried at least 12 inches deep along foundation perimeters and garden beds to prevent future burrowing.