Attraction and Prevention: How to Keep Armadillos, Skunks, Raccoons, and Opossums at Bay

By Bella Marino

Managing wildlife around your property can be challenging, especially when dealing with animals like armadillos, skunks, raccoons, and opossums. These critters are attracted to your lawn, garden, and home for food and shelter, but there are effective ways to discourage their presence and protect your space.

Armadillos: Burrowing Bugs and Lawn Damage

Armadillos thrive in humid environments with moist, porous soil, making the southern United States their ideal habitat. The nine-banded armadillo is the only species found here, typically living in swampy areas, woods, or grasslands.

What attracts them?

  • Armadillos feed mainly on insects, especially those underground like earthworms and beetle larvae (grubs) that damage lawn roots.

  • Their appetite for grubs can help your lawn but they also cause damage by digging burrows.

  • Gardens attract them because of the abundance of bugs and insects living under plants.

How to prevent armadillos:

  • Use repellents like castor oil, ammonia, or cayenne pepper around your lawn to make insects taste unpleasant and discourage feeding.

  • Apply these repellents near existing burrows to encourage armadillos to leave your property.

  • Mothballs placed around problem areas can also help keep them away.

Skunks: Opportunistic Feeders and Diggers

Skunks take advantage of easily accessible food sources and den sites. They often burrow under trees, woodpiles, rocks, or loose areas beneath porches, sheds, and even house foundations.

Prevention tips:

  • Secure garbage cans by storing them in a garage or shed to eliminate easy food sources.

  • Use beneficial nematodes—natural microscopic roundworms—to control grub populations in your lawn.

  • Place ammonia or urine near skunk dens as a deterrent, but be cautious to avoid harming any young animals.

  • If skunks are under your house or porch, consider calling a professional to prevent structural damage.

Raccoons: Clever Food Seekers and Shelter Hunters

Raccoons are notorious for raiding unsecured trash, gardens, and finding shelter in warm spaces like attics and vents during colder months.

How to protect your property:

  • Install tall cages around your garden and high fences around your yard to restrict access.

  • Use heavy lids or bricks to secure trash cans, or better yet, store them inside locked sheds or garages.

  • Seal and update outdoor vents to prevent raccoons from entering your attic or crawl spaces.

  • Motion-activated floodlights can help scare away raccoons and other nocturnal pests.

Opossums: Nocturnal Gardeners and Nesters

Like raccoons, opossums seek warm shelter in winter months and are attracted to gardens, garbage, and bird feeders.

Prevention methods:

  • Seal all vents and openings before winter to keep opossums and other animals out.

  • Surround gardens with sturdy cages and place repellents such as ammonia around them.

  • Install fences buried about a foot underground to prevent digging.

  • Remove bird feeders at night and use motion-activated lights to deter opossums.

Conclusion

By understanding what attracts armadillos, skunks, raccoons, and opossums, you can take proactive steps to protect your lawn, garden, and home. Combining repellents, physical barriers, and smart waste management will make your property less appealing to these wildlife visitors.

For humane trapping solutions, consider OcuTrap’s smart cage traps, designed to remotely monitor and release captured animals safely and efficiently. Stay ahead of unwanted wildlife with technology that works for you.

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