THE ARMADILLO INVASION

Armadillos are increasing in number, moving to all parts of the United States and causing damage in lawns and flower beds. Stop the madness with Dillo Dun!

The venerable Wall Street Journal recently reported (September 28, 2022) that there are “Texans Moving to Illinois”. In today’s political environment, the migration of people out of conservative “red” states such as Texas is rare. The usual path is people moving into Texas. But the article is not talking about those Texans…it was talking about armadillos!

Many Northerners are not familiar with the armadillo and believe it looks like a big rat. They certainly are not aware of the damage a typical armadillo can cause.

“Judy Carver and her husband had been noticing little holes in the grass and mulched areas of their yard since early spring last this year, unsure whether it might be deer or chipmunks digging up their wooded lot on a small lake outside this college town.” (Carbondale, IL)

“Then one evening this month as they headed out for a walk, they saw something in the bushes near their front door. It was a critter ‘about the size of a 10-pound bag of flour,’ she said, with pointy ears, a ridged brown shell and a long tail.”

The article goes on to say that armadillos have been creeping north from Texas for decades and in recent years, have made homes in Illinois and other Midwest states. Armadillos are “possum-size critters - nearly blind and resembling a cross between an anteater and a giant potato bug”, whatever that is!

The WSJ article asked a great question, “how does a small animal with stubby legs and a heavy shell get across the Mississippi River to make it into a state like Illinois?” I’m a good swimmer and would not challenge the current or width of the mighty Miss’. Agustin Jimenez, an associate professor of zoology at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale stated that, “armadillos are surprisingly good swimmers…even a few arrivals could rapidly reproduce since each armadillo egg splits into four identical embryos.”

Others suspect that the mini-tanks are crossing bridges at night but other more aggressive thinkers believe the armadillos disguise themselves and hitchhike around the country. Either way, the giant roly-polies present real problems for home owners and people in general.

Armadillos eat insects and grubs that live just under the surface of the ground. In the wild woods, they have to move leaves, sticks and other obstacles on their way to a meal. Fortunately for the dillo, people like to keep well-manicured lawns that make it easy to find, burrow and grab their food with their long claws and pointy snouts. If you spend all day Saturday mowing your lawn and your wife works hard in the flower beds (I know, possibly a sexist comment…pray through it) and you wake up the next morning only to find holes everywhere…you have an armadillo invasion and they must really like your buffet.

In addition, armadillos carry the bacteria that causes leprosy. Leprosy is a long term infection that can lead to damage to the skin, nerves and eyes. It is rare,

not easily transmitted and curable. However, because it was mentioned in the Bible and in ancient times lepers were quarantined into colonies, people have an innate fear of the disease.

Now that everyone is terrified of armadillos, let’s talk about prevention!

Before this WSJ article was published, Zone Protects was attending numerous trade shows during the summer of 2021. Many distributors and customers asked about an armadillo repellent. Before those events, I did not consider armadillos a nuisance large enough to warrant product development but after the 4th or 5th request, we went to work.

Zone Protects Dillo Dun is an all-natural armadillo repellent. We have formulated it using Ricinus oil which has been proven to make the dillos uncomfortable and masks the scent of their bug prey. Zone Protects Dillo Dun comes in a ready-to-use gallon with a trigger sprayer. Customers simply create a perimeter around their yard or flower beds and the armadillos move on.

If you have suspicious holes in your yard or flower beds, you probably have an armadillo problem and need Dillo Dun. Get it from our website, (www.zoneprotects.com), Amazon, Walmart.com and Chewy. (I have included helpful links to save you time.

After you try it and love it, please be sure to leave a sparkling review as our business relies on ecommerce which can be driven by customer reviews!

Thank you, good luck and God Bless