Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Not long after I spotted a dead armadillo on the Calhoun County side of the Congaree River, a new problem came to my garden -- dozens of small, random holes, several inches deep and about two to three inches wide. . I have been mulching with coastal Bermuda hay and don’t till at all – so I have a wonderful population of larvae – the main diet of armadillos. The pointy little nose of an armadillo is exceptionally keen – they can smell insects that are buried six inches under the soil and they use their nose and tongue to retrieve them. That extraordinary sense of smell provides one way to deter them – putting out very hot chopped up peppers or spraying pepper solutions can give temporary relief. If you haven’t had an armadillo visit yet, count yourself lucky as they are here to stay!