Hard to believe isn’t it? Deeds frequently use vague language like “100 acres more or less” to describe a property, and that description is often based on the language in a previous deed, which got its language from a previous deed, and so on. Family members will property to their heirs using acreage assessments based on what great grand-daddy said his father told him. Unfortunately, tax records and many other legitimate looking documents rely on these unreliable sources for their information, without doing any verification. I see it all the time, and I’ve personally been involved in numerous transactions where acreages were off…..sometimes WAY off.

Here are a few more questions. When you see an aerial map, how can you be sure the lines are correct? When you see flagged or painted trees, how can you be sure the lines are marked correctly? When you see obvious physical property features like a fence line, an obvious change in timber, or a metal stake, how can you be sure that’s where the property line is? The short answer to all of the above is……You can’t!

Boundary line mistakes, inaccuracies, and disputes happen every day. Landowners, agents, foresters, loggers, neighbors, and fence installers often get it wrong. To make matters worse, sometimes the lines move. This happens when the boundaries are based on the physical location of creeks and streams, roads, or on agreements made between amiable neighbors with short memories, all of which can change over time. Legendary family feuds (think Hatfields and McCoys) have started over simple boundary line disputes.

So, as a buyer, how do verify acreage and boundary lines? The only reliable, verifiable, and dependable source of exact acreage is a survey, performed by a licensed surveyor. If you don’t have one of these, you don’t know and can’t know exactly what the acreage is. And, unless the property lines are surveyed and marked by a surveyor, you won’t know and can’t prove where those are either. You should be aware, however, that surveyors rarely clear and mark the lines (either with flagging or paint) as part of the surveying process. If you want clearly marked property lines, you’ll need to ask for it and be prepared to pay a little extra to get it.

Does this mean you need to pay for a survey every time you purchase property? Not necessarily. Sometimes surveys exist, but are not recorded or referenced in the deed. Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances in a deal where going without a survey is worth the risk. I’ve done it, but I don’t recommend it. However, if your purchase includes borrowing money from any lending institution, a title insurance policy, or subdividing a tract, you will almost always be required to have the property surveyed to close the deal. Even where there are existing, recorded surveys, there are times when paying for an updated survey is a good idea. When surveys are old (more than 25 years), there are possible boundary line encroachments or you suspect a potential dispute with a neighbor over fences, access, or easements, an updated survey is worth the investment. Remember that in any land deal everything is negotiable. If there is a potential dispute or uncertainty over acreage, boundary lines, easement location, or encroachments, it is not unreasonable to ask a seller to pay for all or part of the survey.

In any event, a good survey can provide some certainty around your land purchase and deliver some peace of mind, so you can be confident that the property you buy and the property you get are the same thing.

Drilling a well and adding power - The distance to available power and depth to drill for water can vary, and the costs associated with both can run into the thousands of dollars. Nonetheless, both can provide creature comforts that will make trips to your property much more enjoyable. Let’s face it – no one likes lugging water and tending a generator.

Building internal roads - Providing access for vehicle traffic on your property is essential. The best internal road systems involve a combination of all weather roads for two wheel drive vehicles and a network of ATV and walking trails. Remember that road building doesn’t have to involve a bulldozer. A woods grinder and other less invasive equipment can create serviceable roads quickly and inexpensively.

Adding a lake or pond - Lake building is never cheap and is often difficult to get permitted, but it is always a good addition. If you do build a lake or pond, make sure you budget for stocking and ongoing management. You’ll get endless personal enjoyment from wetting a hook, plus your property will get a value boost that often exceeds the cost of construction. In fact, a pond almost always adds more value to your property than it costs to build.

Enhancing Wildlife Habitat - Whether you are a hunter or not, having abundant wildlife on your property is a benefit. Just seeing deer standing in the woods or a turkey strutting in the field makes you feel closer to nature….and further from the city. You don’t need to spend endless dollars on high priced feeders and exotic plantings. Check with your state wildlife agency for recommendations on ways to enhance native plant species, attract wildlife, and establish wildlife habitat management plans.

Adding fields and open spaces – Everything from a small clearing to a large field adds character and value to your property. Any area with a concentration of small trees or brush is a potential field or wildlife opening. In many cases the transformation can be done with a tractor, good rotary mower and a disk harrow. When larger equipment is needed, be sure to check with your state forestry commission. In many states, these agencies can offer budget priced land services to help with the process.

Fencing and gates – In addition to controlling access, attractive fencing and a nice gate can really dress up the road frontage and provide an aesthetic “boost” to your property value. Plus, these additions make your property look “lived in” and discourage trespassing and poaching when you’re not around.

Building a small cabin – The operative word here is small. Just make sure your cabin fits the property and provides comfortable accommodations. Building a 5000 square foot home in the center of a 200 acre hunting parcel just doesn’t make sense and it may not “improve” your property, especially if it looks like it belongs at the country club more than it looks like it belongs in the country. Comfortable and cozy is the best bet.

Whatever improvements you decide for your property, apply some common sense. If it enhances your enjoyment, then it will probably enhance the perceived value of your property for potential buyers, if and when you decide to sell. When you spread the cost of any improvement across the acreage you own, you’ll find that it comes down to only a few dollars per acre, with a resulting value improvement that is often measured in hundreds of dollars per acre. In every case, if you focus your improvements on enhancing usability, personal enjoyment, aesthetics, natural resources, and wildlife, you can’t go wrong.

Groundwater is a vital resource to each of us – individuals, communities and our businesses. It’s the water we drink, it grows our food and recharges rivers and lakes. It’s so very important to do your part at your home with your private well and help keep it clean!

As you may know, groundwater is water found underground in cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. These underground stores of water are called aquifers. Groundwater is critically important to daily living. Of all the Earth’s water that is readily available for use by humans, 98 percent is groundwater and over half of the population relies on groundwater for drinking water, including nearly all of the country’s rural residents.

Most people don’t realize the impact they can have on groundwater. Anything poured or spilled onto the ground’s surface can end up in the groundwater supply, even years later, and contaminated groundwater can ruin human and animal health, while overuse can lead to shortages in the water supply.

In that same manner it’s important to keep your well maintained. Although there are no laws or regulations that require private well owners to test their well water annually, there are many good reasons to do so including:

* Ensure a safe and reliable source of drinking water.

* Identify existing problems which may or may not change the smell, or the taste of your water.

* Track changes over time.

* When loaning money to a property buyer, mortgage lenders often require that well water be tested for contaminants.

What can you do as an individual to maintain your private well and protect your drinking water?

* Learn about the most common water quality problems affecting wells in your area. Consult your local health department or Natural Resources District for more information.

* Store and mix fertilizers and pesticides on a surface that can’t be penetrated and ensure any spillage cannot reach the area around your well.

* Do not apply fertilizers and pesticides within 10 feet of your well to keep it from becoming contaminated.

* Find out more about your well – when it was constructed, if it meets current standards, what kind of casing was used, etc.

* Keep a record of information about your well. Update these records as information changes.

* And, of course, regularly test your well water. Contact your local health department or the Nebraska Health and Human Services Drinking Water Program or UNL Extension to find out what tests should be done, request a test kit and answer your private well questions.

Every individual has a responsibility to protect groundwater, because every individual is impacted daily by the quality and quantity available.

Written by Brian Reetz with the Nebraska Groundwater Foundation. The Groundwater Foundation (GWF) is a nonprofit organization that educates people and inspires action to ensure sustainable, clean groundwater for future generations.

If you are sitting in your home surrounded by four standing walls and you don't have water seeping in from one of the dozen rivers overflowing their banks, I hope you will count your blessings and continue reading.  Between the tornadoes that ravaged the Southeast nearly four weeks ago, those that devastated the Midwest over the weekend, and the flooding along the Mississippi River, there are thousands of people in this country who need our help.  While monetary donations and essentials such as water are welcomed and needed, your labor is what will be absolutely critical to the rebuilding of so many areas in this country.  As disasters keep mounting and time goes on, those of us involved in the relief effort have many concerns:

• Will those already volunteering get tired and burned out before the work is completed?
• Will the population, in general, slowly forget all of the work that still needs to be done as time passes?
• With the coming of summer, will people get caught up in summer vacations, camps, and other fun activities leaving no time for the relief effort?
• Will the upcoming hurricane season bring more disaster and devastation to other regions and those already affected?

At the Greenwood Project, we believe in promoting outdoor enjoyment and always will, but today we are asking our community of followers to give up a day of outdoor enjoyment and help those in need.  Imagine if everyone gave up one day, how much could be accomplished?

We can all find a multitude of reasons to opt out of giving our time to help.  Don't be blinded by how busy you think you are, how hot it may be, your age, your physical stature, or anything else.  There is plenty to be done, and there are jobs for people of all shapes, sizes and ages.  If you can't operate a chainsaw or drag limbs, you can make sandwiches for those that can.  There is work for everyone, and there are no unimportant jobs.

As you plan your summer vacation,  as you plan your outdoor activities for the next few months, consider using some of that time doing something you may not have ever imagined doing or have ever done before.

It's not difficult to make a difference in the lives of people who lost so much.

If you simply don't know where to go to volunteer, contact us.  It can be a maze to get to the right place but relief organizations are out there, and they are hoping and praying for folks like you to call.  Make the right decision, give up a day on the lake or a day in the mountains and be that "angel" Francisca Battestelli sings about in the video you just watched.

For more information on how to be a part of Storm Relief 2011, contact The Greenwood Project at 706-575-4178 or info@greenwoodproject.com

So what do folks like us do?  I don't have the financial means to give property away, but I do have the means to share my property with those who want to experience a piece of the great outdoors.  Agritourism is a growing trend and is supported by many local and state organizations in a variety of ways.

So what exactly is agritourism?

Virginia law, for example, defines agritourism as “any activity carried out on a farm or ranch that allows members of the general public, for recreational, entertainment, or educational purposes, to view or enjoy rural activities, including farming, wineries, ranching, historical, cultural, harvest-your-own activities, or natural activities and attractions. An activity is an agritourism activity whether or not the participant paid to participate in the activity.”

Most folks think of visiting a working farm when they think of agritourism and in many cases, they are correct.  Working farms have made up a large part of early agritourism, but there is so much more anyone interested in "sharing" their property can do.   Depending on your geographic location, the amount of acres you own, and what you personally enjoy, agritourism can include the following:

• Barn dances
• Bed and breakfast accommodations
• Biking trails
• Bird watching
• Birthday parties
• Campfires (don’t forget the marshmallows)
• Camping
• Canoeing
• Corn mazes
• Corporate and group events
• Farm scavenger hunts
• Farm vacations (a day or a week on the farm: living, working, enjoying)
• Fee-fishing pond (fishing, cleaning, and cooking)
• Hay wagon rides
• Herb walks
• Hiking paths (walking, identifying vegetation, determining a tree’s age, picnicking)
• Historic reenactments
• “How-to” clinics such as jam and jelly making, how to shear sheep, quilting, canning,
• Hunting
• Pony and horseback riding
• Pumpkin patch (picking, painting, carving, and buying)
• Snow sledding
• Sorghum milling
• Stargazing and moonlight activities
• Storytelling/story swaps
• Weddings
• Wineries

How To Get Started?

According to the our friends at the Virginia Cooperative Extension .......

* Create a plan. What farm experience can you offer the public that will make your operation unique, in compliance with all local ordinances and codes, and profitable?

* Plan to grow your business. After developing the initial plan to establish an agritourism business, you need to consider how to continually create new adventures to attract new guests and entice those who have already visited the farm to return. When considering growth, assess space limitations, availability of parking, maximum number of people who can be safely transported, time required to travel around the activity area, and seating capacity for activities.

* Understand your liability. When visitors arrive on your property, liability increases. Identify risk-management issues, implement safety plans to prevent identified risks, and obtain the necessary insurance coverage for your specific operation. Wise agritourism entrepreneurs consult their attorneys and insurance agents prior to opening their doors to guests.

* Develop partnerships. Talk to neighbors about your plans and ask for their support. Inform your economic development office and Chamber of Commerce about your plans to open a new business enterprise. Review road signage and confirm that directions to the farm are clearly marked.

* Inventory existing attractions. Ask the local tourism office to provide assistance in reviewing your publicity plan and linking to other local activities. Determine if other farms in the region are engaged in agritourism activities and explore the idea of all the farms developing a publicity partnership.

* Visit other agritourism farms.

* Add your operation to tourism websites. Most state websites have a place to add your operation to their listings of attractions.  For example, in Virginia you can contact the Virginia Tourism Corporation at www.virginia.org, and scroll to the bottom of the page to select “Add/Update a Listing.”

* Know your customers. Long-time agritourism entrepreneurs know that their customers want to slow down, relax, and truly enjoy a farm experience.

* Set guiding rules for all farm visitors and communicate them clearly. You will want to make the visit a wonderful experience for each guest. However, guests must follow the rules for handling animals, traveling through open fields, and avoiding areas that are not visitor-safe.

Already operating a agritourism business?  Let us hear from you so we can share you story with our community!

Bats are among the most misunderstood animals.  Because they are secretive and active only at night, bats are often feared and needlessly killed.  Contrary to common myths, bats are neither blind nor dirty. They do not get caught in people's hair or infest homes with bedbugs.  Like other mammals, a few (less than 0.5 percent) contract rabies. But even rabid bats rarely become aggressive or transmit the disease to other animals. When people are harmed by bats, it is usually because they have foolishly picked up a sick bat that bites in self-defense. Records show that pet dogs are far more dangerous.

Bats Are Valuable

One bat may eat 3,000 or more insects, including many mosquitoes, in a single night. Large bat colonies can consume billions. The Blowing Wind Cave colony of gray bats in northern Alabama, numbering roughly 300,000 individuals, eats up to a billion insects nightly!

Fruit-eating bats are nature's most important seed-dispersing mammals. And nectar-eating bats, along with some fruit bats that visit flowers, pollinate thousands of tropical and subtropical trees and shrubs. The extensive list of valuable fruits, nuts, and spices produced by bat-dependent plants includes peaches, bananas, mangoes, guavas, avocados, dates, figs, cashews, carob, and cloves.

Bats use highly sophisticated sonar for navigation, and they are exceptionally long-lived and disease resistant. Consequently, they are becoming increasingly important for research. In the southwestern United States, 100,000 tons of bat guano (bat droppings) was mined from a single cave. Guano continues to be a major source of fertilizer in developing countries, where it is used to fertilize a number of crops.

Bat Biology

Bats, like human beings, are mammals. They have hair and give birth to young that feed on milk produced by the mother bats.

Bats are the only mammals that truly fly, and they make their living by capturing insects. Most of their feeding is done at night although they may fly in the early evening and during daylight hours on warm winter days.

Although they have good eyesight, they use echolocation (sonar) to navigate and capture insects. Bats emit high-frequency sound pulses (human beings cannot hear them) at a rate of 3 to 500 per second. By listening to the echoes, they can "see with their ears."

Most birds that catch insects "on the wing" use their mouths or beaks. Bats usually capture insects by scooping them into their tail or wing membranes. They then reach down and take the insects into their mouths. This feeding behavior results in the erratic flight pattern you see when watching a bat feed at dusk. Bats drink by skimming close to the surface of a water source and gulping occasional mouthfuls.

Most female bats produce one offspring per year. Alabama bats breed in autumn, and the female stores the sperm until spring, when fertilization takes place. Gestation is short, lasting only a few weeks, and baby bats are born in May or June. The young can fly 2 to 5 weeks after birth. Bats are long-lived for their small size: they can live 30 years or longer.

Few insects are available during the winter, so bats must migrate to warmer areas where there are more insects. Bats that do not migrate must hibernate to survive. Hibernation is a state of inactivity during which the nominal body functions are greatly reduced. For example, a bat's temperature drops from the normal 100 degrees F to between 40 degrees and 60 degrees F during hibernation. The heart rate slows from 1,000 beats per minute to 12 to 15 per minute. During hibernation, bats live off of stored fat reserves.  Many bats in Alabama hibernate in caves during the winter and move to buildings or trees in the summer. Tree bats roost in trees in summer and move into hollow trees or caves in the winter.

When Bats Meet People

Human Habitat. Occasionally a bat may wander into human living quarters. To prevent this occurrence, cover chimneys and vents with hardware cloth screens, install draft guards beneath appropriate doors, and seal other access holes, especially around windows and plumbing.

Large colonies of bats in attics or walls can become a nuisance and might require eviction. In these instances, observe the bats carefully at dusk to find their entry-holes. Plug these holes while the bats are out feeding or during their winter absence. Poisons used against "house bats" are costly and ineffective, and they often create problems far worse than those they are supposed to solve.

Millions of bats have been killed by people who explore caves. Although some people intentionally kill bats, many others are unaware of the damage they do. Each human entry into a winter hibernating cave causes bats to arouse and waste 10 to 30 days of stored fat reserve. Hibernating bats must conserve their limited fat supplies until spring or face starvation. In the summer, flightless young may be dropped or abandoned when human beings disturb nursery roosts.

The relatively few caves that shelter bats are seldom used year-round. Warm summer nursery caves should not be explored from April through September. Colder hibernation caves should be avoided from late August through mid-May. Many important caves have signs explaining when they can be visited without harm to the bats.

What Can You Do To Help Bats?

• Never shoot, poison, or otherwise harm bats. Bats are extremely beneficial insect-eaters. Nuisance bats can be encouraged to move elsewhere without killing them.

• Avoid maternity colonies and hibernating bats. Disturbances, no matter how slight, can be harmful.

• Do not disturb bat habitats. Cave habitats are fragile and easy to disturb. If you enter caves, do so only as an observer. Leave everything as you found it. Remember, disturbing endangered bats is a federal offense and carries serious penalties.

• Put up a bat house. They are easy to build and can attract bats to help control insects around your home and garden.

The zebra mussel is native to the Black, Caspian, and Azov Seas in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It was probably brought to the Great Lakes in the ballast water of a cargo ship. When the ballast was emptied, the mussel was released also. It was first discovered in North America in 1988 in Lake St. Clair which connects Lakes Erie and Huron. By 1990, the zebra mussel was in all the Great Lakes. They have since been found in a number of lakes and river systems in about 30 states.

These are small animals, less than 2 inches long. The D-shaped shells of adults are yellow to brown and often striped in a dark and light pattern, hence the name zebra mussels. But they can also have mostly dark or light shells. The underside of the shell is very flat. Zebra mussels have a special organ, the byssus, which they use to attach themselves to things. The byssus produces threads which protrude between the two halves of the shell and attach to hard surfaces with a strong glue. Zebra mussels are usually found attached to objects or each other by these threads. They are the only freshwater mussel that can firmly attach itself to solid objects like submerged rocks, dock pilings, boat hulls, and water intake pipes.

Zebra mussels are filter feeders, meaning they suck in water, filter out the tiny plants and algae, and spit the water out again. They are really good at filter feeding, an adult can filter about a liter of water a day. They are also really good at breeding. A female can produce up to one million eggs during a spawning season. Zebra mussel larvae are microscopic and free-floating. They will drift in the water for three to four weeks. As they develop, the juveniles search for something to attach to. They prefer hard or rocky surfaces, but will attach to plants if necessary. They will also settle on other zebra mussels and on native mussels.

Why are zebra mussels a problem? They lack natural control mechanisms here in the U.S., such as an effective predator, and their populations can increase quickly. Plus, they are very easy to spread from place to place. The larvae can be present in bait buckets or live wells and released when this water is emptied. As they mature, they can attach to boats and be transported from place to place. Even if a mussel infested boat is taken out of the water, the mussels could survive. When it’s cool and humid, adult zebra mussels can live for several days out of water.

Adult zebra mussels are well known for their ability to clog water pipes. They attach and grow inside the pipes in such numbers that they severely restrict water flow. They have also sunk navigational buoys because so many mussels grew on the underwater surface. Fishing gear left in water for long periods can be ruined and boating can be affected due to the drag created by attached mussels. Zebra mussels can damage dock and pier supports. These mussels can cover any hard object in the water, including native mussels, eventually killing them. Zebra mussels are believed to be responsible for drastic reductions in native mussels.

Because they are such efficient filter feeders, they remove substantial amounts of algae from the water. This decreases the food available for the tiny aquatic animals and could impact the entire food chain, including the fish population. When there are large numbers of zebra mussels, they make the water more clear because they remove so much of the algae. While this may not seem to be a problem, it can increase the depth of light penetration into the water and cause a proliferation of rooted aquatic plants which couldn’t grow before due to lack of light.

Interestingly, zebra mussels do not eat blue green algae. What we call blue green algae is really a type of bacteria that captures energy from sunlight through photosynthesis, much like plants. These are the “algae” that can result in pea soup-like, scummy water. They can also produce toxins that are harmful to humans, pets, and wildlife. So, no, zebra mussels can’t solve problems caused by blue green algae.

Getting rid of zebra mussels is very difficult and expensive, so the best defense is to prevent their spread. To avoid spreading zebra mussels, boaters and others who enjoy water recreation should remember to CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY their equipment when removing it from the water. This includes boats, trailers, jet skies, waders, anything that comes in contact with the water. CLEAN off any plants, animals, or mud that you see. On land, DRAIN live wells, bait buckets, bilges, and any other compartments that hold water. If possible, allow equipment to DRY for at least five days before using it in a different body of water. Alternatively, you can pressure wash equipment with hot (140°F or hotter) water. Freezing temperatures will also kill the mussels, as will chlorine bleach and full strength vinegar.

Even if zebra mussels are not known to exist in your water, make CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY your standard practice. Infestations can go undetected and there are other aquatic invasive species - animals, plants, insects, and diseases - that you can prevent the spread of by practicing CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY.

This article was contributed by Bobbi Holm, UNL Extension Educator

Below are a few simple ways to practice biosecurity that can make your farm a healthy place for your animals.

• Provide plenty of feed, water and shelter.
• Use low stress management and handling.
• Minimize fence line contact with neighboring animals.
• Purchase feed from a reputable source.
• Purchase livestock from reputable sources.
• Isolate sick animals.
• Do not share equipment with a neighbor unless it has been disinfected between uses.
• Have an insect control program in place.
• Have a rodent control program in place.
• Pets, such as dogs or cats should have limited access to pens and feedbunks, as they can quickly spread disease.
• Remove manure and dead animals in a timely manner.
• If visitors come, control the access they have to your animals, since humans can also transfer disease.
• Anyone who touches or is around animals should wash their hands with soap and water after being around them to prevent spread of disease.
• Keep records of all treatments, disease and movement of animals.

The challenge is to determine the best method for removing brush in your fence line. Options include mechanical, chemical and cultural practices, or a combination of these.

Two of the most common mechanical methods of controlling brush in the fence line are a chainsaw and bulldozer. Chainsaws are good for selectively removing large trees and saplings without damage to the fence. One of the drawbacks of the chainsaw is that most tree and brush species will resprout from cut stumps. One trick to reduce the chances of resprouting is to use glyphosate (the active ingredient in RoundUp™) or a mixture of triclopyr (the active ingredient in Remedy™) and diesel or mineral oil to "paint" the stumps immediately after you cut them. Depending on the amount of brush and trees, a bulldozer may be your best (and possibly your least expensive) option. Bulldozers or front-end loaders are usually used when you have decided to remove the section of fence and start over. One of the downsides of using large machinery is the amount of soil that is disturbed. You can unintentionally increase the chances of erosion on your property.

There are many chemical options available for brush and tree control. Glyphosate is a nonselective herbicide that may be used to kill a wide variety of weed and brush species during the growing season, but it has no soil residual and will require repeated applications. Glyphosate can be used to kill out weeds in the spring and summer, making it easier to return later to remove the trees and brush. Triclopyr mixed with mineral oil or diesel can also be used as basal bark treatment to selectively kill trees and brush. Apply this in a band around the base of the tree (up to a 6-inch trunk diameter). The downside of this option is that you will still need to remove the tree before it falls down on your fence. As with all chemicals, read and follow label directions.

There are fewer cultural practices for removing brush from fence lines. One that is often mentioned is the use of goats. This is usually not a good option as I have yet to see a truly "goat-proof" fence. Even with a sturdy enclosure, brush along the fence line will allow goats to climb and get over the fence. Prescribed fire is another option, but it can be very hard on wire, particularly galvanized wire, and it cannot be used with wooden fence posts.

Your fences didn't get overgrown in a day, and you definitely won't get them cleaned out in a day. Break the job into manageable sections and work on it a bit at a time.

This article was contributed by David Annis of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation

Although generally considered a recent invader, armadillos were found as far north as Rogers County, Oklahoma, in the 1930s. They reach a mature weight of 8 to 17 pounds. Tracks indicate four toes on each front foot and five on the hind feet. Females produce a litter, most commonly four, of monosex siblings in March or April. Young are weaned in three months.

Armadillos forage by probing leaf litter and the soil surface with their snout to locate prey. The majority of their diet includes invertebrates (beetles, ants, termites, millipedes, roaches, crickets, grasshoppers, earthworms, snails, slugs, larvae, etc.) that live in soil, leaf litter, and rotten wood. Minor food items include lizards, small snakes, salamanders, eggs, mushrooms and other fungi, and fruits (grape, mulberry, plum, persimmon, juniper, etc.). The distribution of armadillos in southern Kansas and Missouri probably represents their northern limit because of their difficulty in foraging on frozen ground.

Home ranges for adults reportedly vary from 8 to 27 acres. 'Dillos usually dig several dens, up to 15 feet long, within their home range. At least one den has a nest chamber, usually lined with vegetation. Entrances to adults' tunnels are about 7 inches in diameter. Armadillos are generally nocturnal during hot weather but diurnal (active during the day) in cold weather.

Predators include dogs, coyotes, and bobcats, but automobiles kill many armadillos. Their ability to harbor the human leprosy bacterium has made them important biomedical research animals.

Armadillos damage peanut, corn, and cantaloupe crops, but mostly lawns, golf courses, flower beds, and gardens by rooting in them. They characteristically dig small, shallow holes to search for food, sometimes uprooting ornamental plants. Skunks occasionally cause similar damage, which can be mistaken for that of 'dillos. Damage is most intense to landscapes irrigated during drought: the relatively soft, moist soil harbors more food than the surrounding sun-baked land.

The most direct control method is shooting, since they are not a protected species. This option may not be legal, safe, or socially acceptable in some suburban locations. During summer, nocturnal activity patterns are unpredictable, which may require all-night vigils. Various mesh-wire fencing designs can be effective, especially if they include a buried-wire portion. However, the aesthetics and cost of a fence must be weighed against the damage incurred.

Armadillos can be trapped in well-constructed box or cage traps. Those that open at both ends (double-door) work best. The use of "wings" to funnel armadillos to the trap opening is the key to success. Wings can be made of whatever is handy, including lumber (e.g., 1" x 6"), mesh wire, and plastic fencing material. Take advantage of existing barriers such as fencing, house walls, or curbing as well. Wing length is not critical, but the more travel routes excluded, the better. Traps set in this manner do not need bait. Conibear 220 traps are an effective killing trap but are illegal to use in Oklahoma. Even where their use is legal, only very experienced personnel should use them in suburban settings because of the danger to pets or small children.

This article was contributed by Grant Huggins of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.