Wrap: The state's Conservation Department says people have spotted armadillos in mostly every Missouri county.

One Camdenton resident has dealt with the creatures tearing up her lawn for more than two years.

Chasity Hodges of the Camdenton Police Department says that resident is not alone.

Hodges says not even traps are catching the Camdenton armadillos.

The Conservation Department says the creatures were first spotted in the state in the 1970s.

They're still mainly in counties south of the Missouri River, but they're starting to spread to northern counties, too.

From the state Capitol, I'm Michael Langenberg.

Wrap: Ever since they first came to the Missouri in the 1970s, armadillos have been on the move.

They're mostly in counties south of the Missouri River, but as they adapt to cooler temperatures, they're moving north.

Here's how State Conservation Department Spokesman Jim Low describes it.

Armadillos are a menace to homeowners' yards and gardens, but Low says they're harmless to people.

He says it's legal to kill them on your own.

From the state Capitol, Michael Langenberg.

Wrap: A lack of resources is forcing armadillos to find other places to live.

Although they're in mostly every Missouri county now they started moving into the state in the mid 1970s.

In order to avoid starving because of the lack of food, state Conservation Department spokesman Jim Low says they're moving north.

The nine-banded armadillos found in Missouri are able to handle cooler climates, although some have been found with frostbitten toes.

They're mostly tearing up people's yards south of the Missouri River.

The Camdenton Police Department says the city has an armadillo problem, but traps set to catch them aren't working.

From the State Capitol, I'm Michael Langenberg.