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Skunks don’t tend to be aggressive animals, but they do cause damage around our homes, and they spray when threatened. Capsaicin is an ingredient in hot peppers that has been found effective in keeping skunks and other pests out of your yard, especially in granule or liquid form. Motion-detecting lights can be a deterrent to these nocturnal creatures.
Eliminate Skunks with Live Traps and Bait
Skunks have a delicate sense of smell and (much like getting rid of lizards) can be repelled easily by applying strong scents to your garden such as citrus or castor oil. I've run into skunks a few times - once with a mamma and 6-7 babies. Don't know from experience because I've never been sprayed, but always told that a bath with tomato sauce was the best way to get rid of the smell. I share my yard with the wildlife, and the skunks and I just mozy about the yard in the evening, doing our own thing. The raccoons are harder to adjust to, but with gentle tactics, we've figured it out.
What Homeowners Should Know About Skunks - Family Handyman
What Homeowners Should Know About Skunks.
Posted: Thu, 03 Mar 2022 08:00:00 GMT [source]
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Lawn maintenance, including grub prevention, will decrease skunks foraging for food. Always dispose of garbage properly and keep bird and pet food contained. Ultrasonic pulses or sprays of water that emit from electronic repellent systems can repel all kinds of animals from your yard, including skunks. Repellent systems can cost between $25 and $50 and can be found in most hardware stores and online. If you notice a musty odor or see holes dug up in your yard, then a skunk may have made a den somewhere on your property. Repellents, like used kitty litter, rags soaked in ammonia, capsaicin, and castor oil, may be enough to make a skunk leave right away.
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Can You Use Plants To Keep Skunks Out Of Your Garden? An Expert Weighs In - House Digest
Can You Use Plants To Keep Skunks Out Of Your Garden? An Expert Weighs In.
Posted: Wed, 22 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Retreated rather quickly and apparently it didn’t feel threatened, so we both went on our merry ways. Skunks are often mistaken for raccoons because they both have five toes. Their heels usually are not part of the tracks, and their claw marks are usually somewhat visible.
Some people have tried using ammonia-soaked rags under porches or decks, but they can kill baby skunks and blind adult skunks. And skunks can remove mothballs from their den by rolling them into the yard where dogs can eat them, says Fyffe. Perhaps the most effortless technique to drive skunks out of your yard is to install bright lights and sprinklers activated by a motion sensor. Because skunks are accustomed to the dark, their eyes are sensitive to bright lights. To make this homemade skunk repellent spray, boil your ingredients in a large pot for up to 20 minutes. Let the DIY skunk repellent cool off a little before transferring the contents to a medium-sized spray bottle.
Your pets run the risk of getting sprayed and bringing the smell into your home. Your lawn can also become a mess full of unsightly holes and burrows which can destroy your sod and your picture-perfect home. Getting rid of the odor of skunk spray is challenging but not unmanageable. Taking a tomato juice bath is a standard solution, but there is one that works even better. When dealing with skunks, there is always a chance that you’re going to get sprayed.
Drill a hole in one end of the 5×20 inch piece of plywood, which will be a raised platform for the bait. It’s critical to make the trap just big enough for the skunk to move around but not tall enough to lift its tail to spray. Place the cheese at the bottom of the can and lower it on its side with the open end facing the skunk. Skunks who have wandered into a garage can simply be allowed to wander back out by making sure the door is open before dusk. Skunks are nocturnally active, so opening the door at dusk and closing it later in the evening is likely to be a solution to this problem. Maureen Stanley is a New Jersey-based writer and reporter that specializes on all things home.
The first is the usual “closing the hotel” combination of removing attractions and blocking entrance points. They also go after insects and can be a valuable ally against many forms of infestation. They’re especially keen on going after slugs, snails, and Japanese beetles.
A natural repellent for skunks is easy to make, but you need to know what the popular attractants are first. The simplest and best way to get rid of skunks is by eliminating their food sources. Still, they’re opportunistic omnivores that will happily take advantage of an easy snack. Skunks are an essential part of the natural environment, but at times they’re also a problematic nuisance for homeowners. They’re best known for the unpleasant and lingering skunk smell that they spray at humans and animals when threatened. Since skunk repellents are applied outside, weather largely determines how long an application remains effective.
Finding the best way to repel skunks takes a little bit of patience. Home remedies to repel skunks are amazing, but what works on some pests doesn’t mean it works on others. If you know where they’re nesting, you can loosely fill the entrance to their burrow with leaves or newspaper. You’ll know that they’ve left if you see the paper shift, and, when that happens, go ahead and refill it.
Our most common skunk, the striped skunk, lives nearly everywhere in the U.S. and up through central Canada. In the wild, they den under logs, in brush piles and in abandoned woodchuck holes. In your yard, they might hole up in a secluded area like a wood or rock pile, or under a deck, shed or porch with open access. Remember, critters such as grasshoppers are tasty treat for a skunk and a hungry skunk will stop at nothing to get at a good food source.
And then you begrudge skunks and other animals the right to dig for food in order to protect that wasteful patch of green. That's why it’s in your best interest to get rid of skunks that have wandered onto, or have taken up residence in your yard. If your yard has been smelling extra pungent lately, you may have a skunk problem. Skunks can do more than bring foul odors, though, as they may dig holes in your lawn and garden and nibble on plants. The striped critters can also carry diseases that spread to humans and pets. And, of course, no one wants to be assailed by a skunk’s pungent spray.
These small critters may look cute and fluffy, but they dig up garden beds and leave an unpleasant odor lingering around your home. If you suspect these pests are hanging around, it’s time to figure out how to repel skunks from your yard. If these basic remedies don’t work, there are more drastic measures available. If you know where the skunk has its burrow, you can invest in a one-way door excluder. Skunks are poor climbers, so a relatively short metal fence will keep the stinky little rascals out of your garden.
