Do you have raccoons sneaking into your yard? Are you wondering what you can do to get rid of them?
While some people think of raccoons as cute, furry animals, they’re actually a major nuisance. They can destroy your yard, attack your pets, and in some cases, they even attack humans.
So, what should you do about raccoons in the yard? Read on to learn how to handle a raccoon infestation.
Scare Raccoons Away With Light and Sound
Raccoons are nocturnal animals, meaning they hunt at night and rest during the daytime. When raccoons enter a backyard, it usually means they’re in search of a warm, dark, and quiet environment.
Making your yard the opposite of the safe environment they’re searching for can help detract them from returning. You can use music, bright lights, and foot traffic to scare away raccoons from your yard.
Secure Loose Food
If you have food out in your yard, you’ll attract raccoons from all over the city.
To start, make sure you secure your trash can. You also might want to consider placing your trash can in a rack or tying it to a secure post to prevent raccoons from accessing it.
Also, if you keep pet food outside, make sure to bring it in before nightfall. You should also keep an eye on your bird feeders, and make sure to pick up any fallen fruits or nuts in your yard.
Get Rid of Potential Nesting Sites
In addition to looking for food, raccoons are also looking for a place to nest. The best way to eliminate den sites is to simply clean up your yard.
Thin out your overgrown shrubbery, remove any lingering woodpiles, trim the tree branches, and put your leaves in trash bags. Also, cut any overhanging branches so there’s a gap between your roof and your tree.
You should also seal off your chimney, as that’s another major nesting spot for raccoons. Additionally, you should seal off your shed doors and the spaces below your patio or deck.
Put Up a Fence
In some cases, raccoons will go searching for food in compost piles, fish ponds, and gardens. To prevent raccoons from accessing these areas, you may want to put up a fence.
A low, two-wire electric fence will usually do the tricks.
Install Deterrents
There are also many deterrents you can put up to keep raccoons out of your yard. Believe it or not, raccoons hate the smell of cucumbers, so planting some of them in your vegetable garden may do the trick.
You can also soak a few tennis balls in ammonia or vinegar, as they also hate the smell of these products. Also, while it may sound gross, you can use predator urine to get rid of raccoons. You can also call a pest control service for raccoon removal.
Raccoons in Your Yard: Time to Act
As you can see, there are many things you can do to remedy the situation of raccoons in your yard. With the tips above, your raccoon infestation will go away in no time.
Check back in with our blog for more tips on handling pests.
