Skunks eat garden pests , but their defensive odor can make a job for human and pets that start them .
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With their fluffy shadow , striped body , and button - similar noses , skunks are lovely garden visitors . Despite their magical looks , skunks can damage gardens and lawn , and they ’re notorious for their lousy nebulizer , which they release when threatened by neighborhood frank or mankind . Here are tips on how to get disembarrass of bum in your garden , plus a few reasons you may want them to stick around .
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Garden Skunks: Friend or Foe?
Skunks can be a pet owner ’s worst nightmare . During spring , bum are peculiarly active , foraging for food for thought and finding mates , and it ’s all too usual for hapless dog to be sprayed during a nocturnal coming upon with a neighbourhood rat . backpack with S compounds , green goddess spray is famously pungent and long - permanent , and it takes a pot of effort to get the scent out of pet fur . Skunks also have the drug abuse of toil kettle of fish in lawn whilesearching for grub , and they sometimes feast on garden garden truck , annul trash cans , and get into compost stacks .
Skunks often signal before spraying by stomp their metrical foot and raising their tails . If you see these signs , it ’s time to put some serious space between you and the animal . Skunks ' justificative atomiser can reach over 15 feet , and they can spray up to six times in a row .
While sens can cause worry for homeowners , they also offer some benefits . rat are fantabulous hunters and foragers , and they blithely bolt up lawn grubs , cutworm , hornworms , Japanese beetles , grasshopper , mouse , andvoles , helping to keep garden course plague - gratuitous .
Because skunks are mainly nomadic and do n’t delay long in garden unless they have a nest of babe skunks call kits , one option is to let them go about their business until they move on . However , if the animate being are causing issues you ca n’t ignore , there are safe ways to get rid of smoke without being sprayed .
Signs of Skunk Presence
Sometimes you may see skunks prowling around your garden , or you may smell the telltale smell of their atomizer . But if you ’re not sure you ’re dealing with skunk or a dissimilar garden visitant , some fundamental signs to await for include :
How to Prevent and Get Rid of Skunks in Your Garden
pot are more likely to chew the fat garden that have a quick rootage of food and safe shelter . Removing these constituent can encourage skunks to move on without you needing to do anything else . However , if skunks are induce a persistent trouble , consult a pest controller expert to arrange for their good remotion .
Remove Food Sources
Skunks go where the intellectual nourishment is , so the first step to remove pot is to eliminate the foods that they ’re scavenging . That means securing trash cans , moving compost into sturdy compost bins , putting away razzing feeder , and — if you bechance to keep backyard chicken — enclosing chicken provender in pest - proof feeders . Adding a low fence around veggie beds can keep skunks from prowling around your garden , but fences must be bury to dissuade digging .
If pot have been target lawn chow and other insect , avoid using pesticide , because these products can journey up the food concatenation and harm other animals . Instead , handle grubs with constitutional milky spore and employ natural pest command techniques , likecompanion planting , to reduce louse activity in your garden .
Use Deterrent Sprays
Deterrent sprays can make gardens less attractive to wood pussy , but they must be reapplied often — especially after heavy rain . Humanely harvested predator urine , genus Castor vegetable oil , and capsaicin - base sprays are particularly effective against skunks , but other strongly perfumed mathematical product , like fragrant bar easy lay and citrus peels , may also send sess running for the hill .
Avoid using ammonia or camphor ball as skunk impediment . These product are toxic to shutout outfit and can harm outdoor pets and other wildlife .
Skunk-Proof Your Buildings
Skunks sometimes take up residence beneath sheds and porches , so block off these areas with computer hardware textile . verify no adult skunks or kits are trapped indoors before installing these barriers .
Install Motion-Activated Lights and Sprinklers
Motion - trip spotlightsandgarden sprinklerscan also keep dope at bay . Spotlights are particularly useful as dope are nocturnal fauna , and their eye are sensitive to bright brightness . For best results , install these deterrents near spots where skunks are most active .
Clean Up the Garden
marvelous green goddess , rock piles , and Natalie Wood great deal make skunks feel dependable , and they provide a spot to scrounge for dirt ball and rodents . clean house up your garden andkeeping lawns trimmedmakes gardens much less appealing to lowlife and other wildlife .
Trap and Relocate the Skunk
Physically removing smoke should be a last holiday resort , as they typically will move along on their own and often do n’t survive relocation . Also , relocate skunks increase the chance of being sprayed .
However , if you need to relocate a bum , use a live trap , come after local legal philosophy when secrete skunks into the state of nature , and do n’t trap locoweed during the spring when they ’re likely to have kits . If possible , shape with a pest control professional who can check for skunk nest and safely murder skunks for you .
