Animal Pests

Posted by on May 7, 2009 at 12:11 pm.
Ginger Bunny

Ginger Bunny

I would advise that you try to find a way to embrace the diversity of wildlife that comes to your yard, but if you have a few animals that are just not considerate to the landscape and ruin things for everyone else, there are solutions.  Try some of these:

  • Armadillos – use live traps to trap and release, sprinkle the area with blood meal.
  • Birds – Cats, Garlic spray, flash tape.  I would honestly rather have the birds, but if you are plagued by birds like grackles, try taking in all pet food at night and putting bird feeders away for a while.  If the issue is that they are eating your fruits and you don’t feel you have enough to share, then try netting.
  • Cats – Dogs, citrus extract or peelings, live traps (for feral cats), hot pepper sprinkled around problem area, thorny rose cuttings around potty spots.  Keep your own cats inside.
  • Deer – hang a bar of soap in a tree near the problem area,  spread human hair (from local barber/salon) around area, put up an electric fence around the area, plant things they don’t like (not always possible), lemon oil, moth balls (a little goes a long way!)
  • Dogs – live traps, Howard Garrett’s “Dog B-Gone Home Brew” (one part cayenne pepper, 2 parts mustard powder, 2 parts flour)
  • Gophers & Moles – gopher traps, “gopher spurge” (Euphorbia lathyrus) planted around area, garlic and castor plants planted as a barrier
  • Rabbits – Electric or buried fencing, cayenne pepper sprinkled around, bone meal sprinkled around area, fox urine (you can actually buy this at organic supply centers – I wouldn’t want to be the person collecting it!)
  • Raccoons – live traps, garlic pepper tea, electric fence
  • Rats & Mice – any kind of trap, citrus oil, keep the area tidy – especially around bird feeders, moth balls (try just one!)
  • Skunks – live traps (you may want help with this one)
  • Snakes – keep the dangerous ones out by encouraging bull and king snakes; roadrunners and other snake eating birds.  Most garden snakes are beneficial (remember those rats? They eat them!) so try your hardest to learn the good guys and let them stay.
  • Squirrels – live traps, fox urine, blood meal and/or cayenne pepper.  But aren’t they cute?
  • Turtles – most are beneficial, but trap and release if you must.  You may need to protect the veggies from them.

I know that the Town of Flower Mound will loan out live capture traps to residents.  If you don’t live in Flower Mound, try your local government or check with the county extension office.

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