5
Be sure that garbage cans
are tightly covered and that no
food products are left where
they can be reached. The same
advice applies to opossums,
but in that case the fencing
needs to have an electric wire
at the top, because they will
climb quite readily.
Raccoons have been known to
enter dwellings, where they can
do considerable damage with
their strong teeth and clever
hands. Be sure that common
entry sites are protected.
These include any vents, rotten
wood, and chimneys.
Females will often raise their
young on the fire shelf inside a
chimney, but after a few weeks
will lead the youngsters out
when it is time for weaning, so
sometimes patience is the
best solution.
Try to provide alternative den
sites – hollow logs or rock piles
with large spaces are good –
situated away from your
house.
If these are located near a
water source, that will be even
more appealing to the raccoon.
You may also suffer raccoon
damage to your garden,
chicken population, or nesting
birds.
Electric fences work fairly
well in such cases. If a small
stand of corn is under attack,
wrap individual ears with
filament tape or cover them
with plastic bags.
Squirrels are either loved or
hated by homeowners. They
are cute, energetic, and
entertaining. They can also
create havoc when they get
inside an attic, and often chew
the covering off wires,
sometimes causing serious
fires.
In addition to closing the
common access sites, trim tree
branches so that they are 8'-12'
from the roof.
To keep squirrels from climbing
power poles or isolated trees,
use a 2'-3' metal collar (with
springs for growth if on a tree)
installed about 6' off the
ground.
To protect outside wires, slit
a 2'-3' piece of lightweight
plastic pipe and slip it over the
strands. The squirrels will fall
off when the pipe spins under
their weight.
Squirrels raid bird feeders
mercilessly. There are a number
of baffles and special “squirrel-
proof" feeders on the market,
most of which can eventually be
outsmarted. The most effective
seems to be the type with a
counter-weighted bar which
closes over the seed when
anything heavier than a small
bird lands on it.
Some nature lovers offer
preferred food – such as corn or
peanuts – in a location removed
from the bird feeding area and
find that the squirrels are
happy to partake of a better
meal elsewhere.
Growing nut trees provides a
source of their favorite foods
as well as beauty for your yard.
Adding some squirrel nesting
boxes can make this alternative
area even more attractive to
them.
Although relatively rare, some
areas of the country are
experiencing problems with
bears interacting with humans,
especially as development
erodes the large expanses of
habitat that they need for
survival.
The main thing to remember
is that bears locate food by
scent. Keep any food or
garbage completely enclosed
and covered tightly. If they are
attacking apiaries, electric
fences around the bee hives
are the best protection.
You may glance at your lawn
one day and find that it is
looking rather “lumpy" due to
the raised tunnels created by
moles. Although they eat more
than their weight every day in
grubs, worms and harmful
insects, they can also damage
plants with their constant
burrowing.
Incredibly, if the soil isn’t too
hard, moles can create shallow
tunnels at a rate of a foot per
minute! Sometimes putting
mothballs into the tunnels will
encourage them to move
elsewhere.
