How To Keep Skunks Out Of Your Garden

Posted on: 21 September 2017

While skunks are not like other pests in that they likely won't take up residence within your home, cause structural damage to your furniture or cover your skin with bites, they can still be a fairly large nuisance due to the awful smell that they can spray. If you notice that you have skunks in your yard or garden, there are a few steps that you can take to encourage them to move elsewhere.

Lock the Garbage Cans

One of the best ways to discourage skunks from taking up residence in your garden is to remove potential food sources. Just like raccoons, skunks will head straight to garbage cans to get at your food waste. Keep them away by locking your garbage cans either inside the garage until the morning you have to put them out, or physically locking the lids to the can, if possible.

Close Off Spaces

Skunks, like raccoons and rabbits, like to make their homes under decks or in other sheltered areas. You should keep an eye out for any potential gaps under your deck, your home, or any other area in your yard and garden, and close them off using lumber or some sort of decorative material. However, if skunks have already taken up residence there, you'll have to contact a pest removal specialist to safely remove them so that you don't get sprayed.

Install Garden Lights

Skunks only come out at night, and aren't huge fans of the light. Installing a few decorative lights around the edge of your garden and around your home can help discourage skunks from getting too close, and will also prevent them from setting up a nest or burrow in your yard. Motion sensor lights are a good option if you don't want to have your yard illuminated all night, as they'll only come on when a skunk or other animal is nearby, effectively startling them.

Animal Deterrents

Hardware stores will stock a number of deterrents that can be sprayed around the edge of your yard to discourage skunks and other animals from entering. These types of sprays usually contain some sort of hot pepper, or animal urine. Unfortunately, you'll have to reapply these deterrents every few days, as rainfall and general weather exposure will cause them to dissipate. A cheaper solution, if you have dogs of your own, is to simply let them run free in your yard. The smell of their urine and their fur that will be naturally left around your yard should be just as effective.

For more information, contact a local pest control company.

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