The first step in preventing raccoons from invading your yard is to prevent them from entering in the first place. These creatures prefer to live in yards that have water and are easy to access. Water in the yard can be provided by a puddle, leaky hose, or low areas. Raccoons typically hide in tree holes, but you can also provide them with a home in your yard.
Raccoons feed on a variety of food, and they will raid your compost pile and bird feeders for leftovers. They will also eat debris from your yard, such as discarded birdfeeders. Regular fencing is not going to work as a deterrent for these animals, however, so you should be prepared for any eventuality. However, if you don’t want to get rid of raccoons in your yard forever, you can use repellents.
Raccoons will find shelter in any area that is enclosed. If possible, make sure to put trash can lids in these spaces, as these animals can easily enter them. Make sure to double bag your waste meat. If you’re worried about raccoons snatching your pet’s food, seal the area and cover it with metal bins. Raccoons also enjoy woodpiles.
In addition to using repellents, you can also try keeping grubs in your lawn. Raccoons can’t resist a strong scent, and a strong smell will confuse their sense of smell. You can buy commercially available deterrents in your local or online store, which are available in spray and liquid spray form. You can also try mixing some peppermint oil with water or epsom salt and spray it around your property.
Putting up an electric fence is an effective way to protect prized fruit from raccoons. An electric fence is a strip of electrified wire placed at 6-12 inches above the ground. It’s not painful for the animals but it does scare them away from your prized fruits. You can place one of these fences at the base of your fruit trees. Make sure it’s 6 inches above the ground to avoid any harm.
Using a motion-activated sprinkler is also a good way to repel raccoons. They love fallen fruit and can’t jump over sheet-metal baffles. They won’t be able to get past them if you place a sprinkler near them. Raccoons don’t like the sound of water and can’t stand the sudden movements, so you can use a sprinkler to make them uncomfortable.
Another option to repel raccoons is to spray your home with ammonia, which is easily available at most home improvement centers. Ammonia gives urine its distinctly pungent smell, which raccoons don’t enjoy. This is a good way to keep raccoons from invading your home without hurting them. If this doesn’t work, you can use poison to control the raccoons.
