We captured the wrong villain last night.
My husband checked the trap around 5 this morning. Instead of the fish-killing, lillypad vandal of a raccoon, he found a black critter with distinctive white stripes.
Although the fellow most likely is one of the seven thieves who made off with my butternut squash a couple of weeks ago, we decided it would be best to let him go. We just couldn't settle on whose car to use to transport and relocate him.
As he waddled under our fence and into our neighbor's yard, we determined that the skunks don't live under our shed. They're simply unwanted guests from time to time.
We'll reset the trap tonight in a different location.
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Read this on the Web site belonging to Jerry Baker, "America's Master Gardener":
ReplyDeleteQ: Skunks are digging up my yard, and pawing through my flowers. What can I do to get rid of them?
A: The controls for skunks are similar to those used for moles - if you eliminate their food source - grubs, they'll move on. If you can find their resting area, then you can use ammonia and/or strong light to drive them away.
Q: I have squirrels all over. How do I keep them out of my yard?
A: Keeping them out of an entire yard is nearly impossible. But there are things you can do to keep them from causing damage in specific areas. Try sprinkling dried blood meal as a border around the planting area you want to protect. Or douse your plants with my Hot Bite Spray: 3 tbsp. of cayenne pepper, 2 cups of hot water, 1 tbsp. of hot sauce, 1 tbsp. of ammonia, and 1 tbsp. of baby shampoo. Mix the cayenne pepper with the hot water in a bottle, and shake well. Let the mixture sit overnight, the pour off the liquid without disturbing the sediment at the bottom. Mix the liquid with the other ingredients in a handheld sprayer bottle, and spritz on your flower buds and stems as often as you can to keep them hot, hot, hot!
Here's his take on 'coon control:
http://www.jerrybaker.net/garden/information/crittercontrol/raccons.aspx