Resolving wildlife nuisance problems
Are you prepared to kill the trapped animal? Do you know how to properly dispose of an animal carcass?
Do you know how to release a trapped animal?
Do you know what bait should be used to ensure you catch the targeted species?
Do you know how frequently you must check a trap set to capture wildlife?
If you can answer “yes” to the aforementioned questions then you should know what you’re getting into when you set a trap. Landowners and homeowners may not trap beavers, bobcats, migratory birds, big game, threatened species or endangered species. Traps must be checked at least once every 24 hours.
Wildlife also has a habit of establishing homes under our sheds, in the banks of our ponds, even in our houses. These intrusions can range from bats or flying squirrels in the attic to chipmunks under the sidewalk and songbirds nesting in your hanging fuchsia or prized rosebush.
Sometimes it’s rewarding to have wildlife living on your property, because it can be fun to watch and seems to satisfy a need some people have. But those perceptions can change quickly when wildlife begins to invade your living quarters, causes significant property damage or has close uncomfortable encounters with people around your home.
The solutions to these problems vary, but they include everything from hiring a wildlife pest control agent, using traps and making modifications to your home to removing certain vegetation, placing fence and hunting. Exclusion and trapping are probably the two most commonly used approaches for dealing with nuisance wildlife.
Exclusion can be effective for some species, such as rabbits, bats, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, groundhogs, Canada geese and other waterfowl. But such work shouldn’t be considered a panacea. Animals sometimes make adjustments to access your property, instead of moving on.
Timing for exclusion work also is important. For instance, it would be a bad idea to make modifications that would exclude bats from your attic during summer. That’s when these sites serve as maternity colonies; summer exclusions force bats trapped inside to enter your home’s living quarters in their search for a way out.
The same holds true for maternity dens inhabited by skunks, raccoons, squirrels and groundhogs. Let the young leave the maternity site – it’s a good bet to wait until fall – and then exclude them from your home or property by blocking access to the den. Groundhog dens inhabited by other wildlife can be rendered uninhabitable by filling them with rocks and dirt. Wait, of course, until the animal is out of the den. Usually only a groundhog will exhume the fill.
Squirrels are a species that tends to get on the nerves of many homeowners. Their most common crimes are digging in flower beds, chewing on expensive bird feeders and houses, and taking food from bird feeders. They can be excluded from bird feeders by placing feeders on a pole with a squirrel baffle and located away from trees. Removing bird feeders during summer and early fall also compels squirrels to relocate elsewhere. Trapping and transferring squirrels also is effective, but squirrels – particularly in places where large numbers converge – can become trap-shy rather quickly. Good baits for trapping squirrels include: peanut butter, ear corn, sunflower seeds and apple slices.
Lawn raiders and ransackers such as skunks, Canada geese, groundhogs and moles all present somewhat differing approaches to resolve. Canada geese, which can quickly lay waste to any yard near water by smothering it with feces, can be discouraged by exploding devices, scarecrows, fencing and hunting. Geese currently cannot be killed unless hunted legally because they are protected by federal laws.
Skunks, which occasionally rip up lawns in search of grubs, can be deterred with fencing or by placing moth balls in flower beds. Trapping is used to eliminate skunks. Should you or your dog be sprayed by a skunk while attempting to alleviate a problem, use the follow concoction to eliminate skunk odor: mix one quart of hydrogen peroxide with a quarter-cup of baking soda and a teaspoon of liquid soap. Apply the mixture to the sprayed area and it will neutralize the skunk’s musky odor.
Groundhogs and moles are lawn excavators that can make a mess of a yard quickly. Both problem animals are best handled through trapping. Groundhogs can be caught with baits such as apples, carrots or lettuce. Moles are best removed with hole or bayonet-type traps, which kill the animal as it passes through a trap armed with spring-loaded bayonets that is placed in the animal’s underground runways.
Wading birds such as great blue herons and great egrets also have become the bane of many rural and suburban areas because they are pilfering the expensive fish property owners are putting in backyard ponds, which have become quite popular in recent years. Solutions to this problem are few. The basic choices are put rocks or other cover in the water for fish to hide around, or locate your pond close to the house. But rest assured, if these wading birds see your pond while foraging, and it’s not close to a house, they’ll probably stop by because they’ve learned that hunting in these ponds is like picking fish out of a barrel.
Some people draw wildlife into neighborhoods or onto their properties by offering wildlife foods such as seed or suet; throwing table scraps out back; improperly storing garbage; outside pet feeding; or maintaining a grease-loaded grill. Litter – even discarded candy – also will attract wildlife. Stopping these activities can certainly make a difference when wildlife has become a nuisance in your area. Cleanliness should be a standard operating procedure for those not interested in sharing their space with wild animals.
To learn more about solutions to nuisance wildlife problems, Penn State University offers a fine series of brochures that many homeowners will find helpful, such as: Landowner’s Guide to Wildlife Control and Prevention Laws in Pennsylvania, as well as individual species brochures for bats, bears, rabbits, skunks, woodchucks, woodpeckers and others. They can be accessed from a PSU publications index at: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/wildlife.html.
Another excellent website to learn more about resolving wildlife problems can be found at: http://wildlifedamage.unl.edu.