banishing bothersome beasts

you put in a lot of effort digging, planting, and nurturing your garden. You've created an oasis of greenery, colourful flowers, and fluttering wildlife which you love to enjoy. Then one morning you go out and something has chewed up your prize plants. These spots of damage now mar the vista of your earthly paradise. Each morning, as you witness the increasing damage, you start to plot your revenge.

While wildlife is usually a joy to behold, there are times when certain species can become annoying at best. It then becomes important to find ways to minimize the damage done.

strategies | fences | plant barriers | repellants | habitat management | trapping | familiar foes

strategies
The first thing to consider is whose habitat is it? Most of the animals we'd like to exclude were actually here first. So it isn't them invading our habitat but us invading theirs. With rapidly expanding urbanization, we infringe more and more on dwindling wildlife habitat, forcing the original inhabitants to adapt or die out. It is amazing, actually, how resilient some animals are in adapting to the altered habitat we have forced upon them. In discussing pest species, therefore, we should consider finding ways in which we too can adapt to live in harmony with the wildlife that existed here before our arrival. Keeping that in mind, there are a number of methods to limit the damage done by these animals.

fences
Fences are probably the most expensive and work-intensive option for excluding certain wildlife from your backyard. They are also, however, the most effective for certain wildlife, such as deer, if done properly. You can fence your entire yard or only sections. Whichever you decide, be sure to identify your pest first and choose the appropriate fencing. And remember, it doesn't help to put up a great fence if the gate is not secure.

plant barriers
If you would rather not fence your entire yard, you can protect vulnerable plants individually. Cylindrical enclosures of wire netting around trees and plants provide good protection. The height of the enclosure depends on the pest concerned. For rabbits 0.5 m will do, but for deer it would need to be 1.5 m or higher depending on the depth of snow cover. Protective tree wrap can also be used.

repellants
In discouraging wildlife pests, you should consider the senses (smell, taste, hearing, and sight) that they rely on, and use these against them. Most pest species have a superior sense of smell, and often incredible hearing. Many are prey species, and thus are constantly on the lookout for signs of danger. You can create repellants that play on these factors.

Repellants that play on smell are probably the most effective. You can place things around your garden, such as bloodmeal or old nylon stockings filled with human or dog hair, that will warn of nearby predators thus scaring the pest away. Or you can choose strong smells, such as garlic, baby powder, chilli powder, or rotten eggs, that interfere with their ability to smell the plants they like to eat. Reapply regularly as the smell wears off, especially after a heavy rain.

Spraying repellants, such as water mixed with garlic and rotten eggs, directly onto plants (recipe found below in “Familiar Foes - Deer”) makes them unappetizing to marauding wildlife. This method makes them unpalatable for human consumption as well and so should not be used on food plants. These also need to be reapplied regularly.

With visual and audio repellants you can spook nervous pests. Scare crows, motion detector spot lights, and radios can all scare nervous invaders. The problem is that most wildlife will learn that the "predator" that scared them doesn't actually take up the chase and will eventually start to ignore it. To increase their effectiveness, make devices which move and rattle in the wind, such as a floppy scarecrow, or aluminum plates or tin cans tied on strings. Changing the location of these devices periodically will also help prolong their effectiveness.

Be sure to choose repellants that are safe to use around children and pets. And remember, pest species can learn to ignore some repellants over the long haul. To increase their effectiveness it is best to use a variety of repellants, rotate their location, and change them regularly before pest species are able to adapt.

habitat management
When pests become a problem, consider what is attracting the bothersome animals and either remove it or make it inaccessible.

If they are attracted to garbage or compost, make sure they can't get at it. Secure lids on garbage cans and composters with a strong bungee cord or a heavy weight. Don't leave pet food outside at night and rake up any spilled bird seed to keep them from attracting rats and other rodents.

If pests are making themselves at home inside your house, cover up possible entrances, such as uncapped chimneys, clothes dryer and kitchen exhaust fan vents, and openings in attics. Fill holes with dirt or seal them with wire mesh or concrete. But, be sure all intruding animals have left before sealing up holes, especially in the spring when young are being raised.

Think about any benefits these "pests" might bring to your garden. Although moles create tunnels and molehills annoying to some gardeners, it may be worthwhile to ignore these inconveniences as moles are useful in eating grubs and insects and aerating the soil.

trapping
Trapping and removal of animals is not recommended as the transported animals have a lower survival rate. This is especially true if they are forced to travel long distances in search of unoccupied territory due to the preexistence of animals of the same species. It is very difficult to find suitable habitat that is not already occupied. In addition, animals will often injure themselves when trapped, and when transported can spread disease to new areas.

If trapping is done in the spring there is an added threat to any baby animals. By orphaning the young of the trapped animal you sentence them to an early death.

Trapping is often not even successful as the vacancy created by the removal of one animal is soon filled by another animal moving in from neighbouring areas. It is much better to exclude the animal, or to discourage it from coming through the use of repellants or habitat management.

familiar foes
Certain animal species have become renowned for their ability to annoy gardeners. The following are some of the more common garden pests and suggestions for ways to live in peace with them.

deer
Mention deer and you will get conflicting reactions from people. Some people picture Bambi lying in a field of flowers. Others envision a giant rat chomping down on their favourite plants and stripping the bark off cherished trees. The truth is somewhere in between.

As urban sprawl creeps ever outward, deer become more frequent visitors to suburban and even some urban backyards. Deer are beautiful creatures but can cause some serious problems when suitable habitat is scarce or populations overexpand.

In discouraging deer, it seems there is no one easy answer. What works with deer in one location may be completely ignored in another. Also, what works one time, may not work at another. If deer are going hungry, they will become much more persistent and less choosy in what they eat.

Consider the following advice for dealing with problem deer:

• It is best to discourage deer before they become a problem as once your garden becomes a regular stop it will be that much harder to exclude them.
• Excellent jumpers, deer require fencing of at least 2.5 m high. However, deer will not jump fences if they can't see where they will be landing, so if you make a solid fence, a shorter fence will do.
• Deer are great at both long jump and high jump but have difficulty with the combination. So an alternative is to create a fence which slants outwards from your garden at a 45-degree angle with the high end 2 m from the ground.
• You can also create a double row of fences for the same effect. Place two fences 1.5 m in height and 1.5 m apart surrounding the garden. You can use the area between the fences to grow plants.
• Be sure the deer cannot squeeze underneath the fence and that the gate is secure.
• Encircle the trunks of vulnerable trees and shrubs with 1.5 m high netting or trunk wrap.
• Effective repellants are nylon stockings filled with human or dog hair, fabric softener strips, or pouches of bloodmeal hung around your garden. Or you can spray garlic and rotten eggs mixed in water. (Mix four litres of water with five eggs and a couple of pureed cloves and spray plants thoroughly, reapplying after rain. Do not use on food plants.)
• Hanging bars of deodorant soap around your garden seems to be very effective in many areas.
• Interplant your vulnerable plants with smelly plants that deer do not like. Examples are chives, garlic, onion, lavender, sage, spearmint, rosemary, and lemon thyme.
• Plant thorny, prickly, smelly, or unappetizing plants around the entrance that the deer use to enter your garden.
• Avoid plants that deer love such as apples, cherries, hemlock, yew, chrysanthemum, tulip, or Hosta.
• Choose plants that deer tend not to like, such as zinnia, black-eyed Susan, foxglove, ash, hawthorn, juniper, spruce, or bleeding heart.

rabbits and groundhogs
Rabbits, groundhogs and other four-footed creatures can cause severe damage to your backyard garden by eating seedlings, buds, and fruits. They are also inclined to strip bark from trees and graze low-growing plants to the ground. Try the following tricks to discourage them from feasting on your favourite plants.

• Encircle vulnerable trees and plants with chicken wire with a mesh 2.5 cm or smaller to a height of about 1 m. Bury the bottom of the fence to a depth of 15 cm under the ground.
• Hang mesh bags or nylon stockings filled with human or dog hair.
• Sprinkle repellants such as baby powder and dried bloodmeal on the ground around target plants.
• Put in plants such as garlic, onion, or marigold near the plants you would like to protect.
• Plant a patch of clover or alfalfa to lure them away from other plants.
• Most fences are useless unless designed specifically with these critters in mind. Use sturdy wire fencing 1 - 1.5 m in height. Leave the top 0.5 m section unattached, bending it outward all the way around. Bury the bottom of the fence to a depth of 40 cm under the ground.

squirrels
Grey or black squirrels are a common sight in urban and suburban backyards. These acrobatic and persistent critters can drive homeowners to distraction when they make pigs of themselves at backyard bird feeders, chew up feeders and dig up bulbs. Here are a few ways to deal with squirrels effectively without excluding them from your backyard habitat.

• Keep squirrels from getting to feeders by using baffles or metal bands over hanging feeders or under pole supported feeders.
• Tumblers will stop squirrels from tightrope walking across wires to reach feeders. You can make them out of short lengths of plastic pipe fitted over the wires. Or use plastic film cartridges - the tubes will spin whenever squirrels try to cross them.
• Place chicken wire over freshly planted seeds and bulbs to keep squirrels from digging them out. Place rocks or other heavy weights at each of the four corners to keep squirrels from getting under it. Be sure to remove the chicken wire before the plants get too big.
• Alternatively, you could dig the entire area for the bulbs 6 inches deep (or to the level the bulbs require). Then plant the bulbs so that the shoots are sticking out slightly and place the chicken wire right on top of the bulbs. This way the plants will grow through the wire without you having to remove it. You then cover up both the wire and the bulbs with the dirt you had removed.
• Plant daffodils intermixed with your tulips. Squirrels do not like daffodils and will stay away from them. They also dislike alliums, which are of the onion family.
• Sprinkle dried bloodmeal on the ground around vulnerable plants.
• Do not use any hot pepper mixes to discourage squirrels as it gets on their paws and can then get in their eyes causing serious pain and potentially permanent damage.
• Hang old nylons filled with dog or cat hair around the garden.
• Provide squirrels with an easier and more attractive food source to keep them out of your flower beds. Sunflower seeds are the best option as they will eat them on the spot instead of trying to bury them in your garden.

raccoons and skunks
Skunks may be saving you future expense and effort by eating lawn-destroying grubs. The damage is temporary. If, however, you have raccoons or skunks around that are making a nuisance of themselves, or if you live where raccoon rabies is a threat, here's a checklist to manage the problem effectively:

• Hang ammonia-soaked cotton rags near den entrances to deter raccoons and skunks.
• Cover up possible entrances to your house once you are sure all animals have left (especially between May and July when young are being raised). Block entrances with sheet metal, or place rustproof screening over air vents and chimneys.
• Secure lids on composters and garbage cans with a strong bungee cord or heavy weight.
• Trim tree branches or modify other structures that animals might use to get to the roof.
• Install a motion sensor light in an area where raccoons appear frequently. Although pricey, such devices provide a far more effective deterrent than lights left burning all night long.
• Sprinkle baby powder or spray ground hot peppers mixed with water on target plants. (Not food plants.)

cats
Our feline friends kill untold millions of songbirds and other small animals in Canada every year. They're partly to blame for the near extinction of certain species, including the prothonotary warbler, a tiny forest songbird found in southern Ontario. They also account for a high percentage of the injured wildlife admitted to rehabilitation centres. Cat owners are often unaware of the major danger their pets pose to songbirds - it's hard to believe the tabby that sits on your lap is one of the most lethal hunters in the animal kingdom. Songbirds have enough problems without this unnecessary threat. If a feline feeding frenzy is jeopardizing wildlife near you, there are steps you can take, such as:

• Make sure songbird habitats aren't feline-friendly. Install cone-shaped predator guards on nesting trees and underneath nesting boxes.
• Spray repellants, such as water mixed with garlic or onion, or place lime or lemon peel, around the areas the cats like to lurk.
• Lay chicken wire over newly planted areas of your garden to prevent cats from digging there. Remove it once the plants start to grow big.
• Take stray cats to an animal shelter, where they'll have a chance to find good homes and won't be adding to the feral population.
• Urge cat owners to keep their pets indoors, especially when young birds are learning to fly. (Indoor living is safer for cats as well, because it protects them from the dangers of traffic, disease, and larger predators.)
• Dispel myths about felines - for example, that declawed, well-fed cats with bells on their collars won't harm wild animals. Research has proven otherwise. Although hunting is a natural instinct for cats, until their introduction, domestic cats had never been part of the natural food chain in Canada.
• Have your cat neutered to limit the number of stray cats which depend on birds and mice for their survival.
• Don't forget the effect of loose dogs on wildlife. Dogs harass and kill squirrels, chipmunks, young birds, frogs, toads, snakes, deer, and many other kinds of wildlife

top

QuickPrint