Raccoons. They look cute and cuddly, especially as babies, but as a homeowner, they can be quite a nuisance to have in the neighborhood or even on your property for many reasons. First, they can cause a lot of damage to your property, because they love to search through your garbage bins and dig up your lawn in search of food.
Another big problem is the health hazards that they can pose on humans and pets. For example, transmitting rabies through scratches or bites. Another less common health hazard are roundworms which are parasites living inside of a raccoon’s intestines that release their eggs into their feces. This parasite can cause neurological impairment if ingested by humans or pets, or it can also result in organ damage and, in the worst cases, death.
Considering the fact that raccoons are common visitors, it’s important to have knowledge on how you should keep your property in order to deter these pests from coming back on a regular basis. If you do not take measures to keep raccoons away from your property, eventually, they might decide that your home is a good one to move into. They can break into your attic, and at that point, you will need to hire a pest control company to remove them.
One area of your home that raccoons are most attracted to includes the lawn to feed on any produce in your garden, and to root around for grubs and larvae. As they search for food around your yard, they typically end up uprooting everything and digging small holes everywhere.
Here are our recommendations on how you can make your lawn less appetizing to raccoons:
- Raccoons have a good sense of smell, so sprinkling diluted hot sauce over any of the produce in your garden will help keep them away.
- You can also use things like biodegradable soaps to spread scents around your lawn and deter them from digging it up.
- Raccoons also get scared easily, so if you invest in some motion sensor lights for your lawn, this can scare them off.
One of the biggest reasons raccoons are an issue in major cities is because for them, it’s easy to access food in the garbage and compost bins. By using their exceptionally helpful paws, they can pry open lids and have easy access to food sources. Once they find a spot that has easy access to food, they will continue to come back to that same spot regularly to find food.
Here are tips to keep raccoons out of your garbage and compost:
- Keep the garbage and compost inside your home until the morning of the garbage pick up to eliminate any odours that might attract raccoons.
- Install your motion sensor lighting around your garbage bins and compost to frighten them away.
- Use garbage and compost bins that feature a locking lid, and for added protection, you can even add something heavy on top of the lid (any object that is 10lbs should do the trick).