Is a skunk at home keeping you from enjoying the good weather? Wondering what to do with the ones that take refuge under your balcony? Fearful for their foul odor that sticks to your skin for days, skunks are wild animals that can carry rabies. To prevent skunks from choosing your property as an open-air buffet, here are 10 tips to keep skunks away from your home.
Clean up your garbage
This large glutton feeds on almost anything it finds: fruits, nuts, garbage, insects and small rodents. Check your garbage cans for leaks and do not leave any bags within reach.
Pick up natural detritus on your property
The insects that live in your leaf piles and fresh grass clippings are a feast for skunks. So don’t let such feasts on your property.
Have your lawn treated for grubs
Grubs, the parasitic insects that ravage your lawn, are a favorite with skunks. Your lawn would benefit from a preventive treatment.
Apply a commercial repellent
You can find a skunk repellent at your local hardware store that you can apply near your balcony, deck and shed.
Installing sprinklers on your property
Nocturnal animal, the skunk comes out of its burrow around 8 pm. A good way to control its presence is to program your sprinklers according to its hours of exit.
Do not leave any food sources available
Do you have fruit trees or a vegetable garden? Harvest ripe fruits, vegetables and nuts. Also pick up those that have fallen to the ground.
Install motion sensor lighting
Skunks are light-averse and will hate your new automatic lighting. Change your regular light bulbs for a light that will detect the presence of intruders on your property.
Clean their burrows with ammonia
When their burrow is left vacant, spray it with ammonia. This powerful smell will disturb your new tenants, who can sometimes have up to 12 females in the same burrow during the semi-hibernation period.
Place mothballs in their burrows
Good old-fashioned mothballs are a great way to prevent skunks. You can find them at your local hardware store.
Block all access to nooks and crannies
Using chicken wire, close up any holes that could be used as hiding places for this foul-smelling intruder.
Never approach a skunk!
Although very cute with her white stripes and her slightly awkward wiggle, the skunk should not be mistaken for your next pet. Especially fear those who go out in the daylight. This unusual behavior indicates that they may be carriers of the rabies virus. BRISEBOIS EXTERMINATION, your Montreal stink bug capture professionals, can help you relocate skunks that have settled on your property. No harm will come to them (and you’ll have avoided their stinky spray that can reach an impressive 6 m!).