Skunks are attracted to gardens because they provide both food and shelter. Skunks eat vegetables and dig for insects and grubs, which can disturb or destroy plants and make a mess. If you have skunks in your garden, there are several simple methods you can use to get rid of them.
Strategies to Keep Skunks out of Your Garden
One of the simplest ways to keep skunks out of your garden is to light it up at night. Since skunks are nocturnal and have light-sensitive eyes, they tend to avoid areas with bright lights. You can set up a light with a motion sensor that will come on whenever a skunk enters your garden.
Some smells can repel skunks. They don’t like the smell of citrus fruits. You can discourage skunks from entering your garden by putting orange or lemon peels around the perimeter.
Skunks also don’t like the smell of ammonia. You can soak rags or cotton balls in ammonia and place them around the garden. You will need to repeat this periodically because the ammonia will evaporate.
You can frighten away skunks by making them think there is a predator nearby. You can buy dog, coyote, or other predator urine and spray it around your garden. You will need to reapply it after it rains.
How to Keep Skunks from Coming Back
These repellents might get skunks to go away, but in order to keep them out of your garden, you need to eliminate the reason why they came in the first place. Get rid of any food sources, such as compost piles, grubs, or bird feeders, in your garden. Put a low fence around the plants to keep skunks out. They cannot climb well, so a low fence can be effective.
Look around your garden for the burrow where the skunks are living. You can fill it in with dirt at night after the skunks have left. A skunk may have babies in the burrow in the spring, so make sure there are none in there before you fill it in.
What to Do If These Methods Fail
If you have tried these methods but they didn’t work, you have another option: You can trap and relocate the skunks. You should not try to do this yourself because you could get sprayed.
Anderson Wildlife Control has experience trapping and relocating skunks. We use humane, environmentally friendly methods. We do not utilize any poisons or pesticides, and no animals are harmed. We can trap the skunks in your garden and move them to another location to keep them from coming back. Contact us today for an estimate for skunk removal services or other animal control services in Connecticut.
