Critter Troubles
May I always be the person my pets think I am
Cats and Dogs
1. Grind up grapefruit or lemon rind.
Spread over the soil.
2. Use any thorny plant clippings like rose
or raspberry canes to spread on the soil.
3. Plant some catnip or catmint in an out
of the way area to keep cats away from
other garden spaces.
4. There is a repellent sold at PetSmart
called "Reppers" that quite a few people
have said is very effective against cats.
5. Make a tea from rue and spray the boundary.
Cats hate rue. Try planting rue here and
there to repel them and to have some to make
your own sprays. Rue is a pretty perennial
herb with blue, green leaves and yellow
flowers. It can cause contact dermatitis in
some people. Also try planting a thick ground
cover like sedum acres, hardy iceplant etc.
6. Maybe: Here's an interesting trick. Place mouse
traps with the trap side down on the soil. When
they are disturbed they will pop into the air
and scare the intruder. The trap is already
sprung when it jumps so it won't hurt the cats.
7. Dogs and cats: Some folks have had success by
sprinkling bloodmeal on the soil.
8. If you can get seeds from a sweet gum tree try
using them as a barrier.
9. Spread pinecones around.
10. Sprinkle red pepper, cayenne pepper, or
black pepper as a barrier to deter cats,
dogs, rabbits and squirrels. Also try
spraying the perimeter of the area with
hot pepper spray.
Must be repeated after a rainfall.
11. Try spraying full strength lemon juice
where they get in the garden.
12. Plant calendula (pot marigold) which
repels dogs.
13. Sink some plastic bottles into the soil,
filled with water in several places in
the garden. Dogs and cats supposedly respect
fresh water resources and will use other
places to do their business.
14. Use chicken wire or plastic mesh disguised
under some mulch in garden beds. Cats can't
dig so they won't (hopefully) poop.
Deer Controls
There is no real sure cure for repelling deer
other than tall fences. Some of the methods that
follow may work better for certain types of deer
than others. When food is scarce deer can and will
eat just about everything. Experiment to see what
make work for your deer problem.
Here is the definitive answer on deer fencing
methods from Jan Reeves in West Virginia.
We have some very aggressive deer here in West
Virginia. This is the only deterrent that has
worked when the bush beans are in full flower.
We've had this barrier broached once. During
hunting season a spooked buck tore through the
upper wires but he was running so hard he never
noticed the garden. All the other deer have been
content to trim our hedge and munch on marigolds.
* Erect the usual 4 foot 12 gauge fence
around the area. Place posts 6 vice 8
feet apart so deer can't lean on the
fence and bend it.
* Every 18 feet or so clamp 10-12 foot poles
to the fence posts. String cheap electric
fence wire between poles at about 2 foot
vertical intervals. Tape Christmas tree
icicles to wires at about 3 ft. intervals.
This confuses the deer as to the height
and density of the "extended" fencing.
* To be absolutely effective, erect a single
wire barrier 27 inches up and 30 inches
beyond the fence row. Deer get between the
wire and the fence but can't gather themselves
for the jump.
1. When using Ropel for deer control it can be made
much more effective with the addition of an antitranspirant
such as Cloudcover, Wiltproof, Forevergreen etc. The
actions of the antitranspirants along with the Ropel
make the effectiveness of the treatment last all season
long.
2. Plant time-released garlic capsules at the bases
of trees or shrubs.
3. Wrap bars of "gold Dial deodorant soap" in
cheesecloth. Hang bars at intervals of 4 feet apart
and 4 feet above the ground.
4. To stop bark chewing: Mix bone tar oil at a ratio
of 1 part bone tar oil to 50 parts water to. Paint
on tree trunks. Nah, it won't hurt your trees. Bone
tar oil is available as Magic Circle Deer Repellant.
5. Egg spray: mix 5-6 raw eggs in 1 gallon of water and
spray. This will cover approximately 17,00 sq. feet.
The smell of decomposing eggs keep the deer away while
being too faint a dilution for humans to detect.
The U.S. Forest service has used this for years. Also
including some antitranspirant in this mix will extend
the benefits. An alternative is to use wettable sulfur
which gives off that rotten egg smell. Mix according
to directions and spray as a barrier.
6. Hot sauce spray: Mix 1-2 tsp. of Tabasco sauce and 2
tsp. of antitranspirant in 1 gallon of water. Spray.
Must be reapplied after rain.
7. Plant some specific plants at the outermost perimeter
of your yard for the deer to graze on. These plants
can generally take the "natural pruning" done by the
deer and flourish. Deer will eat just about anything
when feeding conditions are poor.
* Choices: Gambel Oak, Fourwing Saltbush, Rocky
Mountain Smooth Sumac Saskatoon Serviceberry,
Wood's Rose.
8. Inside the feeding ground barrier a buffer of
possibly deer resistant plants is wise. The following
table has a selection of plants that are considered
more deer-proof. When hungry deer will eat just about
anything so nothing is infallible. For a great listing
of deer resistant plants visit Rutgers University Deer
Plant Page.
Trees Blue Spruce
Bristlecone Pine
Hawthorn
Holly Tree
Norway Maple
Oaks
Oregon Myrtle
Redwood
Smoke Tree
Sweet Gum
Tanbark Oak
Walnut
Shrubs Boxwood
Butterfly Bush
Curl Leaf Mountain Mahogany
Japanese Barberry
Junipers
Natal Plum
Potentilla
Redtwig Dogwood
Rhododendron
Scotch Broom
Star Jasmine
Wild Lilac
Groundcover Aarons Beard
Ajuga
Irish Moss
Lily of Valley
Manzanita
Myrtle
Dianthus
Peppermint
Scotch Moss
Siberian Catmint
Spearmint
St. Johns Wort
Vines Algerian Ivy
American Bittersweet
CA Fuschia
Clematis
English Ivy
Virginia Creeper
Perennial Anemone
Artemisias
Asclepias
Babys Breath
Bee Balm
Chrysanthemum
Daffodil
Daylily
Dianthus
Coreopsis
Echinacea
Dusty Miller
Foxglove
Hellebore
Iris
Lady Fern
Lambs Ear
Oregano
Oriental Poppy
Pampas Grass
Sword Fern
Wood Fern
Yarrow
Succulent Hen & Chick
Sedums
Spiny Cacti
Yuccas
9. Try putting pallets flat on the ground
around your garden. Deer usually will not
walk on or jump over these. Usually your
local newspaper is a good source for free pallets.
10. Hang fabric softener sheets in and around areas
to be protected. Replace after several rains.
11. Mix a gallon bucket of clay soil and water with
cayenne or any hot pepper and garlic. Paint this
on trunks of trees and stems of shrubs. This will
not harm the plants.
12. Hang deodorant type soap every 4 feet or so from
your trees' branches. Keep them at a height of 30".
One warning: ground hogs like the soap.
13. Coyote urine which is available commercially has
been reported to be effective as a deer repellant.
We have had quite a few people write in to the
contrary that predators urine scents don't seem
to work at all.
14. From the Bartlett Tree Experts' Research Laboratory
in North Carolina is this interesting deer control
technique. They have installed a post and rail fence
strung with solar powered electric wires. Sure the
deer might figure out how to get past it without
getting jolted so Bartlett has come up with this
behavior modifier. They put blobs of peanut butter
on the fence which deer find irresistible. They come
to get the goodies and the shock is such an unpleasant
surprise that they remember the experience and don't
bother coming back to try and jump the fence!
15. We have been told that deer will avoid Russian Sage
like the plague. Russian sage is certainly a beautiful
perennial and worth a try! Bees love it.
16. To keep deer from bulb plants- soak them in Alum water
before planting.
Moles, Voles and Groundhog
1. Castor beans or mole plants (Euphorbia lathyris) can
be planted around or in a garden. The bean seeds can
also be dropped in tunnels. However, both plants are
very poisonous and should not be used where small
children may come in contact with them.
2. Spray a solution of 1 tbsp. of castor oil and 1 TBS
of liquid dish soap per gallon of warm water on soil
and plants.
3. Place elderberry cuttings in the tunnels.
4. Sprinkle chile powder and powdered garlic into
tunnels weekly.
5. Scatter ground red pepper into the runs.
6. Plant ornamental blooming scilla (squill) bulbs
as a garden border or around susceptible plants
to repel moles. Also known as "Wood Hyacinth."
Scilla comes in shades of white lavender, blue,
and pink with nodding bell-like flowers. Over the
years they will multiply and fill in. Easy to grow
and an attractive spring flower.
7. Last resort: Place rolled up pieces of Juicy fruit
gum in mole tunnels. Wear gloves to mask your scent
when you unwrap the gum. Moles love it, but it clogs
their innards, fatally. Or use Ex-Lax which has the
opposite effect.
8. Dump well used cat litter into the holes of active
burrows. Use caution when handling cat litter, the
feces may contain toxoplasmosis parasites, which
can infect humans especially pregnant women.. Do
not use around edibles.
9 Find the entrances then put sulfur into the holes
and seal all of them with soil.. Another option
is to place small ammonia soaked sponges into each
hole and seal.
10. Some people have had success at keeping moles at
bay using hot peppers. Use jalapenos, habaneros,
the hotter the better! Keep a bag full in the
freezer to have on hand when you need them...ready
to use against moles and for your bug sprays. What
you want to do is tightly pack the peppers into
the openings of the runs using as many as you need.
Do this everywhere you find an entrance and at
intervals along the tunnels if you can find them.
Dig an opening then stuff with peppers. For every
spot you pack with peppers be sure to fill it in
with dirt and tamp down firmly.
11. Try placing dog or cat hair in the entrance holes
and runs.
Rabbits
1. Tree guards: In fall wrap the lower portions of
the trunks with commercial tree wrap, burlap,
foil, or metal window screen. The wrapping should
be 2' above the height of the deepest snow expected,
rabbits can walk on top of the snow. Remove wrappings
from the trunks in spring.
2. Sprinkle or hang cheesecloth bags of bloodmeal
around plants. If sprinkled it must be redone after
rain.
3. Vinegar: Soak corn cobs (cut in half) left over
from a meal in vinegar for 5 minutes, then scatter
throughout the flower or vegetable garden. Two weeks
later soak them again in the same vinegar. You can
keep reusing this same vinegar again and again.
4. Spray a tea made from cow manure and water as a
repellent.
5. Soybean plants will repel rabbits or some say they
attract them.
6. Onions will repel them. So will bonemeal.
7. Use red pepper, black pepper, cayenne, paprika etc.
as a dust to repel. Rabbits are always sniffing so
they snort this up and it sends them packing.
8. Mix 1 well beaten egg, 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce, and
1 gal. of water. Paint this on the tree trunks to
prevent munching. This will not harm the trees.
9. Plant "Mexican Marigolds" (Tagetes Minuta) and
garlic in the garden to repel them.
10. Set old leather shoes (from the thrift shop)
around the garden to give it that "humans are here"
smell.
11. Garlic Oil Spray may help to repel rabbits.
* To make: Combine 3 ounces of minced garlic
cloves with 1 ounce of mineral oil. Let soak
for 24 hours or longer. Strain. Next mix 1
teaspoon of fish emulsion with 16 ounces of
water. Add 1 tablespoon of castille soap to this.
Now slowly combine the fish emulsion water with
the garlic oil. Kept in a sealed glass container
this mixture will stay viable for several months.
To use: Mix 2 tablespoons of garlic oil with 1
pint of water and spray.
12. Try planting some crops that rabbits will eat
instead with, we hope, the intention of deterring
them from your other garden crops. Try annual
crimson red clover, planted as a strip border
around the garden. Now even if it is not successful
as a distraction the clover will up the nitrogen
content of your soil. Soybeans are said to be good
munchies for bunnies but some say they act as a
repellant.
13. Pepper and Glue Spray: Mix together 2 TBS of ground
red pepper or Tabasco sauce, 1 TBS of Elmer's white
glue and a quart of water. Spray as needed but not
right before you are ready to harvest as the solution
may be difficult to wash off your produce.
Raccoons and Skunks
NOTE: Skunks have been known to go after sweet corn just
like raccoons! To add to that not much will stop
raccoons.
Raccoons usually have litters of between two to seven
babies. They travel what we call "runs" and will use
the same runs generation after generation for decades.
They can easily scale high wooden fences. They are
nocturnal and do their scavenging at night.
Skunks are also nocturnal or nighttime marauders and
can claim up to 10 acres in their territory! Skunks
habitually use old borrows left from other creatures
or like to make a home in hollows underneath buildings
and porches. They will, on occasion, dig their own
burrows.
1. Plant anything with prickly foliage to deter them
such as squash plants, oriental poppies, globe
thistle, pumpkins, Kentucky Wonder pole beans etc.
Raccoons have incredibly sensitive toes.
2. To keep them from corn plants: put 2-3 drops of
Tabasco sauce near the tip of the ear at least one
week before picking.
3. To trap raccoons: use baits like sardines,
marshmallows, or honey-soaked bread.
4. Surround the area with a horizontal border that
coons and skunks don't like to walk over-crumpled
up black plastic, newspaper, or aluminum foil.
Hold these in place with some rocks, landscape
pins, or soil.
5. Use mesh fencing or chicken wire as a horizontal
barrier. Raise these slightly above the ground
with some bricks to make it even more of a hassle
to cross.
6. Spread naphthalene flakes or balls around,
raccoons hate the taste of this in their paws
and they are said to also aid in repelling skunks.
7. Put paper bags over ears of corn and fasten shut
with a rubberband.
8. When the ears are getting close to harvest time
tape them to the stalks with masking tape!
9. Use any kind of old netting: fish netting, tennis
net, whatever as a barrier. Stake loosely to hold
in place.
10. Use rose bush trimmings as a barrier, or anything
with stickers.
11. Plant cucumbers with your corn. Both raccoons and
skunks hate cucumbers for some reason.
12. Sprinkle a barrier of lime around the perimeter to
be protected.
13. To keep raccoons from getting the fruit in your
trees: wrap a barrier of aluminum or sheet metal
2 feet in height around the trunk of the tree.
Be sure not to make it tight you want to let your
tree trunk breathe.
14. Soak old corn cobs in vinegar. Place them around
the plant to be protected. Supposedly once they
chew on these they will not come back. We found
that last season this worked on both skunks and
raccoons for about 2 months. Apparently after that
they got wise and were up to their old tricks.
15. Skunk Spray: Make a spray out of 1 quart of 3%
hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and 1
teaspoon dish soap. Spray this around areas where
you would like skunks to stear clear of such as
garbage cans. Don't get this on foliage.
16. Sprinkle flour around suspected nesting or sleeping areas.
Rat and Mice Control
1. Last resort: Slice up corks, mix with food grease
(bacon grease, hamburger grease etc.) then scent
this mixture with oil of anise. Put out for the
rodents, they love to eat it, but cannot digest
it and die.
2. Scatter fresh or dried mint or holly leaves as
a repellent. The mint works like a charm! We use
it everywhere mice are a problem and they will not
go near it. Smells nice too. We have had a good
deal of email from folks that wrote us to say mint
works great for them too!
3. Protect the bases of trees by wrapping loosely with
1/4" hardware cloth or foil. Be sure to keep any
mulch pulled away from the trunks.
There is always cats as an option!
4. Don't mulch any perennials until after a few frosts.
The rodents will have found a home by then and not
in your mulch!
5. Encourage snakes and owls to stay near the garden
to provide natural control.
6. Trap baits: nut meats, dried fruits, or bacon.
7. Plant "barriers" of perennial sweet peas (Lathyrus
latifolius) which will repel mice. You will enjoy
the beauty of these plants for many years to come
too.
8. Spray Ropel on the plants that are being bothered
by mice.
9. Keep the soil around plants bare, as mice do not
like to come out in the open.
10. Daffodils (Narcissus spp.), wood hyacinth (Scilla
or squill) and grape hyacinth (Muscari) are said
to repel rodents. Plant a pretty spring blooming
border of them to help protect your other plants
year round.
11. Planting herbs with a powerful scent will repel
mice. Best choices are alliums, camphor plant,
dwarf elder, elderberry, ,euphorbias, any mints
and wormwood.
12. If you are allergic to or cannot tolerate cats
then there are certain dogs which will take care
of mice for you. Certain terriers are well known
as "ratters" and so are Italian greyhounds.
13. For trapping mice: Use pumpkin seeds; you'll find
that mice can't resist them! They sure are great
roasted and salted, the pumpkin seeds, that is!
Snake Control
1. Burn the leaves of Comfrey, Rue, and Bay. Scatter
where snakes are, they will leave.
2. Spread a mixture of moth crystals and kitty litter
around the perimeter of the area to be protected.
Use the moth crystals that are made of naphthalene
which is a mild pesticide. Obviously this is not
organic. Will last through several rains. Our reader
feedback is some say it works and some not.
3. A barrier of "Flowers of sulfur" may repel snakes.
This should be available at local drugstore or
pharmacy and is also known as elemental sulfur.
We have heard of this being used successfully
where copperheads are a problem.
4. Wormwood: this herb when dried and scattered
around will repel snakes. Planting a barrier
of wormwood plants is another method. A perimeter
spraying of wormwood tea may help.
5. Spray ammonia around the snakes hole to repel,
then later fill them in with dirt.
Squirrel Control
1. To repel squirrels: Mix Naphthalene flakes,
gypsum, and chile pepper. Spread around the
problem areas.
2. Bulbs: soak them in Ropel before planting and
squirrels will leave them alone. You can also
dust them with medicated baby powder.
3. Put sheet metal collars on trees to keep them
from climbing the trunks. Prune back any access
limbs also.
4. To keep squirrels from the bird feeders in
winter try growing witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana.
It can be grown in the East and Midwest. They grow
underneath trees and can continue blooming into
December. The flowers form a seed pod that will
eventually shoot out the seeds on the ground which
supplies squirrels with some winter forage.
5. Sprinkle pepper or paprika around squirrel prone
areas.
6. Using any type of "sticky barrier" can be effective
as the squirrels' hate the sticky feeling on their
paws.
7. For pole type bird feeders: grease the pole with
petroleum jelly. They will get the message pretty
quick and go elsewhere for goodies.
8. Learn to get along with them. We have squirrels
who do get into the bird feeders but in general
cause no trouble at all! In 15 years they have
dug up some bulbs one time and that is it!
9. Plant Fritillaria imperialis bulbs in the area
of plants that you want to protect. Supposedly
they have a particular smell that squirrels and
chipmunks find repulsive. They are certainly
beautiful plants and a great addition to your
garden!
10. Beware that water features will attract squirrels
and chipmunks too!
11. To keep squirrels and chipmunks from bulb plants-
soak them in Alum water before planting.
http://www.ghorganics.com/page6.html
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