Keeping Skunks Away
In this article we will go over common skunk exclusion techniques used by industry professionals to keep skunks away. Most of the materials you will need for this project can be purchased at a home supply store, if not all of it. Keeping skunks away sometimes requires more than just installing these materials, and may need you and your family to change certain habits. Keep reading this article to find out more about this.
Excluding Skunks from Your Property For Good
Fenceline maintenance is key to keeping all maner of critters out of your yard. Repairing damaged panels, installing pavers at the gate entrance, and patching any holes in the fence goes a long way to discouraging non-native nuisance wildlife from entering your outdoor living space. There are also some helpful tips for managing what it is that is so interesting to these animals in your yard in the following sections.
Repairing the Fence
If your fence is in poor repair, fix this immediately. For the time being you can install plywood sheeting or other materials to patch holes, but you will probably want to match the asthetic at a later date. Gates on wooden fences often require ground clearance to open and shut properly, however, this creates a vulnerability in your yard! If you install pavers on the inside of the gate so that the closed gate door is flush with the pavers, you can prevent some burrowing creatures from make themselves and other animals easy access to your backyard.
Gardens & Fruit Trees
While skunks traditionally eat insects, rodents, small reptiles, and fowl eggs, they can do some serious damage to your garden and fruit trees. Make sure low hanging branches are trimmed to prevent skunks and other types of animals from your fruit trees. Make sure to pick up ripe fruit as it falls from the tree, and install clear plastic spikes around the base of the trees and around the perimeter of your garden. A determined animal may still enter the garden and cause some damage, so it may be a good idea to complete an exclusion and trapping before installing these.
Protecting Spaces Underneath Homes and Sheds
The space underneath raised homes, mobile homes, porches, patios, and sheds can all be treated just about the same. Once you are able to trap or exclude skunks from the area, install trellises with steel mesh stapled to the back to maintain a nicer asthetic whilst also completing the job. If you have a long stretch that needs to be covered and you don't have anything to mount your mesh or screening into, drive stakes at least a foot on the ground a few feet apart, and mount a cross brace between the two to provide an anchor on the ground.