Wildlife Deterrents and Repellents

Deterrents

• Place lighting (such as bright flashlights, flood lamp, blinking strands of holiday lights, etc.) in their den. It is best to leave the lights on 24 hours a day. If this is not possible, the lights must be on during the day to disturb the animal's sleep if the animal is nocturnal or the reverse for daytime animals.
• Play a radio (portable alarm clock, noisy children's toy, anything that plays music or makes noise repeatedly) either in or near their den. It is best to leave the radio on 24 hours a day. If this is not possible, the radio must be on during the day to disturb the animal's sleep or the reverse for daytime animals.
• Wrap a 4'-6' wide piece of aluminum flashing around tree trunks so that the animal cannot get a foothold on the bark. Make sure the aluminum flashing is a minimum height of 4' from the ground. This will deny the animal access to the tree and your roof. This technique provides an immediate solution, however it is recommended to leave the flashing up for 5-7 days.
• Grease downspouts with a mixture of petroleum jelly and crushed red pepper. The animals will be unable to climb the downspout due to the slippery surface. This technique provides an immediate solution, however it is recommended to leave the downspouts greased for 5-7 days.

Repellents

Hot Pepper Repellent Recipe

• One chopped yellow onion
• One chopped Jalapeno pepper
• One tablespoon of Cayenne pepper

Boil ingredients for 20 minutes in two quarts of water. Let it cool and then strain it through cheesecloth. You can apply this with a pesticide sprayer or a spray bottle.

This will deter just about any animal from an area where it is applied. The only drawback is that it will last just 3-5 days.

The "Magic" Formula

• 8 oz. Of any liquid dish soap
• 8 oz. Of Castor Oil
• 1 gallon of water

Mix the Castor Oil and soap. Be sure that it is mixed thoroughly then add it to one gallon of water and spray the entire area. This is a simple and safe recipe and should work well for many mammals.

Scarecrow

This is a motion-activated water "sprinkler." It shoots a 3-second blast of water when motion is sensed. It uses 2 cups of water each time it sprays and has a daylight sensor. Some local area garden and hardware stores may stock this item.

Ropel/Liquid Fence

Ropel and Liquid Fence are other commercially produced repellents to use to ward off wildlife. Some local area garden and hardware stores may stock this item.