If you were to notice a few traces that indicate that you have a skunk making a home on your property, you will want to do something as soon as possible. Skunks can cause holes in your yard searching for food. They can burrow down underneath your building, or they can hide out under your porch. They smell strongly when they spray and it is a smell that goes very deep inside most surfaces, making it difficult to remove the odor completely. There are a few ways to get rid of them; live traps, repellents, or electronic devices. Many people prefer either live bait traps or skunk repellents.
What Are Skunk Repellents?
Skunk repellents are a way to discourage skunks from returning to their home or den. They can be made from ingredients you have at home or you can opt for a more expensive route and purchase them at your local store. Skunk repellents are a safe way to stop skunks from making their home around your house or on your property.
If you make the repellents yourself using home ingredients, be sure to mix according to the directions.
Home Repellents
It's important to keep in mind, if the home repellent is not strong or the skunk is comfortable with the scent, it is not going to work and it will take a longer period of time to get rid of them. Here are a few of the more successful repellents available:
1. Urine from a predator – Use the urine from your dog or cat to pour into a spray bottle and spray around places that you know they visit.
2. Hot mix – this mix contains hot peppers, jalapeno, onions, cayenne pepper, and water. Bring to a boil and allow to continue that boil for approximately ten minutes. Then strain the ingredients and pour the liquid into a spray bottle and spray the areas that are close to the skunk den.
3. Using ammonia – place a few pieces of cloth into a bucket and add ammonia directly into the bucket. After soaking, place the rags around in different locations in your yard.
4. Mothballs – although they are highly toxic, the smell of a mothball can send the skunk in a different direction.
If you choose to use homemade recipes to use as a skunk repellent, remember to spray the area with your repellent every day in order to keep it fresh.
Store Bought Skunk Repellent
If you decide to purchase your skunk repellent, you will want to do your research and determine which skunk repellent would work best based on where the skunk is located on your property. Read the instructions carefully before using the repellent.
Repellents that are purchased from the store are stronger so it may not take as much per use to get rid of your skunk.
Repellents can be as simple as using cat litter around the entrance area of the den or just inside the den so the skunk will walk over it to get out of the den. Castor oil is another repellent that could be effective.
Be sure to place another layer of the repellent on or around the area that the skunk is causing an issue with such as your garden. Remember that the rain will wash off the repellent so it won’t be as effective. If after using one repellent, you find that it doesn’t work, you may want to try another one instead. You don’t want to waste time on a repellent that may or may not work. You want to see a difference in your yard as soon as possible.
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