Raccoons are never a desirable animal to find in your garden. Although generally shy they can become aggressive, especially when cornered. It’s also worth noting that raccoons are known to carry a variety of diseases, including rabies, roundworm, and leptospirosis.
That’s why, if you have an issue with them in your yard, it’s best to get the pest control experts to deal with them.
However, there are several steps you can take to help keep these animals away from your yard in the first place.
Check Access
Your local, reputable, pest control firm should be happy to visit you and advise the weak spots in your yard that will allow a raccoon, or other pests, access. You can then take steps to eliminate these weak spots and prevent the raccoons from getting into your yard.
Trash
One of the biggest draws for any wild animal is a food source. In the case of raccoons, the rubbish outside your home is an exceptionally attractive offering. To make sure this doesn’t emit an enticing aroma it’s essential that all trash is placed in a sealed bin and preferably kept as far away from your home as possible.
Tidy
Raccoons, along with many other pests, need to hide as they run around your yard. This is how they feel safe as they make their way toward your food and any water source.
Trim the bushes around your garden, keep the grass short, and remove piles of debris or wood. Eliminating any potential hiding place for a raccoon will reduce their inclination to visit.
Fencing
If at all possible fence the perimeter of your garden. Raccoons won’t generally dig under fencing and they are unlikely to climb over it, as they won’t know what is the other side.
In fact, fencing isn’t just effective at keeping raccoons out of your yard, it’s also an effective approach to keeping many garden pests away.
If a standard fence isn’t an option you can place an electric fence around your property. It only needs one wire set approximately 5 or 6 inches above the ground and a second wire 4 inches above that. Turn it on as dusk arrives and off when the sun comes up, it will keep the raccoons out.
Startle Them
As mentioned, raccoons are generally shy and timid. That means it’s surprisingly easy to startle them and scare them away.
Fit motion activated sprinklers to your lawn and add a speaker with a human voice or even just a shriek.
The raccoon will trigger the motion sensor and will be startled by the noise and the water. In short, it will run away.
Raccoon Repellant
If you have a gravel or concrete edging to your yard this approach is very effective. Simply spray the raccoon repellant around the perimeter of your yard and top it up regularly. The raccoons will find the repellant irritating and head somewhere else, but it won’t affect your pets or other wildlife
That’s good if you still want to attract birds to the garden!