Out of all of the critters that might make a home on your property, the last animal you want hanging around is a skunk. Not only do skunks emanate a terrible odor, but they also have the potential to carry diseases like rabies and canine distemper. If you do spot a skunk on your property, you probably want to leave the situation to pest control professionals. If you need to take care of the skunk yourself, however, you have a few options.
Trap That Skunk
Skunks are nocturnal animals, so you can count on them to be wandering around at night. This makes setting up a trap relatively easy and safe.
Purchase a live animal trap with covered sides and bait it with tasty treats like marshmallows or peanut butter to ensure you attract skunks instead of cats. During the day, place the trap near an area where you have seen or smelled a skunk. Leave it undisturbed until morning. With luck, you should have caught your resident skunk. Even with the covered trap, you'll know you caught the right creature by the smell alone. Once you have your skunk, carefully transport it far away from your property. The covered cage should keep you from getting sprayed.
Seal Skunk Dens
Sometimes, skunks do more than just pass through a property regularly. Crawl spaces under homes and elevated sheds make excellent skunk dens. If you suspect you have a skunk living on your property, you need to carefully force it out of its den.
First, seal off every possible entrance to the den except one. This can be done carefully during the day while the skunk should be sleeping. Then, leave a thick layer of flour in front of the last remaining den entrance. In the evening, check the flour for fresh tracks leaving the den, and once you spot them, seal up this last entrance. Without access to its den, the skunk will simply have to move out. Just make sure you don't seal an adult skunk out of a den in early spring when immobile kits could be trapped inside.
Deter Future Skunks
If your yard is attractive to skunks, just kicking out your current resident skunk won't be enough to prevent future problems. The next step is to make your yard inhospitable to skunks. Block off any potential den locations under buildings. If you want to truly make your yard skunk-proof, consider installing deeply buried fences. Skunks can dig under fences, but they don't typically dig deeper than eight inches below the ground, so bury your fence at least that deep. For further skunk control, a pest control professional may be able to spray skunk deterrents or pesticides around your property.
To learn more about skunk control, contact pest control professionals in your area.
Can you sit down and make a list of critters you don't like? Chances are, most of the critters on your list will be household pests. You might list cockroaches, ants, spiders, mice, and rats. Maybe you also mention termites, which are not very creepy, but can absolutely destroy your home. Coming into contact with any of these critters can be disheartening, but pest control companies are there to help. Learn more about this industry and how pest control professionals work right here on this website. We know spiders and ants can be creepy, and we want to give you the information necessary to keep them away.