Good Day. Today I’d like to share a question that came in on the Fixie Chix Ask it Form.

Inquiry/Question: Our beautiful plants get dug out of their terracotta pots and destroyed, thrown all over the place and killed, apparently by a raccoon in the middle of the night. We live in Conesus in the woods. How can we prevent our plants from being destroyed? O.W.

Fix: Dear O.W.,
A Raccoon’s diet consists primarily of insects, fish and frogs during the Spring and early Summer. During the late summer and fall, fruits, berries, nuts, and grains are also eaten. I am wondering if your pest might be a ground hog or rabbitt. Both love to dine on green, leafy plants. Either way, here are a couple of solutions to try that should deter most small animal pests.

A very popular animal repellant on the market today is actually electronic and claims to emit soundwaves humans can hear but deters animals from coming any closer. For around $70.00, you can purchase the Yard Guard Animal Repeller. This electronic yard protector uses adjustable, powerful sonic and ultrasonic sound waves to repel dogs, cats, deer, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, opossums, armadillos, skunks, bats, rodents other creatures and bugs. Humane and effective, ideal for yards, gardens, porches, buildings and greenhouses, for up to 4,000 square feet of coverage. This may not be the best choice for indoor pet owners.

Additionally, you can try natural repellants, some you can purchase, some you can make yourself. Most of the solutions I have seen for sale are made of the urine of the pest’s predator.

Hot Pepper Repellant Recipe for the DIY ‘er
You need:
1. One chopped yellow onion
2. One chopped Jalapeno pepper
3. One tablespoon of Cayenne Pepper
Boil ingredients for 20 minutes in two quarts of water. Then let it cool and strain the mixture 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 draw back is that it only lasts for three to five days.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know which method you choose and how it works for you.

Don’t forget, anyone can log on www.FixieChix.com and click on the Ask It form. I am happy to help whenever I can.
-The Fixie Chick

If you feel like trying your hand at trapping the racoons, here is a recommended trap: