Your trash can is a veritable smorgasbord for wildlife. Discarded food attracts animals such as raccoons, possums, squirrels, and skunks. Wild animals are messy eaters, and you may wake up to find your trash strewn across your property, rather than in the receptacle you set it out in. Here’s how to stop attracting wildlife to your property and keep your trash where it belongs.
Secure Your Can
If you do not have a trash can that locks, use bungee cord or add a chain/padlock to your existing trash can. Seal all garbage bags and make sure your lid is on tight. Securing your can upright with stakes can also create a barrier for wildlife, as most pests need to tip the can over to reach its contents. Do not underestimate the cleverness or determination of wildlife. Raccoons, for instance, are particularly dexterous and have been known to untie knots and open windows, doors, and latches.
Repel Them with Scent
Certain smells can mask the scent of garbage and/or repel animals interested in eating from your trash. Natural repellents like cayenne pepper, citrus peel, or vinegar can make your trash unattractive or inedible to wildlife. Spraying ammonia around the trash can and area in which wildlife congregate on your property can also deter them.
Keep Your Trash in a Secure Area Until Pickup
Keep your garbage indoors overnight if possible and put it out just before trash is collected in the morning. This will ensure that nocturnal pests do not have the opportunity to try their luck with your garbage.
Clean Regularly
Wash your trash bins regularly to remove food residue and odors that attract animals.
Wildlife Making Itself at Home?
Modern Pest Services does not remove wildlife unless animals have found their way into your home or are causing structural damage to your house or garage. If an animal does invade your home, Modern will provide a site evaluation and customized action plan for trapping, removal, exclusion, and remediation.
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