Learn What Methods Are Available To Keep Animal Pests Out Of Your Garden

Many gardeners know all about pests that eat or destroy their vegetables, fruit, or flowers. Learn some methods for getting rid of your garden pests.

If you are investing time and resources in growing a garden then you know full well how animal pests can destroy your efforts. Pests such as possums, rabbits, squirrels, moles, birds, and deer will often wander into a garden and eat vegetables and flowers. There are many methods available to keep these pests out of your garden such as fencing, traps, repellents, and new mechanical repellents that frighten the animal away. This article will discuss each method and examine what may work best for your animal pest problem.

Fences can be an effective method of keeping pests out of your garden and tend to work best when the animal doesnt know what the fence is protecting but while this type of large solid fence may provide a visual block, it will not block odors and can block desired views or violate local codes. A better solution for small pests would be to use a fence of woven wire or 2 inch poultry netting, 2 to 3 feet high and place around the area that you want protected. The bottom of the fence should be buried in the ground at least 6 inches to prevent animals from digging under the fence. Electric fences are especially effective for woodchucks and rabbits but if choosing this option, please make sure that you use a battery powered source that startles but does not injure the animal. While fences can be effective for some types of pests it is not the ultimate solution as larger animals such as deer can jump it and birds can fly over it. Another option would be to use a trap.

Trapping can be used to permanently remove the pest. I will mention snap or leg hold traps because they are an option for a desperate garden owner but I will not condone there use and would suggest using live traps instead. Not only are these types of traps banned in most areas, they are also a cruel and inhumane way for any animal to die. Live traps are a much more humane option, especially in urban areas where you may end up with a neighbors dog or cat being trapped. Live traps can be baited with fruit, chicken parts, sardines or meat and once caught the offending pest can be released a good distance away from your area. While live trapping can be effective, it can also be quite a chore if you have a lot of pests because you will have to transport each animal to another location and release can be dangerous. Another option would be animal repellents.

Another option for keeping pesky critters out of your garden would be to use commercially available repellents or poisons but once again I will stress the fact that you should be humane and poisons would not be a wise choice. Instead of poison, consider using one of the numerous taste or smell repellents available. You can buy repellents at garden supply centers, feed stores and hardware stores. Taste repellents taste terrible, and once an animal gets a taste of it, they will not chew the treated object again. Scent repellents like garlic clips, castor oil for mole control, or fox urine can be effective temporary solutions but they need to be monitored and reapplied to remain effective. Light or noise emitters can work as well but often need to be moved often as some pests such as deer are smart and learn quickly to avoid the emitter and enter your garden from a different area. You may have some success with repellents, depending on your location or timing and if the animals are not very hungry or population pressures are not too great, repellents may be enough to discourage invaders. Repellents work because animals are intelligent and will learn from experience not to return to the area but it is often difficult to cover all locations. Another option would be to use a mechanical repellent.

With the advance of technology, there are now some mechanical animal pest repellents available such as the scarecrow sprinkler which scares animals away with a blast of water. This device uses an electronic motion detector that senses heat and motion and then aims the spray head at the object and shoots a 3 second stream of water at full hose pressure. The scarecrow sprinkler can be used around gardens, fish ponds, and other landscape and operates by battery so no electrical supply is required but you will obviously need a garden hose long enough to supply the water. While the scarecrow sprinkler is effective and safe, it is a dumb machine that will shoot water at any moving object. While this is harmless, it may be quite irritating to people who wander into your garden area.

As seen by this article there are numerous solutions to an animal pest invading your garden and what method you choose will depend on your individual circumstances. Hopefully you now have some ideas on how to solve your problem but I must stress once again that I believe in a humane solution for all situations and dont condone the use of traps that kill or injure or the use of poisons. Happy gardening.

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