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The information contained in these web pages has not been verified for correctness. Some of the information contained herein is hearsay and may not be correct. Use the information from these pages only at your own risk!

How can I keep bears out of my garden?

• Suggestion A: Electric fences or wires are used through out the forests to keep bears from garbage bins. Zoos use them extensively also to keep bears and other animals from fighting. The pain will turn all but the most hungry bear away. Bear fences are a standard practice in some areas of Northern Alberta. I seem to remember 3 strands of smooth wire. It is usual to hang cans of sardines (punctured with a nail in several spots) on each side so the bear won't accidentally wander through it in the night and not notice it. Fur sometimes insulates. With the sardines, the bear touches the fence with his nose and is sure to want to leave. From then on he is 'fence trained'.

How can I get rid of beavers?

• Suggestion A: I would suggest trapping them using Conibear 330 traps. Check your local laws and be very careful with these traps. They can break arms. The pelts are almost worthless (maybe $2), but beaver itself is supposed to taste good, so eating them is an option. While butchering the beaver, be careful not to cut the castor gland, or you'll have to toss the whole animal away.
  
• Suggestion B: Live trap and relocate the beavers. The problem with this is that they often become someone else's problem. Again, check your local laws and game authority. You may find that there are places looking to add beavers for ecological restoration.

How can I keep birds from roosting in my barn?

• Suggestion A: Hang silver mylar streamers down from the gutters. The noise or reflections seems to scare them off.
  
• Suggestion B: Try a product called "Hot Foot". Supposedly, it irritates their feet, and it's very sticky stuff so they don't like to land in it. It lasts for ages too. It's made in Australia. The active ingredient is Polybutene.

How can I keep deer away from my plants?

• Suggestion A: Down here in south Georgia, lots of people seem to have great success warding off deer with human hair. Get some from your barbershop and spread it around whatever you want the deer to avoid. Cheap, non-lethal, and a good source of nitrogen for next year's gardens.
  
• Suggestion B: I am an organic grower also and will be fencing 2-3 acres of my six. An electric fence is all you will need to keep them completely out of your garden. You will need to use the right equipment and install it properly.

  Specs:

  1. 8' galvanized, painted T-posts with plastic screw-on insulators.
  2. The hottest charger you can get - New Zealand types are best but pricey, may be overkill anyway - American-made brands will probably be adequate (International is a good brand).
  3. 1-3 8' copper-clad ground rods driven into ground under charger. Use heavy copper wire (10 gauge minimum) to connect charger to them Best not to install your charger near your electric service - lightning strikes are more likely to take your charger out in that situation (I've lost 2 that way). Connect hot lead to fence with 10 gauge copper wire using a brass clamp.
  4. 14-gauge galvanized steel wire - minimum; don't use aluminum (no matter what advice you get to the contrary) and don't use lighter than 14 gauge. Use 12 1/2 gauge hi-tensile 200 lb.-test wire for the lines they are likeliest to run into, 14 gauge is OK for the rest.
  5. Space the lines 16" to 28" apart from the ground up - the first 4 lines are critical, the remaining uppermost ones can be spaced further apart - you absolutely don't want them going between the wires.
  6. Turn the fence charger off as infrequently as possible.
  7. Initially, bait the fence with peanut butter and corn in aluminum foil boats hung from the middle wire (about 3' from ground).

  They quickly catch on and avoid the fence. Their feeding pattern gets disrupted and they move to other areas. They always know when the fence is on and will avoid it - they usually won't come closer than 30-40 '. This will absolutely keep them out of your garden. Nothing less will work and no more is necessary.

• Suggestion C: This is my first year managing a vineyard, and I have noticed there are several options:
  1. Shoot "bird bombs"--firecrackers that are both explosive and "whistling"
  2. High fences
  3. Propane cannons that sound as if a war is going on
  4. Use a product called 'Hinder'in conjunction with blood meal around vineyard
  5. Use bird netting over your vines...maybe that'll slow them down.
     
• Suggestion D: Another way to keep deer away from plants and trees is to cut up cheap deodorant soap into about 4 pieces and place one piece into a net or nylon bag (pantyhose work) and tie the bag to the tree or on a stake near the plant. This works for about a one yard radius around the tree or plant.
  
• Suggestion E: A deer repellent recipe:
  3 raw eggs
  3 tbls.of red hot sauce
  3 tbls. of garlic juice or minced
  add enough water to a blender to process and mix  well.add this a gallon of water and spray on plants. You can make the spray last longer by adding Wilt-Proof to it.

How can I get rid of gophers?

• Suggestion A: Well, my personal choice is "tank and blast". I have a 400 gallon water tank on a trailer which has a 2 1/2" hose out the bottom. I stick the hose down a reasonable hole and "fill 'em up". The little "orchard rats" have a choice of either drowning or running and they generally wind up running. For the runners I like to use shot shells in 38 revolvers. They are good for about 30 feet with very small risk to friends the neighbors. We wound up loading our own with #7 shot as the commercial shells are quite expensive, not reloadable and not as effective as the hand loads. I used to have a bounty on the "rats" but after I started tanking I have to limit the number of "helpers" I have on any given day. And for safety reasons I'm quite picky about who I take out with me and avoid those who suffer from "buck fever". We've been doing this for over ten years now and the worst injury was a sprained ankle from tripping on a burrow while chasing down a rat.

How can I keep mice from getting in my house?

• Suggestion A: Put aquarium gravel in the spots where the mice are digging to get in the house. The hole collapses as the mice dig through the gravel, killing them. The depth of the gravel needs to be about 4 to 6 inches. If you have a large area to cover, you can try pea gravel from your local landscaping company. This is a much less expensive alternative.

How can I get rid of moles?

• Suggestion A: Get some cats that like to hunt. We have three seven-month-old kittens. They started hunting recently, and they've been bringing in moles as well as mice. We got cats because a friend of ours told us she's had no problems with moles since she got cats.

• Suggestion B: Plant daffodil bulbs. There is something about daffodil bulbs that moles don't like.

• Suggestion C: Shake a stick of Juicy Fruit gum out onto a piece of wax paper being careful not to touch it with your fingers. In the wax paper, roll the gum into a ball. Poke a hole through a mole run, shake the gum out into the hole, and stomp on the hole to cover it. The gum gets caught in their intestines and kills them.

How can I get rid of the skunks or raccoons living under my (house, porch, barn)?

• Suggestion A: Put mothballs under the house. Supposedly, it irritates the heck out of their eyes. After the skunks/raccoons leave, seal up the sides to keep them from moving in again. [ed. note: several replies have indicated success with this method]
  
• Suggestion B: Get a small peanut can. Fill it 1/3 full of flowers of sulfur. Light it. Put it under the house. The skunks/raccoons will leave, and the sulfur smell will dissipate fairly quickly. Then seal up the sides to keep them from moving in again.

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This page was last updated on January 23, 2006