Are Raccoons Bad for Your Yard? Everything You Need to Know

Raccoons can seem cute but they can also cause quite a lot of damage to your yard and your home. Not to mention, they can cause harm to you, your pets, family, and friends. They can be a pain since they frequently abandon half-eaten fruits and vegetables, broken trash bags and cans, and other unclean items around your home, which attracts even more pests.

Are Raccoons Bad To Have Around Your House?

Raccoons are a serious threat to your property. They can demolish houses and outbuildings, especially if they seek to enter dwellings or chimneys that they see as denning sites. In some situations, raccoons have even removed shingles or boards from roofs in order to access an attic or wall space.

If you suspect that raccoons are in your attic, there are a few signs to look for that can help let you know if they’ve taken up residence. If they have, they are most likely nesting and it is not a good idea to try and kick them out on your own. Instead, find out how to properly remove raccoons from your attic.

Raccoons can tear up your sheds or even kill smaller livestock, such as chickens. Finally, raccoons are carriers of disease, including roundworms and rabies, which can be harmful and even deadly. As a result, eradicating these animals from your land is crucial.

Why Are Raccoons Hanging Around My House?

Raccoons, much like other wild animals, look for the necessities to survive. The majority of the time, someone’s home, garage, and yard are ideal locations for raccoons to locate what they require. Raccoons are most attracted to garbage and food waste in your outside cans.

Raccoons are attracted to food waste, fallen fruit from trees, and other trash. Seal your trash cans to keep them out. Purchase a garbage can with a lock so that raccoons cannot get inside.

Raccoons are more likely to visit your yard if you have a garden or fruit trees, a tree that produces nuts, or pet food that is left outside. Raccoons may be attracted to your yard by a variety of other items as well. Wood piles make a great home for raccoons. As do unsecured garages and sheds. Any living space that can provide warmth and a good nesting space will be on the raccoon’s radar, especially if it remains in the dark at night.

Signs Of Raccoons

Here are some of the most common signs that raccoons have been in your garden or yard:

• Holes dug up in the lawn, garden, and compost
• Trash bins opened and garbage poured out
• Empty birdfeeders that are often broken
• Food from garden eaten
• Tubular droppings by the bottoms of trees, on logs, and wood piles

Raccoons are crafty and persistent, to say the least. If you’re trying to keep them out of your yard at night, this is worrisome. However, there are a few things you can do to outsmart this nocturnal marauder.

How Do I Get Rid Of Raccoons In My Yard?

If you detect raccoons on your property, you must get rid of them. It’s dangerous to attempt to remove raccoons on your own, though. Instead, you’ll need to hire a professional that is experienced in dealing with raccoon removal.

Keep in mind that animal control experts are fully equipped to handle any type of infestation and can remove pests from your home without causing additional harm. Rather than bringing them through your living spaces, they remove animals through windows in attics or basements instead of bringing them through your home.

They will assist you in pest-proofing your house and yard for the future if you use clean equipment to get rid of raccoons from your property. They also frequently repair any damage done by the raccoons.

How To Prevent Raccoons From Coming Back To Your Property

Once raccoons are gone from your property, you’ll need to employ deterrent strategies to keep other animals from moving in. Most importantly, don’t leave food outside and keep your trash cans out of sight. It also means harvesting vegetables as soon as they’re ripe and fruit from trees outside, avoiding putting pet food outside, and attaching bungee cords to keep your garbage cans shut.

You’ll probably need to get rid of bird feeders and fence in any gardens, trees, and decorative ponds on your property.

Keep track of your yard work, insulate and seal your chimney, attics, and basements. Also, use a non-toxic animal repellent around your property. You can use cinnamon, black pepper or cayenne pepper around your backyard to deter raccoons from coming back.

What Is The Best Raccoon Deterrent?

The most effective raccoon repellents irritate a raccoon’s senses to keep them away. Peppermint essential oil, bright lights, coffee grounds, chili pepper, cayenne pepper, Epsom salt, predator urine, ammonia, vinegar, loud noises and fragrant soaps are all popular raccoon repellents.

Raccoons may be kept out of gardens and fruit trees in a variety of ways. Using physical barriers such as chicken wire or electric fences to keep them out is one option.

A fantastic natural raccoon repellant may be created by combining cayenne pepper and onion in boiling water. Allow it to simmer it 30 minutes to an hour. You may also add hot sauce to the equation. Put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray (liberally) anywhere that raccoons have been hanging out on your property.

Conclusion

Are raccoons bad for your yard? Yes, they can be. But with a little bit of effort, you can keep them away and enjoy your outdoor space again.

The best way to keep raccoons away is by using a combination of deterrents and physical barriers. This will ensure that your yard is safe from these pests.

If you need help removing raccoons from your property, or if you have any questions about pest control, contact a professional company today. They will be able to help you get rid of these pests and keep them away for good.