No matter where you live or what type of home you live in, skunks are best known for getting into the garbage as the spring season arrives. During the summer and into the fall months, skunks continue to make their presence known, tearing up your garbage and leaving behind their smell.
If you have had a run, in with a skunk you know how much it smells and how bad it can really be. If you are one of the lucky ones, the skunk smell was left outdoors, where the air will carry the smell away from you and your home. Those of us who are not so lucky have had skunks under the porch, under the trailer, under the car or truck and even in the garage where the smells of the skunk are terribly strong and it never seems to really leave.
Here are a few tips to keep skunks out of your garbage:
When you are taking the trash out in the garbage cans, be sure to leave the lids on tightly. The tight lids on the garbage help keep smells locked in the can so they won’t attract skunks. If you have holes or cracks in your garbage can, you might want to consider getting new cans so that skunks can crawl in and root through your garbage. When you have cracks and holes in your garbage, you are also attracting skunks with the smell of your garbage.
If at all possible, putting your garbage cans up on some type of table or even making yourself some type of shelf that is just about a foot tall off the ground is going to prevent skunks from getting to the garbage. Garbage cans are known to get knocked over, blow over and when it rains, sometimes your garbage cans will be all over the yard. This is a real attraction for skunks. Be sure to set your garbage cans upright on a flat surface and in a manner that they won’t blow over in a wind storm.
Skunks are a problem for your pets, your home, and everywhere that they go. If you have been having a real problem with skunks, you can set live traps for skunks and have them removed from your neighborhood. Sometimes holes in your foundation, cracks that are openings to the garage or other structures make a welcoming home for skunks. If you find that skunks have been invading your home or garage, be sure to board up all the areas of your foundation in the house or the garage.
Another thing that is going to attract skunks is your garden, both vegetable and the flower gardens. The soil is moist, soft and loose. Skunks love to dig in the dirt sniffing for worms and grubs to eat. Keeping marigolds located around the outer edges of your gardens, skunks will not be as tempted to come into your gardens!
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