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 DO WILDLIFE REPELLENTS WORK?

The term wildlife repellent can cover a lot of different things. Most people might think of chemical repellents that are designed to be sprayed, but repellents can include many different types ranging from techniques that rely on mechanical, chemical, sound, or light. Anything that creates a negative response from the animal is a possible repellent.

Wildlife repellents come in many different forms. Here is a short list of repellents and my thoughts on their effectiveness:

Moth Balls – Moth Balls are the first thing that pops into the mind of many when they discover that there is a wildlife control problem on their property. Judging by the number of callers that I receive asking about moth balls I would say that it is considered by many to be the generic “go to” wildlife repellent. But, considering that I am still called after the moth balls are applied may tell you something of their effectiveness.

My experiences with my customers has led me to think that mothballs may have a short term effect on wildlife use of interior space and home range. In other words, at best, they will move into other areas of the home or other parts of their range temporarily while they acclimate to the smell. Mothballs are also toxic and a carcinogen. I do not recommend that they be used.

Bright Lights – Wildlife species that tend toward becoming a nuisance are often nocturnal. This is because nocturnal habits mesh well with human activity patterns. The animals are sleeping while we are active. So, it would make sense that adding light to problem areas where nuisance animals are active would force the animals to go elsewhere. Nocturnal animals that prefer to hide their presence in the darkness may be deterred, but this, in all likelihood, will be temporary. Even nocturnal animals that naturally avoid darkness will adjust to lights in time. A bright back porch light will help send some animals packing in the beginning. Motivated animals will be harder to deter and animals will acclimate to the light over time and return. Animals with litters or quality food sources may have additional motivation to return.

Shiny Objects – In Bristol, hanging shiny objects around to scare away wildlife is an idea that is as old as shiny pie tins on an old tobacco stick staked in the garden. This has been a plan used by gardeners for decades, if not centuries. Your grandmother did it so it must work,…right? Maybe it was the best your grandmother could come up with. Maybe she didn’t know a good wildlife controller. I suspect not. In the end she may have just backed up the pie plates with a shotgun. Unfortunately the use of shotguns are not as readily accepted in urban areas as they used to be. Plus, the odds are good that you may put some holes in your home if the problem animal is in the attic or crawlspace and you may meet your friendly neighborhood police officer.

All that reminiscing about grandma is nice, but why don’t pie plates work? Wildlife is able to figure out what is truly harmful to them and what is not. If shiny objects truly worked, then animals would be freaking out every time the sun glinted off a shiny fender or pop can in the ditch. Unfortunately wildlife is not known to flee from either of these objects. They actively learn and adapt to their surroundings and are excellent at learning what is truly a harmful to them. This is basic survival instinct. Constantly fleeing from harmless objects cuts into time needed for other critter activities.

Loud Radio – Radios blaring loud music are another item that brings in a lot of calls. Sorry to say though that this is another idea that falls more into the “old wives tale” category than in the “verified by science” category. Any stimulus that is not back up with negative reinforcement will not give any type of long term relief. If you could run into the attic and give the offending critter an electrical zap every time the music played, it would be much more effective. But, if you could give the critter an electric zap you wouldn’t really need to play music. In the long run, music will not have any effect on your critter. It may have a very short term effect at best. Once they get used to it they will be right back. I imagine that they might even organize a dance party. In short I would not consider loud radios to be a good long term wildlife repellent.

Instead of adding a radio to your attic, it would be a lot better just to do a proper removal of the unwanted critter with a one way door or trap, verify that the home is clear, and permanently seal the entrance. This will give permanent relief and keep the animal out for good.

Raccoon Urine - I do use concentrated raccoon urine to help coax some species out of a home. Raccoons are predatory and males may kill young kits. They may also feed on dens with young squirrels. This makes denning mothers of several species uneasy and likely to relocate if they sense raccoons in the area. This repellent can be effective, HOWEVER, as with other repellents their effect is not permanent. Also, raccoon urine is also far from 100% effective, but is worth doing because it helps reduce the amount of stress and eliminates the need for a recovery box in many cases. Raccoon urine must be applied correctly to work.

Whenever I apply raccoon urine, I still monitor for activity and seal all entrances. Also, improperly applied raccoon urine will make it more likely that momma raccoon will move the litter into a more inaccessible part of the attic. This makes hand capture of raccoons less likely and increases the odds of cutting drywall to remove the litter. I had a case in which this happened two years ago. Momma raccoon moved her litter into a small attic space that was no taller than twelve inches tall by about eighteen inches wide. This is plenty big for raccoons, but was only big enough to stick your head into (unwise). The litter was down between ceiling rafters and couldn’t be seen to be hooked out. Care and experience is important when using eviction fluid.

The Bottom Line on Repellents

The general rule on repellent is that although some may be effective for a short period, repellents almost always lose their effectiveness quickly and animals return. If scent-based repellents work at all, they can’t be trusted in the long run. Smells dissipate and animals acclimate to the odor.

I always tell my customers who ask about this the same story. “If you had neighbors who suddenly decided to start keeping pigs next door and stinking up things, would you decide to move out”. No, you wouldn’t. You have too much invested in your home. It is your place. Wildlife that has settled in your attic, walls, or crawlspace, feels exactly the same way and are unlikely to move out easily. A nasty stink in their living space may not move them at all.

My advice to customers is almost always the same. Seal the building up and be done with it once and for all. Don’t waste your money on a bunch of “hokus pokus” snake oil just to wake up in the middle of the night to find yourself hearing, or worse yet, looking eye to eye with some critter that you thought was gone. Avoid all this and give us a call so that we can secure your home.