Pest Control Tips

We started our "Wildlife" category awhile ago with this entry.  Dealing with raccoons is a particular challenge for B'gamers and moles/gophers have been popping up much more frequently.  The Daily Journal has a piece that offers some advice from UC Davis

The UC Davis Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Division, home to the statewide Master Gardener program, offers the public detailed information on the best ways to manage various vertebrate pests through its “Pest Notes,” which are available online. (See the entire list of available Pest Notes at  https://ucanr.org/freepubs/freepubsub.cfm?cat=6).

The raccoon tips are interesting, especially the chimney den part, but probably won't make a huge difference overall.  They live in the sewers as well in B'game and are fearless so be careful.

Comments

[Charlotte Black]

I hate raccoons!! They are such a nuisance.

[Bill]

Yes,there are racoons in Burlingame, so? Never had a problem except the time I left some dog food in the backyard. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone. If you lose a plant or have a small hole in your lawn, so what. They are trying to make a living just like you. Like the previous, ignorant, comment why do some people feel they have to do away with wildlife?

[hillsider]

If you start a fire in a fireplace with a nest in it next fall you won't be quite so casual about them.

[Bill]

I have a hood on my chimney. Keeps the sparks in and animals out. But I have never heard of that happening to anyone outside of an advice article. I have one neighbor who has threatened to shoot squirrels, another who has shot an oppossum in his backyard with a .22, and another who in the past has set traps in their front yard. The trap would close in the middle of the night all on it`s own (jeez, how would that happen?).

[Charlotte Black]

Once you get infested with them you wont be talking like that. My home is not their home...

[Bill]

I had nine of them coming up the street towards me one night (they looked like a football team), when they noticed my dog they all turned in unison. I have lived in the Easton Addition for 52 years, never heard of a real problem. If I should have that problem then I know that I am doing something wrong.

[wildlife removal]

I prefer the way to see them as friends than enemies. Personally I am not so interested in these creatures. Still I don't want to hurt them through execution. It may effect the stability of the entire community. It is preferable to choose the method of wildlife removal and relocation to a matching habitat that cope up with their lifestyle.

[jennifer]

Try cayenne powder. I've used it for years under the house, in crawl spaces and on the lawn. Inside it lasts for about 6-12 months, outside until the rainy season is well underway. A sack of hot cayenne, sprinkled at entry points or on lawn perimeters really keeps the squirrels, rats, racoons and mice away, without harming them. Remember that these critters keep other critters in check, so you may be causing more havoc by attempting to eradicate them.

[Lynn]

A friend of mine who lives near downtown had two racoons in her house last week. They got in through the doggie door. I told her she should get a one-way doggie door so her dog could go out on his own but she would have to let him back in. I saw one awhile ago. Does anyone know where to find such a thing?

[Joe]

Here's a funny note from the DJ's reporter notebook:

The San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Burlingame welcomed its newest and most unconventional hotel guests, six baby barn owls. The owls nested on the 11th concierge floor balcony and the Peninsula Humane Society confirmed that the owls are in fact barn owls and are protected native birds of prey.

In honor of their most loyal customers going on six weeks, the hotel has started giving out stuffed animal owls to children staying at the hotel when they pay the birds a site visit.

While the babies are frequented by their mother and father, the parents have been residing in a different offsite location. The PHS said barn owls are likely to nest in the same location each year if safe, so the SFO Waterfront Marriott will most likely have “repeat customers.”

The family of barn owls continues to do well and the management has even started joking about naming the baby owls: Hoot, Nanny, Al, Peter Townsend, Robert Plant, Hedwig and Archimedes.

[pest control]

Thank you for the links and tips about pest control. Racoons are a huge problem in my neighborhood.

[John Lucas]

These are some great points, thank you for posting! When my family and I lived in Tucson, we had a rodent control problem and had to hire an exterminator to come. Luckily they did an excellent job and took care of the problem for good.

[Lynn]

The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for shooting a raccoon found near the 700 block of Palm Avenue in South San Francisco.

PHS/SPCA received a call Sunday morning from a resident who spotted the raccoon dazed and resting its head on a curb. A PHS/SPCA officer rushed the raccoon back to the Wildlife Rescue Center at 1450 Rollins Road in Burlingame.

Upon intake, wildlife staff noted that this adult, female raccoon’s coat, skin and fur were in excellent condition, indicating the raccoon didn’t have a prior illness, nor did it have any injuries usually associated with vehicle collisions. The raccoon was hydrated and had a good body condition. PHS/SPCA staff also ruled out distemper.

After administering a sedative, staff took take a closer look and noted an injury on its forehead that had somewhat fresh blood (but wasn’t bleeding), and a fragment of bone which originally looked like a tooth fragment. The raccoon was euthanized based on its behavior evaluation.

Since staff thought there was a possibility it was shot based on the suspicious nature of the head injury, they X-rayed the raccoon post-mortem and clearly detected lead pellets; one in the center of the brain and one in the rear, between the hips. A fragment suggested the possibility of a second head shot.

This raccoon marks a dozen shot animals PHS/SPCA has received since last December. Others included another raccoon (from Palo Alto), a peregrine falcon from SFO and two crows from Redwood City. Animals euthanized on intake for injuries usually aren’t X-rayed unless wildlife staff suspect a shooting. The actual number of shot wildlife may be higher.

Anyone with information that could help PHS/SPCA cruelty investigators in this case should call 340-7022 ext. 384.

[Susan Hirst]

I've had some recent troubles with raccoons. They keep getting into my trash cans and just the other day, my neighbor's dog got into a fight with one. I'm really concerned that they might hurt one of my grandkids or my dog. Maybe it's time to call a raccoon removal service?

Susan Hirst | http://www.vawildliferemoval.com/services/raccoon-removal/

[Jennifer]

We have two of these- best deal around, and they work!!

http://www.safepetproducts.com/ultrasonic-motion-activated-animal-repeller.html#.VFxUd77hEso