Make the surrounding property unattractive to raccoons so they will be diverted away from trees. Measure the circumference of the tree trunk to find the size needed for the collar. Commentator Julie Zickefoose duct-taped a yard funnel to her peach tree to keep raccoons away. Mark a rectangle on a piece of sheet metal that measures 36 inches long and about 3 inches wider than the tree trunk circumference. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! Here are a few things you can do to repel raccoons from your home, yard, and garden. He told me that some towns will lend traps to their residents. However, this is probably better left to a professional, as hemmed up coons can get mighty feisty, posing a threat to the homeowner. The developing fruit on your fruit tree make a tasty meal for hungry raccoons, no matter how much you would like to keep the fruit for yourself. Raccoon proof the tree. Play loud noises in the attic. Nonetheless, there are still preventative measures you can take. Protect your trash. Protect the Garden. If you are unable to find a storm collar of the appropriate size, you can draw and cut a trapezoid shape from sheet metal and bend it into a funnel-shaped collar. In the wild, raccoons are adept tree climbers, and won’t be deterred by your gate’s height, while their babies can easily squeeze through small spaces. How to Keep Raccoons out of a Fruit Tree 1. To make it raccoon proof, you’ll need to add a strand or two of electric fencing at least 8 inches (20 cm.) Soak an old towel in ammonia. There are steps you can take that will help you keep these animal pests under control. Secure … You also want to make sure you rake up and remove any berries or nuts that have fallen from your trees to keep squirrels from being lured into your yard by the scent or sight of the food. To be truly effective, … © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. You might achieve success against the raccoons with only one of the protective options: the straight collar or the funnel-shaped collar. She received her Bachelor's degree from West Virginia University. out to prevent digging. Removing woodpiles, overgrown shrubbery, and other debris can help. Feb 18, 2015 - How to Keep Raccoons out of a Fruit Tree. No surprise here – raccoons … Open structures should be closed in, perhaps with screening, and overhanging tree branches should be pruned back to prevent the animals from gaining access to nearby rooftops. You could also bury the fencing at least 6 inches (15 cm.) A raccoon’s nose is always on alert for interesting scents while his eyes are on the lookout … According to veggiegardeninfo.com, raccoons hate the smell of cucumbers and do not like their prickly plant vines. A former cake decorator and competitive horticulturist, Amelia Allonsy is most at home in the kitchen or with her hands in the dirt. Other methods include the use of deterrents and exclusion, like fencing. My friend pulled out her How to be Nice but Still Discourage Critters 1 manual and flipped to raccoons — raccoons and fruit trees. These may include tracks, droppings, and crop damage (like hollowed-out melons or half eaten corn). In cartoons, raccoons may seem cute and even friendly. Video of the Day Volume 0% File the edges smooth after cutting. Put a net over your fishpond, if it’s small. Regularly check your property so you can close off any easy homes for raccoons. These sneaky scavengers can easily climb trees to access the fruit, with the rough texture of tree … File the edges with a flat file so they are not so sharp. Hi Esther, My neighbor uses traps to catch possums and raccoons. If trapping, use a cage type, heavy gauge trap that’s at least 10 x 12 x 32 inches (25 x 30 x 81 cm.). Open structures should be closed in, perhaps with screening, and overhanging tree branches should be pruned back to prevent the animals from gaining access to nearby rooftops. Check your property for hollow tree trunks or holes into an attic or shed. Cut the rectangle from the piece of sheet metal, using a pair of tin snips. The tree naturally contains chemicals that deter most insect and herbivore pests. Cut the branches back to a branch union. Fencing Your Garden Have your fencing in place before you plant your garden. Reduce Clutter. Raccoons can cause a lot of damage if you aren't careful. The only way to prevent the raccoons from accessing your fruit tree is by trapping and removing the populations in your area. Raccoons will den in hollow trees/logs, brush piles, barns, etc. Up lighting around trees is another good way to keep raccoons off your property. A few feet away is a chain link fence at the back of my property, and beyond that is a greenbelt and raccoons live out there. They also can't help themselves when we leave food out in the open and leave our yard and garden unprotected. Wear thick leather gloves to avoid cutting your hands on the razor sharp edges. These sneaky scavengers can easily climb trees to access the fruit, with the rough texture of tree trunks making it easy for the raccoons to gain traction. Got raccoons? Traps can be baited with anything from fresh fruits to canned fish-flavored pet food. You may not always see them, but raccoons will certainly leave behind some evidence of their visit, especially in the garden. Not only will this keep squirrels out of your yard, but it will help to eliminate other pests like chipmunks and raccoons from taking up residence. Clean up! Wrap the sheet metal around the tree trunk, starting with the side that doesn't have pilot holes. Keep Raccoons Out Plant a circle of cucumber plants around the base of the tree. To keep raccoons off your roof or out of fruit trees, wrap a strip of 2-feet wide sheet metal around the base of the tree trunk. Sign up for our newsletter. Push a marker through each pilot hole to mark the opposite end of the sheet metal. The key to keeping raccoons out of trees is in understanding raccoon behavior. If raccoons can't gain traction on the trunk, they can't access the fruit, so installing a metal collar around the trunk keeps the raccoons out of the fruit tree. Drive 1-inch long, 1/8-inch diameter wood screws through the pilot holes and into the tree trunk, using a power drill with a 1/8-inch diameter drill bit. To keep raccoons away from your yard, it’s a good idea to invest in motion detector lighting around the house – particularly near your roof line. Various methods can be used to frighten these animals away—some of which include the use of radios, flashing lights, scarecrows, windmills, pie pans, etc. Cut any low-hanging branches from the fruit tree, removing any that an adult raccoon could grab onto while standing... 2. The storm collar should be slightly larger than the diameter of the tree trunk and extend about 12 inches, sloping down like a lampshade. Wrap the sheet metal around the tree and line up the two sets of pilot holes. We've had a raccoon prob for a wile now. Although the tree is trussed up like a turkey, a few peaches still glimmer among its leaves. Your best bet for getting rid of raccoons is through appropriate fencing. You can set up spotlights there to scare them when they trip the motion detector. Place the sheet metal two feet above ground in order to discourage the raccoon from jumping over it and latching onto the tree. The easiest way to prevent the raccoons to enter your garden is by installing the … But in … Wrap a funnel-shaped chimney pipe storm collar around the tree trunk, just above the 36-inch trunk collar. He uses peanut butter as the bait. The big problem comes when the raccoons decide to move into your home, garage or other structures in your property and seem to have no plans to move out. If you have a small feeder hanging in a tree… QUESTION: How can I keep raccoons out of my fruit tree? Raccoons will den in hollow trees/logs, brush piles, barns, etc. Keep pet food indoors. How Do I Keep Raccoons Out of My Home? The best way to protect fruit trees from squirrels, raccoons and birds is to use a combination of repellents, scare tactics and barriers. Her work has been published in the San Francisco Chronicle and on other websites. 3. out from the fence. Therefore, it’s a good idea to secure garbage lids or trashcans so these animals cannot open them. Measure the circumference of the tree trunk to find the size needed for the collar. Proper placement is important, so ask us for details. Cover the joint of the two collar ends with duct tape. As an alternative, you can simply place a strand or two of electric fence around your garden’s perimeter, keeping the bottom strand within 6 inches (15 cm.) (Keep in mind some raccoons may weigh in excess of 20 pounds.) … The raccoons shouldn’t be hanging out with the animals anyway, as they typically hide in safe areas to avoid predators. Garden Beds. If the storm pipe collar has a flange with pilot holes, this step is not necessary. There was a diagram of a metal baffle or metal wrap, the kind you see around LA to keep rats from nesting in the Beverly Hills palms. Understand How Raccoons Look For Food. Have tight-fitting trashcan lids or wire the loose ones shut. For instance, simply cleaning up the surrounding area can help. This can easily be turned on at night and left off during the day if desired. Raccoons can be particularly difficult to remove in areas that have a lot of clutter. Making your yard unattractive to uninvited fruit eaters and triggering their fears of predators will discourage them from eating your trees' fruit before you can pick it. Main Attraction: Raccoons are omnivores, meaning that they eat all kinds of plants as … Raccoons enjoy a nice, dark place to sleep, especially if it’s close to an easy food source. Getting rid of raccoons can be as easy as cleaning up the area or as drastic as the use of traps. How to Deter Raccoons with Fencing Ball up the towel and place it at the base of the plum tree. It comes in a spray bottle and can be found at some home centers and on the Internet. … Wrap the funnel-shaped collar around the tree trunk and drive 1-inch wood screws through the pilot holes and into the tree. These cute but mischievous critters can wreak havoc around your home and garden, especially in high numbers, but learning how to keep raccoons away from a garden doesn’t have to be a trying task. Raccoons can’t resist trash, so you’ll need multiple strategies in this area. Since they are adept climbers (and diggers), ordinary fencing is not enough. If raccoons do not get into your yard, they cannot eat your pears. When you use the two together, you gain added assurance that the raccoon will not access your fruit. Also, keep any pet food put away at night when raccoons are most active. Planting cucumbers around your fruit trees acts as a … Since they have a natural aversion to light, try putting out motion sensor flood lights to disrupt their night time raiding. Last year they climbed over the fence when I was sleeping late at night and stole every single apple off my tree the exact night before I was going to pick them all. Drill three more 1/8-inch diameter pilot holes through the marks at the opposite end of the sheet metal. Once it has been removed successfully, you need to make sure that your tree is inaccessible to it in future. There are some key things to keep in mind when deterring raccoons, such as ammonia soaking to a high fence. deep and a foot (30+ cm.) Trapping raccoons is yet another technique used. Coyote urine. Once trapped, he takes them to the woods and releases them there. of the ground. After identifying the tree in question and removing any existing raccoons, you can then make the tree inaccessible and prevent future attempts to inhabit it. These small holes will not cause serious damage to the fruit tree; the damage caused by raccoons would be much more severe. You can also try a motion sensitive water sprayer, or trapping and relocation to keep raccoons away for good. Secure the lids of nearby trash cans to prevent the animals’ rummaging. Cut any low-hanging branches from the fruit tree, removing any that an adult raccoon could grab onto while standing on its hind legs. You can also wrap it around the base of the tree. Mark and drill three 1/8-inch diameter pilot holes on one of the 36-inch sides of the sheet metal rectangle, set about 1 inch in from the edge. Raccoons are clever climbers, so it’s easy for them to access your home’s roof by climbing trees, downspouts, vines, or any other structure near the house. Related: Keep Raccoons Out of Trees. … The division has these suggestions for consumers to reduce temptations for raccoons in residential areas: Bring your pet food and water bowls inside at night. Start by cutting off any branches that are hanging low. The developing fruit on your fruit tree make a tasty meal for hungry raccoons, no matter how much you would like to keep the fruit for yourself. from the ground and 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm.) How to Install a Pellet Stove Pipe Through a Wall, How to Squirrel-Proof a Bird Feeder With PVC Pipe, How to Fasten a Downspout to Vinyl Siding, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife: Raccoons, University of Missouri Extension: Managing Raccoon Problems in Missouri, National Public Radio: Raccoons' Craving for Peaches is the Pits, Purdue University Wildlife Conflicts Information Website: Raccoons, How to Install Spin-On Collars for HVAC Ducts, How to Use Tin to Protect Trees From Squirrels, Conical Tree Guard to Prevent Raccoons From Climbing. This can help keep raccoons out of your barn and is a natural deterrent to them because of … They keep raccoons, squirrels, and heavier birds, like magpies, away from the birdseed. Only a real, heavy duty fence will do the trick. Drill a 1/8-inch diameter pilot hole through each mark. 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First of all, you must understand the nature of raccoons. All necessary for Pest Control https://amzn.to/2rLU5CG How to Keep Raccoons Out of Fruit Trees. The end with the pilot holes should overlap the opposite end. If you are using our modular Advanced Pole System (photo at right), one baffle can protect many feeders at the same time. A raccoon's reach depends on its size, so remove any branches that hang within 36 inches of the ground. The trapezoid should have 12-inch diagonal sides, with a short top about 3 inches longer than the trunk circumference. Captured raccoons should then be relocated to a suitable area. Be aware though that it may be illegal to release raccoons into parks and federal land. This will make the highly reflective sheet metal much less obvious in your garden. How to Keep Raccoons Out of Your Garden: This is a tough one, because raccoons are so intelligent, strong, and crafty. To keep raccoons out of your pear trees, you should discourage them from your yard. Mark the collar in three or four places spaced evenly around the tree trunk. While you may normally come across their mischievous activities in the garden, raccoons will also get into garbage cans or your pet’s food. Paint the sheet metal to match the color of the fruit tree trunk, if desired. If these chemicals have been bred out of the tree, its fruit is more likely to be eaten by squirrels, raccoons, opossums and even rats that can easily attack at night, when they are active and people and roaming dogs are not. Removing woodpiles, overgrown shrubbery, and other debris can help. I want to attract birds to my yard but keep the coons out. You should make sure that an adult raccoon cannot be able to reach any of the branches even if they stand with the hind legs. They come and dump out our trash, eat peanut butter that is for the birds, steel my wire bird feeds and eat everything in it, and poop under our deck. 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