Protect Your Yard and Garden from Pests.

Depending on where you live and the season, your horticultural marauders will vary. For the purposes of this post we’re going to focus on California garden pests, though many of the management tips discussed here may be applicable  in other regions as well. We’ll begin the Garden Pest series with the largest offenders and work our way down in size from there.

The largest of the typical garden and yard invaders is the Raccoon (Procyon lotor). With alternating dark and light stripes and a dark mask, they definitely look the part of the bandit.  Raccoons are completely adapted to rural, suburban and urban environments. They will readily invade your home
for shelter and your garden for food. Today our emphasis is on the garden end of the their interest. From a raccoon’s perspective your garden and backyard is a tasty place to dine and dash. From unsecured garbage cans, compost containers to fruit, grain and even a nosh of kibble, they are all set.

Fitting into the same category as raccoons, there is the infamous striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). They will also enter your yard, garden and domicile in pursuit of shelter and food. Unlike a raccoon who isn’t as wary, a skunk may be present for sometime until you notice an odor or your dog gets more than he bargained for when confronting a skunk. Also like raccoons, skunks will eat veggies, fruits, garbage, berries and they are known to have a weak spot for pet food.

A Raccoon and Skunk having a pet food snack.

When dealing with raccoons and skunks it is important to consider the severity of the issue. If you occasionally see them passing through, but do not notice any destruction, odors, conflicts with your pets or significant amounts of missing pet food then you probably do not have anything to worry about.

If you discover that you do have a growing problem then there are a few ways to handle the situation.

First, do not corner a raccoon or skunk. Raccoons are stronger than they look and will react aggressively when they are frightened. Skunks will spray up to ten feet away when frightened, aside from the smell the secretion does have the potential to create a temporary burning sensation. In addition, both are known carriers of rabies and other unsavory things like ticks, fleas and mites. It is highly unlikely, but if you are bitten it is important to consult your doctor for treatment. On a side note, this is another reason why it is critical to vaccinate your pets and keep up with their rabies boosters.

As a first step toward creating a raccoon and skunk free garden, we recommend making your yard and garden an unwelcome place through exclusion. Installing a fence around your garden is a good way to start, use a finer mesh to prevent smaller rodents from entering as well. The fence should be buried at least ten inches beneath the surface, for good measure bend the bottom two inches as a further deterrent. The fence should be at least two feet tall, with a few inches at the top bent and unsupported by the fence post. Since raccoons can weigh up to 30lbs, the top of the fence won’t be much fun to climb when it can’t support their weight. This is also effective with skunks, and opossums.

Second, keep a tidy yard. If you keep a firewood pile, make it a neat one. If the wood is tightly stacked without gaps, it will be uninviting to many garden pests that would otherwise setup a den. Keep the lids on your trash cans and compost bins closed, even better is to secure the cans and bin so that they’re not easy to turn over. Raccoons are especially clever little critters so you must be diligent in excluding them. Don’t leave your pet food out overnight, doing so is a gilded invitation. Lastly, keep up with trees and shrubs that produce fruit and nuts. Don’t allow the fallen fruit to lay in the yard, over ripened fruit is as good as cookie to them. With these few steps you can effectively create an unwelcome space in your yard and garden.

If you notice that raccoons, skunks, opossums or other nuisance animals have already established themselves in your yard, garden or home please contact a professional to handle the issue. You can read more about live animal trapping in our Live Animal Trapping post.

Aside from exclusion, we do not recommend using repellants as a long term solution since they are not typically effective. Do not use poisons as this practice is dangerous and likely your pet or someone else will have their pet injured as a result. If you notice a raccoon, skunk or opossum that is lethargic or not afraid of you, do not approach as it is likely ill.

Learn more about what to look for and how to handle a nuisance animal situation at our Urban wildlife page. There you will also find information on what to do when you have a nuisance animal in your living space, from the crawl spaces all the way up to the attic we can help you through it.

Depending on where you are, the species may vary. If you’re in California, here’s a list of the most common culprits: Argentine Ants, Odorous House Ants, Pharaoh Ants, Carpenter Ants, Pavement Ants, Red Imported Fire Ants, Southern Fire Ants and the Thief Ant.

Not all of these ant species will invade your home, some prefer the great outdoors of your yard and garden to stage their siege.  Below we will take a look at two species of ants that are likely to drop in for the summer and longer.  For more in depth information on the ant species listed above and for additional management tips please visit our Ants page.

Let’s begin with the most common ant species found in the living spaces as well as outdoor spaces around your home, the Argentine Ant.  The Argentine Ant (Linepithema humile) takes its name from the region which it originated from, Northern Argentina.  These days you can find Argentine Ants just about anywhere in the world, they have an especially large presence here in California.

Argentine Ant (Linepithema humile)

You can identify Argentine Ants by a combination of key characteristics.  Most notably, all of the workers are about the same size which is approximately 1/8th of an inch in length.  They are typically a dark brown color.  If you happen to see what looks like a really large Argentine Ant, then chances are you’re looking at an Argentine Ant Queen as they are two to three times the size of a worker.  Before you celebrate that you’ve killed the queen and the colony will collapse, you should know that Argentine Ants have large colonies with smaller subcolonies. This means multiple queens and nests, this is key knowledge in treating an Argentine Ant  infestation.

Another common ant you might find in your home is the Odorous Ant (Tapinoma sessile), in some regions they’re also referred to as Coconut Ants.  No they do not resemble coconuts in any way, the name has more to with the odor that comes from them when they’re crushed.  Some say the odor is sort of musty like a coconut.

Odorous Ant (Tapinoma sessile)

Even if you don’t have the best sense of smell, you can still  identify Odorous Ants by their shiny black/dark brown appearance and 1/8″ length.  Odorous Ants can be difficult to deal with once established because they’re versatile and hearty.  They can live indoors and out, and commute to your home via forty to fifty foot long trails. Like the Argentine Ants, they dig honeydew and will nest near sources of it in your yard. So keep the trees and shrubs trimmed, the mulch away from your foundation and most importantly keep those Aphids in check.

Let’s begin with attacks from above, that’s right you guessed it Mosquitoes. If you’ve made it this far into summer and haven’t yet endured the exasperating itchiness of a mosquito bite then you are our hero. For the rest of us, here are a few things to consider. Though it may not be the case in your neck of the woods, for Southern California 2011 has been a moisture filled year. Which means a very active mosquito season this summer. Before you lock yourself away in the house until fall, there a few simple steps you can take to increase your chances of making it through the season unscathed.

First, start with the openings to your home. Make sure there are not any rips or tears in your window screens or screen doors.

Second, survey your yard for areas of standing water. If there has recently been a summer shower or you have automatic sprinklers, then chances are there is a surface somewhere collecting a small pool of water out of sight. Empty this water from trash can lids, planters and other concave surfaces. Keep the water in your birdbath and your pet’s outdoor water dish clean, everyone except the mosquito will thank you for it.

Lastly, make sure that you are also an unwelcoming place for mosquitoes to land. Use an effective mosquito repellent when outdoors, especially at dusk. DEET is an effective mosquito repellent so double check to make sure it is an active ingredient in the repellent you choose. If you prefer a more natural approach to repelling mosquitoes then look for products that contain lemon eucalyptus oil which is known to be unpleasant to mosquitoes.

For more Mosquito tips, visit out Mosquito page.

Take a look at what Dr. Oz has to say about mosquito bite  prevention and the dangers of mosquitoes. With his guest, entomologist Michael Raupp, you will learn more than you’ve ever wanted to know about those little winged invaders.

Dr. Oz Summer Pests: Mosquito segment

Norway Rats and Roof Rats are nocturnal and have very poor vision so they prefer dark areas and the attic and ceiling void provides this, as well as, there are no natural predators, it’s warm and the insulation found in the attic makes perfect nesting material for them to rear their young.  Rats will travel through-out the structure in the course of their waking time as they forage.

Rats may be seen in the lower levels of the structure if they discover food, if they do discover food, why would they ever leave?  But once that first rat enters the structure they will deposit feces and urine and that will leave an odor for other rats to follow, so it is important to close up all holes the size of a quarter on the exterior of the structure to keep other rats from entering, in the pest control business we call this “Rodent Proofing” or “Exclusion Work” it’s the systematic process of inspecting the exterior of a structure to identify all access and possible access points that rodents may use to enter the structure.

Proper rodent proofing materials must be used, because rodents can chew through most materials.  I have discovered concrete, hardware cloth and sheet metal are the best to use.  Once you have properly sealed all access points the rats can not enter or vacate the structure, so it is important to place rat traps in the attic space or any other areas rats have been seen.

So when you discover you have rats in your home, get a pen, paper and inspect the exterior of your home and write down all the locations so you don’t forget and then head out to your favorite hardware store and pick up the materials needed and get them rats out as quickly as possible, because they will cause a lot of damage.  Good luck, if you live in the Los Angeles area and need professional help give us a call, you can contact us at www.ratbustersusa.com

Things you’ll need:

- wooden rat trap (Home Depot, Lowes)

-  bait (beef jerky recommended)