Raccoons have no natural predators and are spreading more and more. They don't even stop at gardens and buildings and cause enormous damage.
There are said to be around 500,000 raccoons in Germany. The nocturnal omnivores prefer to live in forests and near water. However, these supposedly cute little animals are often attracted to people, where they can cause enormous damage. It can also happen that they set up camp in the attic to go on forays in the home garden at night.
Signs of raccoons in the garden
The most obvious signs of raccoons is probably the damage they cause on their nocturnal forays.
Large lawns and compost heaps may be ransacked in search of worms and grubs, or ripe fruit and berries may be eaten before they do be able to reap this. When looking for food, raccoons do not stop at waste. It is not uncommon for rubbish bins to be tipped over and emptied or rubbish bags torn. Oftentimes, when exploring the garden at night, flower pots are broken or garden furniture is damaged.
Other signs of raccoons can be clear footprints or droppings.
Warning:
Raccoons can transmit a number of infectious diseases and parasites through their droppings, which can be dangerous for humans and pets. So if you find raccoon droppings somewhere, you should under no circumstances come into direct contact with it. Therefore, be sure to wear gloves when collecting and then burn the droppings.If you want to be absolutely sure who is constantly causing damage in your garden, you can also install a wildlife camera in your garden.
Tip: When buying a camera, make sure that it is also suitable for night shots (see Frankonia.de). Because most robbers come at night like the raccoon.
Fight raccoons and keep them away
By "fighting" we definitely don't mean capture or kill. On the one hand, this is only permitted to a limited extent and will result in severe fines and imprisonment if regulations are violatedpunished. On the other hand, this makes no sense, since new ones will appear very quickly. Raccoons have a kind of strategy: the population adapts to compensate for losses. This means that if more raccoons die, more raccoons will be born.
So it makes more sense to discourage raccoons in your yard.
Garbage and Waste
Since raccoons also look for food in garbage cans and garbage bags, you must ensure that they cannot be plundered by raccoons. You achieve this by securing your garbage cans so that they cannot be opened. Strong bungee cords or heavy stones on the barrel are suitable for this. However, it is best to secure them with a lock. Garbage bags should not be left outside at night. It makes sense to only put them out in the morning.
Compost heap
Make absolutely sure that you do not throw any valuable leftovers such as meat, fish, dairy products, fruit and bread on the compost heap.
Garden and vegetable waste, potatoes and the like are of no interest to raccoons and can do without Problems with composting.
Tip: If you compost your high-quality leftovers but don't want to attract raccoons, I recommend a lockable quick composter.
Fruit
Raccoons are excellent climbers. It is therefore extremely important that you prevent the small predators from climbing fruit trees. You can achieve this, for example, by attaching an approx. 1 meter high sheet metal sleeve, which due to its smooth surface does not offer any holding options. However, you must also ensure that there is no possibility of climbing over other trees or buildings.
You should harvest ripe fruit both near the ground and on the tree as soon as it is ripe. In this way you avoid falling fruit, which the raccoons also like very much. If fruit does fall on the floor, you should remove it immediately.
Animal Feed
Raccoons also like dog and cat food. Therefore, avoid feeding your animals outside or put the leftovers inside in the evening.
Bird seed is also interesting for raccoons. Therefore, avoid that raccoons can get there.
Technology
In various online shops I also found a few devices that are supposed to scare away the raccoons. These mostly work with ultrasound and/or flashlight. However, there are also devices that emit blue light pulses via LEDs. That blue light is a deterrent to deerworks, has now been proven. According to the manufacturer, it should have the same effect on raccoons.
Note:
Incidentally, the raccoon doesn't just cause damage in the garden. If it has nested in your attic, it usually causes much greater damage there. That's why it's also important to protect your home from raccoons:
- Smooth sheet metal sleeves (1m high) over the downspouts of the rain gutters can prevent climbing onto the roof.
- Trees and shrubs that reach up to or over the roof should be pruned generously so that the raccoon cannot climb over.
- Cover openings in roof boxes with solid building materials to prevent the raccoon from entering the attic.
- A strong metal grille on the chimney prevents entry.
- Climbing plants should be trimmed so that there is at least 1 m clearance to the edge of the roof. This will prevent the raccoon from gaining access to your attic in this way.
Tip: I've been looking for sheet metal sleeves for downspouts and logs for a long time and then came across this supplier of sheet metal sleeves - for both trees and downspouts.