The information below was provided by Board Member Mary Lee Paoletti. Sauganash Is a very special area, and part of that uniqueness is the rural setting with its abundance of wildlife. Dealing with wildlife can be a mixed blessing, with raccoons being one of the most mischievous blessings. With raccoon invaders as with most problems, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are some hints to make living with them easier: - Begin by examining the outside of your house. Seal up ALL holes, gaps, splits and crawlspaces. If you see signs of gnawing around holes, use mothballs, rags soaked in ammonia or wood preservatives to deter animals from trying again. Also, placing steel wool in the holes will keep little rodents from entering.
- Always close your garage door, as its an open invitation to move in and "party".
- Check outside vents to appliances such as dryers and fans. Make sure they are screened.
- Trim all tree branches that could provide access to your roof.
- Check gutters and ventilation grills for openings and seal them with heavy screening. Use a chimney cap or heavy screening firmly bolted down to seal the chimney.
- Cover basement window wells with grills or plastic covers.
- Keep garbage in tightly sealed cans and, if possible, store your garbage in the garage until pick-up day. Straps, rubber tie-downs or weights on lids often discourage uninvited guests. Please do not overfill cans. In some situations where assaults cannot be otherwise stopped, an inch of ammonia poured in the bottom of a garbage can will discourage visitors. Ammonia soaked rags may also work.
No discussion would be complete without discussing a raccoon's annoying habit of digging up lawns looking for grubs. Take heart - they really don't hate us - they are only looking for food. There are, however, several ways to rid your lawn of the white grubs and consequently, the unwanted diners. Several years of treatments may be required to convince the raccoons that the grubs are gone. You can purchase parasitic nematodes from a garden center like Gethsemane Garden Center, 5801 Clark Street in Chicago, Chalet Nursery and Garden Center 3132 Lake Avenue in Wilmette. - Nematodes are mixed with water and sprayed on the lawn. They kill grubs without harming any beneficial insects.
- Sprinkle lawns or planters with cayenned pepper to discourage grub hunters (raccoons, skunks and opposums).
- Control grub population with an organic product called Grub Attack.
- If you must use a chemical, use the least toxic one called "Neem" (Bio Neem) which is an extract from the Neem tree. It repels adult beetles, as well as kills white grubs. NEVER use Diazinon because of its extreme toxicity to both humans and animals. The EPA has banned the use of Diazinon on sod farms and golf courses for this very reason.
- A generic recipe for keeping critters off the lawn is 8 ounces of dish soap and 6 ounces of castor oil. Shake this mixture up and put in a hose end sprayer. Then spray the area you want to keep the critters off of. The spray penetrates the soil and makes the animal uncomfortable.
- Trapping should not be done. It merely provides temporary relief since another animal only comes to fill the vacated territory. It is important to maintain a stable and healthy population. It seems right to mention at this point that healthy raccoons do move around in the daylight and that Animal Control's policy for trapped animals is euthanasia.
Listed below are several places which will accept injured or sick raccoons and often other wildlife. Donations are not required but are welcomed! 1. Paws Critter Crossing
Dwight / David Uhter
Chicago Heights
708-758-2761 2. Merrick Animal Hospital
Marianne Kasper DVM
Berwyn IL
Work phone: 708-485-6500 3. Irene Riehert
Wonder Lake, IL
815-228-1232 We hope this will be of help. Please share with a friend or neighbor. For more rehabbers call Mary Lee Paoletti at 773-286-6297 |
2002