MYTHS              

 

There are many homemade remedies that people continue to try in the hopes that these remedies will solve their animal problems.  As with the stories of urban legends most remedies are not based on scientific truth or fact.  Sometimes these home remedies have the appearance of working but the results are just coincidence.  If an animal does move it is because it was eaten by a predator, run over by a car, found a better home or many other reasons other than the home remedies working.

 

1)      MOTHBALLS:  Many people believe that putting mothballs in an attic will make an animal leave because of the smell. Mothballs will work if enough of them are placed in a small confined area and if the animal has nowhere else to move to get away from the smell.  A normal sized attic (1200 to 2000 square feet) would need enough mothballs to fill a 55 gallon drum and then the raccoon would probably just move into the soffit area leaving the smell behind. 

 

It is also illegal to use a product inconsistent with its labeling. Mothballs are also highly flammable and emit gases that are heavier than air.  This means that the gases will tend to drift down into your house which can then cause headaches, nausea, or cold like symptoms such as a sore throat.  The main ingredient in mothballs is napthalene which is a known carcinogen (a substance causing cancer).  Do you really want to keep a substance that causes cancer in your attic for you and your family to breathe?

 

 

2)      RADIO IN ATTIC:  Animals adapt very quickly.  Loud noises will have no affect on raccoons or squirrels except to make them move to a quieter part of the attic.  If your next-door neighbor kept playing loud music it might become uncomfortable but would it make you run out of your home, leave, and never come back? 

 

 

3)      LIGHTS IN ATTIC:  Animals will simply move into a dark corner or into the soffet area.  Lights have absolutely no effect.

 

 

4)      ULTRASONICS:  To date there is no scientific proof that sound waves will drive animals away.  The ultrasonic range cannot be heard by most mammals and will not work. 

 

 

5)      PLASTIC OWLS: Animals adapt very quickly.  Initially it is possible a plastic owl may startle some animals but after a short period of time the animals will adapt and begin ignoring the owl.  To have any chance at success a plastic owl must be continuously moved to new locations. 

 

 

6)      POISON:  It is a federal crime to use a poison inconsistent with the labeling on that product.  There a no registered poisons to kill large animals such as squirrels, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, etc.  Consider how much poison it would take to kill a 10 to 20 pound animal.  Do you want to take a chance that a small child, non-target animal, or pet finds the poison?  If a poison would work would you really want a large dead animal smelling up your attic, shed, or under your deck for about a month or two? 

 

 

7)      AMMONIA:  Stuffing skunk, groundhog, or animal holes with ammonia soaked rags will only have a small possibility of working if this is done on a continuous basis.  Be prepared to repeat this process on a daily basis for at least 2 weeks.  Ammonia dissipates very fast and continuous treatments are necessary for any chance at success.  Many times an animal will dig around the rags or dig a new hole to avoid the rags altogether.  Ammonia also has a very high acute toxicity and can cause a chemical burn to lung tissue or cause the animal to die.  Removing a dead animal from under a shed or from any hole can be difficult and quite expensive.     

      Throwing ammonia soaked rags into an attic will have no effect whatsoever.  As with mothballs the animal will simply move to another part of the attic until the ammonia evaporates.  Liquids tend to evaporate extremely fast in a hot summer attic.  It is also illegal to use a product inconsistent with its labeling.

 

 

8)      GUM:  Putting gum (or Gummybears candy) into the holes of chipmunks or moles definitely has absolutely no effect.  Many people believe that the animals cannot digest these foods, which then causes death because of intestinal blockage.  Save your candy for Halloween and hire a professional to remove chipmunks, moles, or voles.

 

 

9)      KITTY LITTER:  Placing kitty litter in holes will make the animal dig through the litter or just dig around.  Any result from this working is simply a coincidence.

 

                         

 

T&C Trapping Inc. offers complete home and business inspections that are guaranteed to help minimize any future animal problems or to help solve any existing wildlife conflicts.  We have over 16 years experience in installing animal prevention devices, trapping nuisance wildlife, and repairing homes due to animal damage.  Please feel free to call us anytime for advice, instruction, or estimates.

 

815-467-4039

 

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T&C Trapping, Inc. welcomes any response to this web site-CONTACT US. We try to provide accurate, informative, useful, and responsible information that will help to resolve any human and wildlife conflicts.  Any suggestions, ideas, or even criticisms will be appreciated and evaluated for making changes to the information presented on this web site.  The contents of this site are to be used for informational purposes only.  Licensed professionals should always be used when dealing with wildlife, exclusion, or wildlife damage repairs.  T&C Trapping, Inc. is licensed through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and all content is based on Illinois wildlife.  Some techniques are dangerous and should only be attempted by a licensed professional.