Opossum Prevention
Don’t get fooled by an opossum’s cute, furry face; these little creatures can wreak havoc around your property!
Opossums are omnivorous and nocturnal animals that devour on your garden fruits, pet foods, trash cans, and palatable plants. They bring in many diseases and can defecate on your lawns, porch, and pathways. Adding to the damage, they drag fungal filth into their nests under your house or up in the attic.
Just imagine the stinking smell around your house!
Opossum prevention is crucial to deal with this problem. Here’s everything you can do to keep the pesky possum away:
What are the Clear Signs of Having an Opossum Problem?
Opossums are nocturnal and elusive. They might fling from the site of attack but leave a huge mess behind.
They may leave behind stinky smells and tracks on mud or snow. Broken things, compost heaps, and scattered garbage is a clear indication of an opossum presence.
Moreover, possums will knock down trash cans, reach into bird feeders, and eat anything that comes in their way.
That’s why it’s a real challenge to keep them away!
How to Get Rid of Possums Effectively
Here’s how you can keep possums away:
You can spray homemade natural opossum repellents on plants that opossums eat, especially their buds. Always refresh the spray after rain.
Never throw eggs, fats, oils, or meat in the compost pile. Don’t leave your pet’s food bowl or water outdoors after sunset. If you do, there is a risk that the possum can transfer diseases to your pet.
If possible, seal the garbage cans by sunset. Place some heavy weight on top to prevent spilling. Cover up compost heaps as well.
Clean up any fallen fruits or food sources from bird feeders from the yard.
Soak a few rags in ammonia and place them at the gate entrance or openings of hiding places of opossums. They are repelled by the pungent odor. You can place the rags near the plants that they may destroy. After rainfall, rags will be washed of the odor, so refresh it afterward.
As for fruits on trees, the most effective method is to cover the fruits individually with cloth bags. They will not interfere with fruit growth and possums will stay away.
You can also keep garden beds enclosed in chicken wire. This may make gardening a bit tricky, but at least the possums can’t reach it.
If you have a huge yard, fence the whole area with chicken wire. Top off the fence with greased PVC pipes to prevent opossums from climbing over them. Netting on fruit bushes and trees is a great idea too.
Quassia spray is effective to repel possums. Create a quassia solution by adding 100g of quassia chips into half a gallon of water. Heat it up, strain, and add a tablespoon of detergent. Use 1 part of this solution with 4 parts of water to spray it on the foliage around the yard.
Setting Up a Possum Trap to Prevent Their Recurring Presence:
After you have made your yard quite inhospitable and unpleasant for possums, the last thing to do is set up the traps. The trap can be set up at the entranceway. Make sure not to spray repellents as opossums have a strong sense of smell.
Initially, set the bait food outside the trap, slowly take it inside and let the trap do its work. Without harming, take them away from your yard and into the wilderness to be released.
Still can’t deal with opossums? Get professional help by searching for pest control services near you.