From Using a trap to capture or kill an animal is illegal in many areas. To find out about your local laws, check with the local animal control office. There are some safe ways to control these animals, however. Here's what you can safely do to fight them off:
- Rabbits. Protect certain areas, such as a vegetable garden, with chicken-wire fencing. Bend the bottom three inches of the wire outward and bury
it in the soil to prevent burrowing.
- Deer. Place eight-foot deer fencing around the entire area. Or try spraying shrubs with a mixture of one teaspoon dishwashing detergent, one egg, and one quart of water. The smell, repulsive to deer, is imperceptible to humans.
- Squirrels and raccoons. Put rounded baffles on bird-feeding posts to deter squirrels. Secure garbage can lids to keep out raccoons.
- Mice and rats. Never use rodent poison in homes with small children. You might be able to reduce a mouse population by eliminating their food supply or at least their access to it.
Put pet food and bird seed in metal or glass containers with tight-fitting lids. Keep garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids. Don't feed birds in summer when birds have many other food sources and the seed can attract ro-dents. Keep outdoor areas clean and free of garbage. Keep grassy or weedy areas mowed to minimize potential nesting sites.
- Birds. Drape mesh over fruit trees and strawberry patches just as fruit begins to form. Or build a chicken-wire fence -- complete with a mesh roof -- to keep birds out of a vegetable garden.
- Snakes. These beneficial reptiles help control rodents. Few are poisonous. However, if poisonous snakes are a problem, use a commercial repellent and eliminate habitats, such as wood or rock piles.
- Moles, voles, gophers, shrews, and other burrowing animals. Burrowing animals improve soil texture in your garden; if they are not damaging plants, it may be best to live with them.