Tips on Wildlife Repellent - Courtesy of Stephen Vantassel of the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
With gardens and plants beginning to bloom, I thought it would be helpful to provide some insight on wildlife repellents and why sometimes they work great and othertimes they, well don't work up to expectations.
- Did the user carefully follow the label's directions? For example, taste repellents frequently need to be reapplied after rainfall or after new plant growth.
- Did the user have unrealistic expectations? Many auditory and visual repellents only work for a limited period of time as animals quickly become habituated to them. Users can extend the life expectancy of these scare devices by choosing those that are motion activated and/or by using a variety of devices so that the animals never know what is coming next.
- How many animals are in the area in relation to food supply? The fact is, repellents work best when you are using them and your neighbor isn't. When an animal can go to another site and get the food, then all is well. The problem is when there are too many animals and not enough food. In that situation, an animal has a choice, eat your repellent tasting bush or starve. You guessed it, the animal will start munching.
The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management has information providing more details on repellents, visit http://www.icwdm.org/ControlMethods/repellents.asp . With proper education, the public can adopt realistic expectations for repellents and use them to the best possible effect.
Let me know how I can be of further help.
Stephen Vantassel, Project Coordinator, CWCP, ACP, Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 414 Hardin Hall
Lincoln, NE 68583-0974.
Phone: 402-472-8961; Fax: 402-472-2946; Email: svantassel22unl.edu ; Web Site: http://icwdm.org ; SNR website: http://snr.unl.edu
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