Raccoon Problem Management in Gardens

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are abundant throughout Missouri. Their traditional habitats include wooded areas near streams, rivers or other water sources. However, raccoons have adapted quite well to urban environments, but because they usually move around and feed at night, they are seldom seen.

Adult raccoons usually breed in February and have a gestation period of 63 days. There is usually one litter per year of four to seven young. Young are born in April and May. When born they are blind, but their eyes open within 30 days. They are weaned by August.

Most daily movements of raccoons are within a relatively small area called a "home range." According to researchers in Iowa, males normally have home ranges no larger than 2 square miles. Ranges of females do not exceed 1.4 square miles, and juveniles range in a much smaller area. Home ranges vary considerably and depend on the availability of resources such as food and sites for resting and denning. Home ranges also become smaller as winter approaches.

Raccoons are omnivorous and eat a variety of foods, including small animals (such as crayfish, fish, frogs, snails, small mammals and insects) and vegetables and fruits including apples, nuts and grains. Like many other animals, raccoons are opportunists, eating pet food, garbage or other foods they find in urban areas. Raccoons are also particularly known for eating sweet corn. They seem to know when the corn is ripe and ready for harvesting. Broken stalks or open husks indicate raccoon damage. Second to sweet corn, raccoons like watermelons. They dig through the rind, reach in and pull out the contents with their paws.

Raccoon management around gardens
Fencing: Fencing is a good way to keep raccoons from harvesting your garden. Because of their climbing ability, woven wire fences alone won’t discourage raccoons from going after sweet corn. Adding electric wires turns woven wire into an effective barrier. Just be sure woven wire is grounded. This also makes the electric portion more effective if an animal comes in contact with both. If such a fence is present, the addition of a single wire about 8 inches from the fence and 8 inches above the ground, electrified with a charger, will provide an effective deterrent.

By using a little imagination, you can discourage raccoons with an electric fence. Always use an electric fence with safety in mind. Use a charger with a seal of approval from Underwriters Laboratory, Inc. (UL) and do not use it where children or the public might come in contact with it. After you have decided to use electric fences, an appropriate warning sign should be attached. When no other fence is present, two electrified wires, one 6 inches and the other 12 inches above the ground, mounted on insulated stakes or poles will be an effective deterrent. A single strand from 6 to 8 inches above the ground may be sufficient, but two wires will provide added insurance. The fence needs to be "on" at night.

Repellents and scare tactics: A variety of materials, including dog feces, blood meal, and human scent have been tested to repel raccoons; however, none have proven to be effective. Mothballs (naphthalene) are effective in repelling mammals from enclosed spaces such as attics but would probably not be effective in garden situations. However, one sweet corn grower claimed to successfully repel raccoons by putting moth balls at the base of the stalks on the outer two rows.

Other scare tactics such as fireworks, scarecrows, lights or dogs are not effective (or practical) in preventing damage because raccoons usually figure out that these tactics pose no physical threat and then they ignore them.

Trapping: In urban settings, cage-type traps may offer the method for controlling raccoon damage. A 15 x 15 x 36-inch single-door live trap baited with fish, fish-based pet food, meat or eggs is sufficient. If there are cats in the area, these baits will attract them too. Many homeowners prefer to release raccoons unharmed in a distant location "where the animal can find a good home." Recently, there has been growing opposition to relocating wild animals because of the possibility of introducing diseases from one population to another and the fact that a relocated raccoon may be forced out of the new area by other raccoons and not have a good chance of survival. Be sure to contact the Missouri Department of Conservation Wildlife Damage Program or an Urban Wildlife Biologist for more information on solving raccoon problems and on the use of live traps. You can also refer to the new MU Guide G9453, Managing Raccoon Problems in Missouri at http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/wildlife/g09453.htm.

Robert Pierce, Extension Wildlife Specialist, UMC (573) 882-4337