Q. I’ve always heard that you could use Juicy Fruit gum to kill moles tunneling in your yard. Is this true, and how do I use it?
VIEW MOREQ. We moved into our house about a year ago. This past summer, we’ve seen two different snakes (I don’t think they were the same one) in our yard. My 10-year old daughter is terrified of snakes and doesn’t even want to go out in the yard anymore. Is there a poison bait for snakes?
A. No, there is no poison available for snakes. In fact, nonpoisonous snakes are protected by law in most states. Snakes are basically beneficial; many of them eat rodents.
VIEW MOREUh oh! Your dog just had a run-in with a skunk! What now? Nobody’s happy living with skunk odor.
VIEW MOREIf you are sharing your home with bats, it’s important that they be removed in a humane manner. Bats are beneficial as insect predators and are protected by law. But bats or their droppings can carry a number of diseases, including rabies, that can affect humans.
VIEW MORESure, they’re cute and we laugh at their antics. But close contact with raccoons is not good for your family’s health. Raccoons can transmit both rabies and roundworms to people.
VIEW MOREIf you’re having an ongoing problem with snakes around your home, even getting into your home, your real problem might be rodents! The primary food of many snakes, especially the larger ones, is rodents (mice, voles, rats). When a property develops a healthy population of rodents, snakes can move in as well.
VIEW MOREQ. I found this huge pile of what looks like broken up pine cones in our garden shed. What kind of animal left that behind?
VIEW MOREQ. Help! What can I do to stop squirrels from chewing on my house? We’ve tried chasing them away, covering the opening (they just chewed it open again), even putting hot sauce around the edge of the hole. Nothing stops them!
VIEW MOREQ. What do mole tunnels look like? I think that’s what I have all over my yard but I’ve never seen a mole. There are lots of holes, too. Do moles leave holes?
A. You don’t usually see moles. Moles spend almost all their time in their underground burrows, rarely coming to the surface. They are loners occupying a large home range. Moles like loose, moist soil with an abundance of grubs. They are rarely a problem where soil is hard, compact, and dry.
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