Pest Control For Your Flowers: Preventing Mammal Damage

Lush gardens filled with vegetables, fruit trees and flowers need pest control. They can often attract unwanted mammals looking for an easy meal. Rabbits, squirrels, deer, and other critters can wreak havoc by chewing through foliage, destroying plants, and ruining your hard work. Implementing proactive measures to prevent mammal damage is essential for any gardener

Identifying Common Garden Mammal Pests

The first step is learning how to identify signs of mammal activity, so you know what you’re up against. Look for chewed leaves, trampled plants, dug up soil, missing produce, and droppings around your garden. Known pests like rabbits, deer, groundhogs, squirrels, and chipmunks leave behind distinct clues. Understanding their behavior is key to prevention.

Signs of Mammal Damage to Look For

It’s important to regularly inspect your garden for any of the following signs of mammal damage:

• Chewed or gnawed leaves and stems – Jagged edges or bite marks on foliage indicate feeding by pests.
• Trampled or flattened areas – Footprints or body impressions in soil point to animals walking through your garden.
• Dug up soil – Tunnels, mounds or holes from burrowing pests like moles, voles or groundhogs.
• Missing or partially eaten produce – Fruits, vegetables or plants with chunks bitten off means thieves are stealing crops.
• Droppings and scat – Dry pellet-like feces from rabbits and deer or tubular scat from squirrels.
• Tracks and footprints – Imprints left in soft soil that can help identify the pest. Raccoons have five toes while squirrels have four toes on their front prints.
• Damaged bark – Stripped, gnawed or rubbed bark on tree trunks and woody stems from buck deer rubbing their antlers.
• Disturbed mulch – Ruffled and scattered mulch indicates animals foraging and digging for food underneath.
• Gardens raided at night – Nocturnal pests like opossums and raccoons do damage overnight under the cover of darkness.

Regularly scouting your garden during the day and night will help you uncover these tell-tale signs of mammal pests. The sooner you can detect their presence, the quicker you can take action.

Common Mammal Pests in Gardens

Some of the most common mammals that can wreak havoc in gardens include:

Rabbits – Rabbits use their sharp teeth to gnaw through plant stems and woody vegetation. They are especially fond of nibbling on tender new growth and will devour seedlings overnight.

Deer – Deer feed on a wide variety of garden plants. They browse on buds, twigs, fruits and berries. During fall, bucks rub and scrape their antlers on trees, damaging the bark.

Squirrels – These nimble critters dig up planted bulbs and seeds to eat. They also steal tomatoes, berries, and bird food. Squirrels are known to raid compost piles.

Raccoons – With their dexterous paws, raccoons can unravel garden beds in search of grubs and worms. They damage crops like corn and raid garbage cans.

Woodchucks – Also called groundhogs, they construct underground burrows and feed on vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants.

Voles – These small rodents create surface tunnels and feed on roots, stems, foliage and bark of plants. They leave behind gnawed apple-like cores.

Skunks – Skunks dig holes in lawns and gardens looking for grubs and insects. They eat fallen fruit and raid garbage cans.

Opossums – These nocturnal scavengers feed on discarded fruits and vegetables. They destroy compost piles while foraging at night.

Moles – Moles burrow underground, raising up soil tunnels. They feed on grubs but can disturb plant root systems while tunneling.

Chipmunks – Chipmunks dig up newly planted bulbs and seeds to store in their burrows. They also eat tender plants and gnaw on fruits.

Mice & Rats – Rodents like mice and rats nibble on seeds, fruits, roots and other plant parts. They also chew up insulation and wiring.

Knowing the likely suspects that are invading your garden is key to targeting your prevention methods properly.

What Attracts Mammals and the Havoc They Wreak

What motivates mammals to choose your garden as their personal buffet? Most are tempted by easily accessible food sources rich in the nutrients, minerals, and hydration they instinctively seek. Understanding what attracts them and the damage they cause will help you safeguard your garden.

Elements That Attract Mammal Pests

Several key factors draw mammal pests to landscapes and gardens:

• Fragrant flowers and plants – Rabbits, deer and others gravitate towards strongly scented roses, herbs and flowers which pique their curiosity.
• Fruits and vegetables – The sight and smell of ripe tomatoes, berries, corn, and other fresh produce is irresistible to many critters.
• New plant growth – Succulent new shoots, sprouts and seedlings contain high moisture content and nutrients, tempting pests.
• Compost piles – The smell of compost attracts animals wishing to forage for organic matter and discarded food scraps.
• Bird feeders – Spilled bird seed and overflowing feeders provide an easy snack for squirrels, rats, mice and others.
• Unsecured garbage cans – Trash and food waste attracts smell-motivated animals like raccoons, opossums and bears.
• Standing water sources – Birdbaths, ponds and other water sources attract thirsty deer, rabbits, chipmunks and small mammals.
• Brush and tall grass – Unkempt areas surrounding gardens provide cover and shelter for animals to rest and nest.
• Wood or rock piles – Stacked firewood and rock walls offer refuge and nesting sites for skunks, mice, voles and snakes.
• Sheds, decks and porches – Gaps or access points under buildings allow animals like groundhogs and rats to find shelter and entry to your garden.

By understanding what tempts mammal pests, you can modify your garden areas to be less appealing. Eliminate food attractants, remove hiding spots, secure water sources and fill gaps in fences.

The Damage Mammal Pests Inflict

Mammal pests don’t just snack on your plants – they can devastate gardens by:

• Eating seedlings, destroying buds and stripping young bark. Rabbits, deer, voles and squirrels target new growth.
• Gnawing on woody stems, causing girdling damage that kills plants. Mice, voles and porcupines are guilty of this.
• Digging holes in lawns and gardens which damages roots and causes soil erosion. Skunks, moles, groundhogs and squirrels dig.
• Feasting on juicy fruits and vegetables before they ripen, leaving nothing left to harvest. Raccoons, deer, bears and others steal ripening produce.
• Rubbing antlers on trees which strips bark and provides entry to disease and insects. Buck deer and elk damage trees by rubbing.
• Disturbing and raiding compost piles, making a mess in their search for food scraps. Raccoons, opossums and bears overturn compost.
• Spreading parasites and diseases from droppings and urine left behind. Rodents can spread hantavirus and leptospirosis.
• Damaging irrigation lines when digging and burrowing underground. Chewed wiring and plumbing allows systems to leak and fail.
• Causing injury to gardeners attempting to keep pests away. A skunk can spray an unwary gardener with its foul-smelling odor.

Without control methods in place, mammal pests can quickly decimate gardens, undoing all your hard nurturing and planting work literally overnight. It’s incredibly frustrating but can be mitigated.

Nocturnal Behavior to Know

Many mammal pests conduct the bulk of their garden raids under the cover of darkness. Learning their nighttime habits is key to thwarting after-hours attacks.

Prime Feeding Times

Dusk, nighttime and pre-dawn are peak activity times for nocturnal mammal pests. Under the cloak of darkness, creatures like raccoons, opossums, bats, mice, and rabbits feel safe venturing out to feed. Your garden takes on a radically different vibe after sunset.

Night vision goggles or a video camera can help shed light on the unseen nocturnal drama unfolding in your garden while you sleep. You may be shocked to see a family of bandit raccoons systematically ravaging your vegetable patch or a herd of deer munching your expensive landscaping plants down to the stems.

Their night vision and keen senses lead them straight to flower beds blooming with enticing fragrances, trees dangling with almost-ripe fruit, and newly planted plots filled with tender greenery sprouting. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet for wild opportunists.

Other Nighttime Activities

In addition to feeding, mammal pests engage in other disruptive nighttime activities:

• Mating – Foxes, skunks, and other mammals mate and give birth during spring nights. This leads to increased garden foraging to feed hungry offspring.
• Establishing territories – Nocturnal creatures like opossums scout out and mark their home ranges after dusk by depositing scents and making warning vocalizations.
• Seeking water – Sources of drinking water draw thirsty mammals at night like deer, raccoons, rabbits and more. Ensure ponds and bird baths are made inaccessible at night.
• Burrowing – Tunneling pests like moles, voles, armadillos and ground squirrels dig and expand their underground burrows primarily at night when predators are fewer.
• Migrating & dispersing – Some mammals like bats and juvenile animals move from their daytime roosts and dens to new areas under night’s cloak to avoid detection.
• Grooming & playing – Crepuscular mammals like skunks and foxes emerge in dim conditions at dawn and dusk to bathe, play and socialize before bedding down.

Your first step in dealing with nighttime pests is confirming which ones frequent your garden after dark. Strategically placed wildlife cameras or actual nighttime observation sessions will reveal the culprits. Once identified, you can take steps to exclude them or make areas less hospitable after nightfall.

Pest Control Methods to Try to Protect Your Flowers and Plants

Protecting your garden from mammal invaders involves multiple control strategies used in combination for best success. Here are smart methods to try:

Install Physical Barriers

Physically blocking pests from accessing your garden is an effective form of pest control for your flowers and plants. Fencing, wires, netting and wraps can create impenetrable boundaries, forcing mammals to look elsewhere for their food.

• Deer netting and welded wire fencing at least 8 feet tall keeps out all but the most nimble intruders. Bury the bottom edge underground to prevent digging underneath.
• Chicken wire, hardware cloth and wire mesh keeps rabbits and woodchucks from squeezing through holes or gaps. Use the smallest opening size possible.
• Electric fencing gives larger animals like deer a safe but startling shock if they try to breach the barrier. Opt for solar models.
• Trunk guards made of wire, plastic or aluminum wrap around tree trunks to prevent gnawing and rubbing damage.
• Wire mesh or netted frames can be placed over seed beds and produce plots to form protective tunnels, safeguarding crops as they grow.
• Prickly plants like barberry, pyracantha, blackberry brambles and yucca planted densely around garden perimeters create living fences.

Well-designed physical barriers tailored to the pests you need to deter can eliminate up to 90% of garden raids when installed and maintained properly. They may cost more upfront but pay off in the long run.

Apply Repellents Liberally

Chemical-free repellents create a scent boundary that mammal pests find unpleasant or alarming. Use them strategically to discourage grazing in your garden.

• Castor oil, garlic, and capsaicin sprayed onto foliage make plants taste bitter. Reapply after rain.
• Granular shake-on repellents made with dried blood, garlic, and chili pepper irritate sensitive noses. Refresh monthly.
• Ultrasonic, motion-activated deterrents emit high-frequency sounds that drive away burrowing pests like moles and voles.
• Predator urine mimics the terrifying scent of foxes, coyotes, mountain lions or bobcats to scare off deer, raccoons and skunks.
• Milky spore powder controls japanese beetle grubs in soil which skunks and moles feed on. It cuts off their food source.
• Visual scare devices like flashing lights, flutter ribbons, fake snakes, and owl decoys startle and frighten superstitious critters.

Use humane, natural repellents liberally throughout your garden for best results. Position near veggie plots, flower beds, compost piles and other hot spots. As mammals learn to ignore certain scents over time, rotate repellent types frequently.

Modify the Garden Setting

Making your garden environment less attractive to mammals can reduce unauthorized feedings. Use these tips:

• Clear away hiding spots like tall grass, brush piles and mulch that animals use for cover when accessing your garden.
• Eliminate exterior food sources like exposed compost piles and overflowing bird feeders so animals wander elsewhere.
• Add lighting on pathways and garden edges to deter nocturnal mammals that prefer darkness.
• Use trees, fountains, and wind chimes to mask night noises mammals depend on to avoid danger.
• Incorporate prickly, fuzzy, thorny or strongly scented plants that mammals dislike brushing against and nibbling.
• Remove water sources like rain barrels, ponds and birdbaths or cover them at night when mammals require a drink.
• Rearrange the garden frequently which disorients mammals from their familiar feeding grounds.
• Plant lettuces and leafy greens on the interior of beds to protect them, encircling with prickly specimens like Blackberry brambles or artichokes along the edges.

Sometimes outsmarting clever mammals is easier than totally excluding them. Adopting these smart practices makes your garden space unappealing to wildlife looking for their next meal.

Trap & Remove Persistent Mammals

For individual mammal pests that refuse to stop ravaging your garden despite all efforts, live trapping and removal may be the last resort.

• Only attempt trapping if legal in your area and release animals safely away from roads and houses.
• Use appropriately sized humane traps designed not to harm the animal. Bait with the animal’s favorite foods.
• Set traps along travel pathways, in shady areas, or near where you observe the most damage.
• Once trapped, cover the trap with a towel to calm the animal before transporting it.
• Release the creature a minimum of 5 miles from your property in an area with similar habitat and far from busy roads.
• After removing the problem animal, take extra measures to prevent additional mammals from entering the vacant territory left behind.

Trapping is labor intensive and works best for recurring problems with individual nuisance mammals that prove undeterred by all other methods. Avoid completely eliminating valuable wildlife from your area which can cause further ecosystem imbalance.

Maintaining a Pest-Free Garden

Be diligent and consistent with prevention techniques to obtain the upper hand on mammal invaders over the long-term.

Monitor Closely for Activity

Make garden observations part of your daily routine:

• Inspect plants, produce, structures and soil for evidence of mammal damage in the mornings and after dusk when it’s most visible.
• Search for scat, tracks, digs, burrows and other signs of active pest activity and record where in your garden they occur.
• Use game cameras, night vision or direct examination to identify the specific mammals frequenting your garden, when they visit and what they eat.
• Keep detailed notes over time on what control methods work best for the pests plaguing your garden. Refine your approach seasonally.

Ongoing monitoring and recording provides valuable insight on pest habits and how your deterrents are working. Make corrections to your strategy based on pest reactions. Watch for patterns over time.

Keep Compost Piles Contained

Compost piles readily attract scavenging mammals in search of an easy snack. Follow these guidelines to dissuade pests:

• Use fully enclosed compost bins made of sturdy plastic or galvanized metal with secure lids and drainage holes.
• Position compost in open, sunny locations away from dense vegetation and fences which provide cover.
• Avoid adding meat, oils or fat to compost which creates enticing smells. Stick to only plant-based material.
• Turn and maintain compost regularly to speed decomposition.unfinished compost holds more appeal to animals.
• Use carbon-based materials like leaves, cardboard and sawdust to limit smells and absorb excess moisture.
• If using open piles, install underground wire mesh or fencing to prevent digging.

With careful composting practices, you can produce nutritious soil amendments without attracting every critter for miles around.

Choose Plants Wisely

Incorporate plants into your garden design that naturally repel mammals:

Smelly plants – Alliums, chives, garlic, lemon thyme, lavender, sage, mint, oregano, tell mammals to turn up their noses elsewhere.

Prickly plants – Holly, barberry, roses, cacti, succulents, and brambles make browsing uncomfortable.

Poisonous plants – Foxglove, oleander, azaleas, lilies, daffodils are toxic if eaten, making mammals steer clear.

Sharp-tasting plants – Onions, chives, ornamental grasses