Each and every home with an outdoor living space, or a spacious backyard of their own, naturally have a manifold of insects and animals we qualify as pests and thus need to be eradicated before they can even engender a bigger problem. While not every one of them is dangerous or can put human health in harm’s way, a few of them can be a pure nuisance that they leave you no choice but to have them eliminated from your property. One of which is the possum. Possum removal in Kitchener is an important service that every household needs to have a good access just in case that they needed a good hand to deal with this kind of animal infestation.
The presence of possums in your outdoor living space can be a big headache, reason that this subject easily becomes a burning topic among homemakers and garden enthusiasts. If you are a homemaker but don’t have any prior experience about this kind of pesky critter and the kind of havoc that they can wreak to your home, I highly suggest that you consider learning and getting acquainted with these treatment options that are safe to humans, but not to them. In any kind of pest infestation, it is very crucial that you know how you can take control of the situation, rather than letting the situation get the best of you and control you instead.
What’s Included with the Process of Possum Removal?
If you can anticipate that your outdoor spaces are a high-risk area for possum attack, then you should consider having preventive measures in place to keep them out. Even in imminent dangers of pest infestation, prevention is also the best remedy to have as opposed to finding the right extermination measures to get rid of them for good. The problem here is that there are many preventive techniques to use but they fail most of the time because these critters are obtrusive and sneaky, and will do everything in their power to stay and remain in your dwelling space even without your consent.
Here are some of the common preventive measures you can employ:
Possum-proof your space
How do you go about doing this measure? The working idea here is to eradicate all the elements that may attract the attention of possums and inspire them to take residence in your outdoor space or worse, make a home of their own inside of your house. Anything unnecessary to have in your backyard, from deep leaf litter, fallen trees, unused equipment or unused cars must be taken away and disposed. If you are keeping a garden, make sure that you keep the grass as short as possible, bushes and hanging tree branches are trimmed on a regular basis. Check also your outbuildings, porches, and shed areas for any accessible areas. If there are openings, fill them with heavy rocks or line them up with aluminum wire mesh to block entry.
Removing Shelters
You need to rake brush piles that may have been laying in your garden or backyard. So far, this is the simplest way you can do to drive away possums that may have been harboring anywhere in your outdoor space and without you being aware of it. If you are keeping firewood yonder your house, I suggest that you secure them away in a shed or have them stored in a tight shelter.
Proper Fencing
An effective alternative fencing technique in possum control is the use of electric wire fencing. If you wanted to get rid of possums in a snap, consider putting up a fencing system around your property to a maximum of at least 4 feet high. You must see to it that the top foot is facing outwards to keep animals from climbing over. Should you consider an electric fencing instead, the height should be at least 3-4 inches.
Removing Open Spaces
Aside from your outdoor living spaces, you also need to pay attention to your indoors, where possums may have found a way to sneak in and hide and you are not even aware of it. A crack or a hole can become an easy entry point for possums and other pesky animals. Thus, you may need to seal them up as soon as you uncovered their presence. Make a round of inspection in your existing vent systems, too, and you need to seal them also as they are a good entry point for animals and possums.
Are Possum Repellents Effective?
Unfortunately, most of the possum repellent products I tried before have too little effect on these nasty animals. I know that there is a myriad of products claiming to help drive away possums and a number of other pesky animals, but I guarantee that at least 75% of them don’t impact possums in an adverse way and thus ineffective. They can have a very strong smell, which is a bad thing, besides being very expensive.
You can try the following as better alternatives, they are cheaper and far more effective. I suggest though that you try them only outdoors, in your backyard.
Mothballs: You can straggle them around your backyard. The sheer odor of mothballs are disgusting to possums and are thus driving them away effectively. This is a more practical option as it is cheaper and yet high impacting.
Ammonia: Place an old rag inside a coffee can and pour some ammonia on it. The idea here is to make use of the rag to act as a wick and help in dispersing the ammonia fumes to its surroundings. I suggest that you make several of these and place them randomly in your backyard. The sheer smell of ammonia will help drive away the possums.
Spikes: Another popular measure that will help drive away possums and similar animals is the use of spikes. Most of the time the spikes used here are made from clear polycarbonate, with a length of about 600 mm they are easily attached to almost any surface you will need them onto such as cable ties, nails, screws, etc.
Trapping the Animal and Relocation
It is usually advisable to set up the possum trap right in front the place where you usually spot them in or where you have seen there is a possum activity. The right kind of possum trap bait should be used though to ensure a successful possum catch.
Once you have trapped the animal, you can’t just relocate it anywhere you like, since there are possibly existing community laws regarding the capture of such animals and their release in the wild. It is better to know and be aware of them so you can follow their suggestions or the directives of the local community authorities. The idea behind these relocation laws for captured possums and other wildlife animals is to prevent the animal from wreaking havoc to a zoned area but at the same time, they must be relocated to a place where they can have enough sustenance to survive.
As a homeowner, you have the discretion to choose what type of possum removal strategy you will want to employ, although professional possum removal in Kitchener is available for your taking, too.