Raccoon inundation a community problem

Tag : material feeder

Q: In an online article you wrote for The Chronicle last year yousuggested using ammonia to repel raccoons. Since I am having moreand more problems with them, I tried your solution. It seemed towork for two nights, but now they're back. The raccoons move bricksand heavy paving stones that I put at the bottom of my compost binsand dig out finished compost. The ammonia seemed the best solution,but how many nights does it have to be put out and replenishedbefore they stop coming back?
I've also put chicken wire on some areas where they used to poop.This seems to have stopped that particular activity, but they canalways find another spot. My garden now looks like a disaster areabecause of all the deterrents that are in place. I also have1/4-inch wire over the top of two newish blueberry plants. Theraccoons and squirrels have also been taking bites out of all theunripe fruit they can find. A neighbor's Santa Rosa plum used toget ripe fruit. That is a thing of the past.
This is all happening in the Berkeley flats and the animals seem tohave proliferated within the last year. Any more suggestions wouldbe greatly appreciated.

A: As I wrote last year (May 2, 2007), raccoons have adapted verywell to our urban areas. Still, though our San Francisconeighborhood has had some raccoons for years, they don't do nearlythe damage that you are seeing. The raccoon and squirrel populationboom you are experiencing is probably due to practices in yourneighborhood that are allowing them to multiply more rapidly thanusual. Much of the available advice on managing these animalsassumes a moderate population, but when the animals are verycrowded, the usual advice may not work. What you need to do is tryto find out the reasons for the population boom and seek wider helpremoving them.
I spoke with David Gould, senior vector control officer for AlamedaCounty. (Vectors are any creature that can spread disease. Raccoonsand squirrels are included because both can spread rabies, andraccoons can also spread canine distemper and raccoon roundworm.)Gould said that the animals multiply dramatically when they findfood from human sources. Wild raccoons eat both animal and plantmaterial, including insects, earthworms, snails, bird eggs, fish,rabbits, turtles, fruits, nuts and grain.
In Alameda County, Gould says, a major additional food source isgarbage, especially the large containers provided by apartmentcomplexes, which tend to be left open because no one takesresponsibility for closing them. Another major food source is petfood, especially if it is left out at night. Bird feeders attractboth raccoons and squirrels. Both eat grain that is accessible inthe feeder or that falls to the ground. Raccoons also eat any birdsthey can catch, as well as the rats and mice that are attracted tothe spilled grain and the snakes that are there to hunt the rodentsand birds.
Some people feed raccoons and squirrels intentionally. There is nolaw against doing it, but Gould pointed out that this causeswildlife to associate humans with food and become more aggressive.Raccoons enter houses seeking food, and may even approach peoplewho are carrying food and refuse to back off unless they get it.Even squirrels may bite fingers, mistaking them for a peanut. Ifthe world were as wildlife-harassed gardeners would have it,garbage cans would be shut and locked, pet food kept in, no onewould feed raccoons or squirrels, and bird-friendly gardens wouldmean ones with nectar, seeds and berries that birds seek.
How to get from here to there? You can look for open garbagecontainers and talk to your neighbors about this and other issues,but I think you should also enlist help in educating and changingpeople's habits. Vector control agencies are interested in reducingconditions that favor not only raccoons and squirrels, but rats andmice, which are recognized widely as serious health hazards.
The city of Berkeley has its own Vector Control Program, which youcan reach by e-mail at envhealth@ci.berkeley.ca.us or at (510) 981-5310. Berkeley Environmental Health Manager ManuelRamirez confirmed that the program has literature to distribute andwill educate both one-to-one and in groups such as tenant orneighborhood associations. They will also conduct surveys andinspections, including on a neighborhood basis.
Pam Peirce is the author of "Golden Gate Gardening" and "WildlySuccessful Plants: Northern California." She teaches gardening atCity College of San Francisco. Read her blog atgoldengategarden.typepad.com or e-mail questions and comments toher at home@sfchronicle.com . Kitchen gardening questions are sometimes answered in Saturday'sHome&Garden. We cannot guarantee a response to all questionssubmitted.