Re: Outrage!

Havahart trap, bait it with a can of cat food [securely tied to the closed end of the trap so the sucker's got to get all the way in to reach it], and a strong young guy to haul the trapped miscreant to New Hampshire before letting it loose.

We have found that simply leaving the light on will deter them from certain areas. We have halogen spots on the back patio at night, and while we see signs that there have been other raccoons in the yard, they have left the pots on the patio and in the lathhouse alone.

Without the lights to deter them, they seem to return to the scene of the crime and repeat the same diggings. The one we caught had dug up two potted Thai hybrid crowns of thorns 3 nights running. Same pot. She also dug up a papaya that was still in its nursery pot 2 nights in a row. Both of these events caused considerable angst--the Thai crowns are fairly expensive and these two are unusual [clear yellow; no hint of red in the eye] and the papaya because papayas do not like to be transplanted and the animal had all but bare-rooted it twice.

All plants survived fortunately. The crowns are now blooming like mad and the papaya is growing like the weed it is.



On May 28, 2005, at 12:12 PM, Aplfgcnys@aol.com wrote:

After a week of totally miserable, cold, cloudy, damp but not
rainy weather, it cleared up and turned warmer yesterday.
I spent the afternoon planting out tender things in the container
garden I set up each summer in my breezeway - filled all the
big pots, planted out half the plants I have been hoarding.
I didn't finish because a sudden wind and rain storm ran me
in, but felt I had made a good start.  This morning when we
went out to fill the bird-feeders, what a disaster!  Every single
pot had been turned over or dug up.  Every plant, including
the five miniature rose bushes, had been dug up and thrown
on the ground. My DH is stressed about all the expensive
potting soil spilled into the gravel where it will encourage
weeds.  I am stressed about my plants.  It took me an hour
just to get things straightened up.  What a start for the
season.  I guess it must have been raccoons.  I know we
have lots of them around.  Skunks dometimes dig things up,
but this was so much more systematic and complete - some
of the pots were quite large.  There are days when I think
we're losing the battle with nature.
Auralie

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Island Jim
Southwest Florida
27.0 N, 82.4 W
Hardiness Zone 10
Heat Zone 10
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
Maximum 100 F [38 C]

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