# Skunk control



## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*skunks*

Well I have to admit I have poisoned them. If they are numerous and unchecked they will do a lot of damage. They are insect eaters by nature


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

Make a hole in an egg large enough to insert 2 crushed aspirin and stir. Place the eggs around the skunk's territory.

The aspirin will cure your headache.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*Iddee*

Hey that sounds painless!


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## Trevor Mansell (Jan 16, 2005)

Does it have to be asprin or will Tylenol work?


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

acetylsalicylic acid is the thing to use. Most companies call it aspirin.


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

Carpet tack across the front of the entrance is supposed to work
%100. Dogs protect my locations currently.


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## MapMan (May 24, 2007)

MichaelW said:


> Carpet tack across the front of the entrance is supposed to work %100. Dogs protect my locations currently.


Yes, dogs are great for taking the skunk's spray... So far this summer, three out of four of my dogs have been idiotic enough to chase the "little kitty"... The last one sprayed was four days ago.

MM


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

...if it's just the skunk's impact on the bees you are worried about, top entrances will do the trick.

deknow


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## Ski (Jan 18, 2007)

The asprin makes them bleed internally until they die, not so painless and if there are a lot of them could be a nasty clean up.
I use a 3 foot fence around my 6 hives, cost about $100 bucks for 2 rolls of wire and some metal fence posts. The fence could work for about 10 hives with plenty of room to work around the hives.


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## Trevor Mansell (Jan 16, 2005)

Thanks for the info, Ill try the asprin in the egg. The hives are on pallets ,and Im only here until Sept. so putting the eggs out there and forgeting about them sounds good.


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## Ted (Feb 20, 2000)

I know a retired N.Y. DEC officer that swears by 10/10/10 fertilizer, spread about a hand full in front of the hive/hives they are working , skunks work at night ,there is dew at night, 10/10/10 fertilizer + dew on the belly of the skunk = very hot belly on skunk .
if this dosen't work, try the egg please let us know how they work


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## Jeffzhear (Dec 2, 2006)

I use a havaheart live trap and trap them in it. Now some might think I am crazy, but when I catch a skunk, I walk up slowly to the trap with a dark blanket in front of me....talking to the skunk in a quiet non-threatening way. I put the blanket over the cage, pick it up, put it in the back of my truck (blabbing all the while) and then drive it to where I am going to release the skunk. I ensure the blanket won't blow off and it offers the skunk a refuge in that it provides a dark environment for it, which I think they like.

Again, while talking (to the skunk) I open the front entrance propping it open with a long-handled shovel and I move away quickly.

I've done this with scores of skunks and have not been sprayed yet.

They are actually a lovely animal and I personally would hate to kill them.  And, I do hate them when they are working my yards....

Oh, and I don't advocate my method of live trapping and removal....it's just what I do.


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

I wonder how many beehives are in the "scores" of skunk's new habitat.

Be careful you don't get shot by an irate beek who lives in your release area.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

iddee said:


> I wonder how many beehives are in the "scores" of skunk's new habitat.
> 
> Be careful you don't get shot by an irate beek who lives in your release area.


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## Ski (Jan 18, 2007)

"The hives are on pallets ,and I'm only here until Sept. so putting the eggs out there and forgetting about them sounds good"

You are only there until Sept.? YOU don't own the land ? 
IF, IF you are using someone elses land and now you are going to start killing wildlife of whatever kind without permission? Hmmmm I would give that some more thought IF that is the case. Especially since there are other ways around the problem.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*Jeffzhear Skunks*

Jeff I'm not kidding you gotta make a video

But I know what you mean, it's never easy to take a life

Why do we feel this kinship with animals?


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*Be careful you don't get shot*

Hey, to say something like that these days don't even joke about it ...


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*Hope you don't get shot!*

This is from our MODERATOR????


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## iddee (Jun 21, 2005)

>>>>Hey, to say something like that these days don't even joke about it ..<<<<

And who made you God around here. I think it may well be good advice. I've known people that got hurt when caught dumping dogs near cattle farms.
People don't like having your problems dumped on them, including me.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*OK*

I know what you mean about dumping

But you can't advocate shooting people

It's just not cool


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

Last I checked skunks are a good carrier for rabies. And other diseases

If you are the catch and release type for skunks, I hope you are dumping them on land you own and not on someone elses land. Skunks do more damage than just bees.
They get themselves under graineries. They muck it up real bad so the cows will not eat the expensive grain...checked the price on a bushel of grain lately?

They get in the barns and make a right mess

They can give dogs and cats rabies...I love my pets and take great pains in making sure they are up to date on the shots, but when a skunk comes around nothing is 100% except a bullet.

They eat you out of house and home on dog food...priced it out lately?

They get into the chicken house and eat eggs

They make nasty smelly road kill...stinks the road for several miles, never mind the car that hits it.

It's kind of like keeping a fox in the hen house, or a bear in the pasture spooking and terrifing your cows...some things you just got to do!


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## Ski (Jan 18, 2007)

What about the lack of respect for other peoples land. Here is a land owner that entrusted his land to a beekeeper. The beekeeper decides he doesn’t like a type of wild life and decides to kill it without consulting the land owner. Not because it is attacking him but because he is lazy and cheap. He could put up a cheap fence, raise the hives up with blocks, use upper entrances but instead he chooses to disrespect other peoples property. If the owner finds dead skunks and checks into it may be the last time ANY beekeeper uses the land. Just gives beekeepers a bad name.


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## Trevor Mansell (Jan 16, 2005)

Ski said:


> What about the lack of respect for other peoples land. Here is a land owner that entrusted his land to a beekeeper. The beekeeper decides he doesn’t like a type of wild life and decides to kill it without consulting the land owner. Not because it is attacking him but because he is lazy and cheap. He could put up a cheap fence, raise the hives up with blocks, use upper entrances but instead he chooses to disrespect other peoples property. If the owner finds dead skunks and checks into it may be the last time ANY beekeeper uses the land. Just gives beekeepers a bad name.


 First of all I have consulted the land owner , and he wants the skunk dead. Skunks are a nusiance and land owners up here know that. This is not a hobby to me ,its my living. I dont have time to "raise the pallets on blocks" or do any other silly thing because I shouldnt hurt the skunk. If the land owner wouldnt let me kill it I would have simply moved the bees and not looked back.


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## Trevor Mansell (Jan 16, 2005)

Ski said:


> "The hives are on pallets ,and I'm only here until Sept. so putting the eggs out there and forgetting about them sounds good"
> 
> You are only there until Sept.? YOU don't own the land ?
> IF, IF you are using someone elses land and now you are going to start killing wildlife of whatever kind without permission? Hmmmm I would give that some more thought IF that is the case. Especially since there are other ways around the problem.


What should I do take the skunk out to lunch and explain my side of the situation. I didnt ask for your opinion on how to run my operation or out yards . All I want to know is how to kill a skunk.


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## Ski (Jan 18, 2007)

" Its not on my property so I have to be discrete ,I cant just shoot it."

" First of all I have consulted the land owner"

Well Trevor by all means with the landowners permission kill THE skunk. 
Maybe its just my area but we have many many skunks, I am not sure there is ever just one.

I grew up in Pennsylvania where this type of incident would cause land owner and "allowed user" to come to very heated discussions and threats. I am glad you are in an area where that is not a problem. 

Good luck with the skunks and I hope you have a great honey year.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I never had skunk problems until my current location. I tried shooting them. The problem is there is not just one skunk, there are many skunks. Usually there is a family. A lot of sleepless nights trying to shoot them all. You can trap them. An egg works well. Cracked open for smell is helpful. You can use the AspriEgg, it works. But again, you have to keep at it until you get rid of all of them. Then some other skunks move into the void left by those and you get to start all over again. I decided it was easier to go to top entrances and no bottom entrances. Problem solved.


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## Trevor Mansell (Jan 16, 2005)

*Update*

Thanks for all the advice on skunk control. I attached a pan trap to the front of the pallet. When the skunk put its foot in the trap and was still there in the morning well lets just say the bees got there revenge. "I love it when a plan comes together"


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## Flint (Jun 2, 2008)

I shot one from a tree-stand once with a broadhead. It had just chased away the buck I was about to shoot, and it was only about a quarter mile from my bee yard, so I figured I had a good enough reason. Retrieving the arrow was a smelly job though. I probably wouldn't do it that way again.


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## MichelleB (Jan 29, 2006)

I've had skunk problems with my palletized bees...I find that top entrances work well not just to avoid skunks, but for better ventilation. Or, just having double pallets...helps preserve the pallets that have the rails built onto them, anyway. Skunks have thick fur on their backs, but not so much on their bellies. They don't like reach up and expose their bellies to the bees.

This is just me, but I can't justify letting any animal slowly bleed to death (internally or ex), or die from starvation/dehydration/bee stings just because to get rid of them more humanely doesn't jive with my bottom line. Eggs full of aspirin can be fatal to landowner's pets and smaller livestock, too, so keep that in mind. 

From a great website on skunks: 
"Most members of the skunk family prey primarily on insects, especially insects harmful to the agricultural economy. The earliest legislation for the protection of skunks grew out of appeals from hop growers in New York and was passed in 1893.

Skunks are especially useful in destroying the rats and mice that commonly infest farm buildings. Spotted skunks are remarkably efficient as destroyers of rats and mice because they are quick and can follow rats and mice into smaller crannies than other skunks can enter." 

If a skunk is tearing up a barn or crawlspace, it might because you have a worse problem--disease-spreading rodents. 

Even a skunk with rabies isn't prone to aggression, though any rabid animal is inherently a threat.

Skunks are most active around dawn and dusk. They're smarter than the average dog, and while I admit I'm biased (I have two domestically-bred skunks as pets) I'm fair enough to point out that they're usually slow (and nearsighted) enough to quickly dispatch with a .22 revolver or rifle, should you have a few handy and willing kids and maybe a couple bucks bounty per skunk. As a kid, I used to shoot ground squirrels for free at a nearby cattle pasture, just to get some practice in. 

Jeff's advice on live-trapping is exactly what rescuers and skunk removers recommend. Cover the trap. They guy who trapped skunks out of our crawl space used carpet scrap for that. Good bait includes chicken necks, peanut butter and canned dog food. Or maybe a bit of crushed drone comb. 

Off my high horse, now, but it needed to stretch its legs a bit.


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