# Raccoons



## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

Skunks are usually more of a problem and some beekeepers place those carpet nail strips on the landing board to keep skunks from scratching which is an invitation for the bees to come out and get munched. We have a creek in the back and lots of ***** but no problems. The neighbors with chickens, though, find headless chickens some mornings. 
I purchased a trap from Home Depot for my son, and he has had some fun catching skunks, raccoons, and the neighbors cats.


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## HAB (May 17, 2008)

We have a large Beaver pond behind the house (East) that comes up into our yard. A good sized creek runs along the South side of our yard and along our 3/4 mile drive. Raccoons by the truck load coming and going all the time. Deer, Possum, Bobcat and occasional Gator all within 100 feet of our 10 hives. Once watched a Raccoon walk up to one of the hives stand up on its hind legs and give it a quick look. But then he just turned and went back to the Beaver Pond to look for more Mussels. A year now and nothing has bothered them yet. Knock on Wood.


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## beekinjax (Jan 7, 2009)

My yard ends in a creek/river. the bees will be about five feet away from the bulk head at the end of the yard. I also have chickens in the same yard. the ***** are a major problem with the chickens. I live trap the ***** and relocate them past a large river at least ten miles away into good habitat for them (dence woos with a water source). I have removed more than forty ***** in the last six years. ***** live in groups so when you catch one keep setting the trap and you will catch one per night til you catch the hole group. the best bait is cat food gets em every time.
hope it helps


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## USCBeeMan (Feb 7, 2009)

Can always BBQ a racoon or 2 and add some of your own tasty honey to the receipe! 

Maybe that's just a SC thing!


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## pbaumeister (Nov 12, 2008)

use electric wire like for horses or dogs. It works great.


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## BeeAware (Mar 24, 2007)

I have an apiary located near woods and a creek. Biggest problem I ever had with ***** was them stealing a couple of entrance feeders back when I used those and a top cover or two was removed by *****. After I stopped using the entrance feeders as the apiary grew, no more **** problems. I still get pictures of them in the bee yard on my wildlife cam but they never bother the hives now.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I've never seen a problem with racoons bothering my bees. Combs without bees is another story. 

I bring home my deadouts in the spring, to be cleaned up and bad combs sorted out of the operation. I have no indoor space that will hold all the equipment. So, I stack in on pallets, and cover. The racoons climb the stack, knock off the cover, and start pulling out frames. They destroy the comb, eating stored pollen and honey. When they finish the top box, they move doiwn into the next, and the next, and the next. I place bricks on the covers...they knock the off and continue. I place 4x4 pallets on the covers, and bricks on the pallets. They knock off the bricks, and the pallets, the covers, and continue. 

Behind my property is the Town Forest. The St. Albans animal warden took to dumping problem racoons there. This after it took me years to thin out the population. All of a sudden I was over run with '*****. He denies it, but I know he did. Totally illegal to trap racoons and transport in Vermont. 

Store your empty equipment indoors if possible.


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## mgmoore7 (Jul 6, 2007)

I saw a racoon checking out my stack of supers last night. Time to get the trap out again. I have a significant problem with the ***** and armadillos. The ***** do quite a bit of damage to my vegetable plants. I have not yet had them get into my hives though. 

Last year I trapped several *****, possoms and one armadillo. The armadillos are hard to trap. I have done better with my pellet gun out the back or front door.


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## saltcube (Jul 25, 2008)

"I caught the first opossum in a live trap, and drowned it in the creek. THAT was NOT quick.":lpf:

me and you would get along grate thats the way i like to deer hunt but I've found that a canteen is hard to get there nose into


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## mgmoore7 (Jul 6, 2007)

saltcube said:


> "I caught the first opossum in a live trap, and drowned it in the creek. THAT was NOT quick.":lpf:
> 
> me and you would get along grate thats the way i like to deer hunt but I've found that a canteen is hard to get there nose into


There are two legal methods from killing trapped nuisence animals in FL. Drowning and shot to the head. I have heard how the drowning does not seem so humane. I don't have a simple way to do the drowning, so I have not tried. I have a high powered pellet gun that does the trick pretty well. It is quiet enough that noone will realize what is going on in my fenced yard.


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## tonyp (Mar 16, 2008)

I suggest you find yourself a trapper. Trappers are always looking for new places to trap, and if it's in the trapping season im sure someone would be happy to do it for free. Look for your local trappers assn. and ask around. I'm not sure but I believe poisonous baits have been outlawed for years in almost every state.


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## mike haney (Feb 9, 2007)

hides are worth about $1.50 for "southern" ***** at this time. not many trapping at that price.


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

The ***** climbed the fence, walked right past my hives and decimated my corn patch.:doh:

The next year I told the boys to pee on the corn plants (they already do that in the yard, this just gave them a focus) and that seemed to help keep the ***** away. Best tasting corn on the cob...we didn't even have to salt it...inch:

***** aren't usually a problem with bee hives. They wash their food, and if you try washing honey comb, it loses all its flavor, so they aren't too interested...

Now if you have bears.....


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## mgmoore7 (Jul 6, 2007)

tonyp said:


> I suggest you find yourself a trapper. Trappers are always looking for new places to trap, and if it's in the trapping season im sure someone would be happy to do it for free. Look for your local trappers assn. and ask around. I'm not sure but I believe poisonous baits have been outlawed for years in almost every state.


Won't be any trapping in a residential area unless paying a trapping service. Around here that means a cost of $200-300.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

*******

I havent been watching this section so here is my 2¢

About 6 years ago I lost 12 hives to *****, they pulled the mouse guards away from the entrance and picniced off the bees till the population was so weak the hive died.

A friend of mine told me it was skunks *but* I caught 22 ***** and 3 possums and no skunks.

I catch them in a live trap and relocate them to the bottom of a 55 gal drum of water. I have been scolded for doing that on this forum. I do have a place to do away with them after the water bath, another friend of mine raises Hawks for hunting so he uses the meat for bird food.
Some folks say I shouldnt kill them but if you relocate them try spraying a little paint on some and see if they return you dould saxe yourself some gas money:applause:


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## mgmoore7 (Jul 6, 2007)

honeyman46408 said:


> I havent been watching this section so here is my 2¢
> 
> About 6 years ago I lost 12 hives to *****, they pulled the mouse guards away from the entrance and picniced off the bees till the population was so weak the hive died.
> 
> ...


I have spoken at length with my state agency of wildlife. In FL, in regard to killing or relocating, killing is the only legal thing to do. Two methods are approved. Drowning and bullet.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

*PS*

The best bait I have found is marshmellows or twinkies -- any thing sweetopcorn:


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## Scrapfe (Jul 25, 2008)

honeyman46408 said:


> The best bait I have found is marshmellows or twinkies -- any thing sweetopcorn:


For ***** I favor a sardine can with the oil and smell still in it. If you like sardines this works perfectly because there is no waste. Stuff one or two slices of white bread into the sardine can and use this for bait. I am also going to try the sardine flavored marshmellows and teinkies. ***** can sit on their haunchs and reach across the trigger pan on most live traps, so slide the sardine can *underneath *the trigger when you set the trap. Brother **** will try to slide the sardine can from under the trigger before feeding and you will get him every time. This bait placement also keeps the raccoon from stealing the bait from outside the trap. A Mountain Cur dog or two will also go a long way towards **** proofing your property.

If you truly have a serious problem with raccoon depredation, IMHO the catch and release route is the fastest way to educate every **** within a 400 square mile area about the delectable treasures your place offers and how to avoid future entrapment. By thinning the trapped vermin you keep the raccoons’ natural prey population at a high enough density that those raccoons still in your area will not show much interest in your avian and apian livestock nor in your sweet corn and melons. But you must keep eternal vigilance and never, never feed your dog outside or more than it will eat in 10 minutes. Besides, every beekeeper needs to keep an open 55 gallon drum of water handy for his bees to drink from.


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## mgmoore7 (Jul 6, 2007)

Scrapfe said:


> For ***** I favor a sardine can with the oil and smell still in it. If you like sardines this works perfectly because there is no waste. Stuff one or two slices of white bread into the sardine can and use this for bait. I am also going to try the sardine flavored marshmellows and teinkies. ***** can sit on their haunchs and reach across the trigger pan on most live traps, so slide the sardine can *underneath *the trigger when you set the trap. Brother **** will try to slide the sardine can from under the trigger before feeding and you will get him every time. This bait placement also keeps the raccoon from stealing the bait from outside the trap. A Mountain Cur dog or two will also go a long way towards **** proofing your property.
> 
> If you truly have a serious problem with raccoon depredation, IMHO the catch and release route is the fastest way to educate every **** within a 400 square mile area about the delectable treasures your place offers and how to avoid future entrapment. By thinning the trapped vermin you keep the raccoons’ natural prey population at a high enough density that those raccoons still in your area will not show much interest in your avian and apian livestock nor in your sweet corn and melons. But you must keep eternal vigilance and never, never feed your dog outside or more than it will eat in 10 minutes. Besides, every beekeeper needs to keep an open 55 gallon drum of water handy for his bees to drink from.



A couple additional notes on trapping. You have to secure the trap down with stakes or something or they will just flip it over, then the food falls out. Also, I have found that putting a piece of 1/4" plywood about 14-16" long over the trigger will help. Then when they step on the plywood, it closes the trap and effectively makes the trigger much larger. 

They are smart critters and you are right that you have to stay on top of it. 

They ate all my melons last year. We were so mad. 

They also ate about 40% of my tomatoes from 6 plants. Once they removed 5 tomatoes from the plant and put them in the trap, ate the bait and the trap never went off. They did it just to spite me. That indicated war.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Raccoons didn't get my corn this past summer. A two wire electric fence will stop any raccoon. First wire 4" off the soil, and the second 6" above that.


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