Sir: We have a major problem of raccoons defecating on our roof. We have identified three spots they particularly like and have tried cleaning the areas and putting repellant in the area to no avail. We have purchased a motion detection water sprinkler to try and deter them. Do you have any other suggestions? My husband is currently having to go on the roof every week to remove the feces and clean the area.
Thank you, C.
Once raccoons find a good spot to live or use in their nightly foraging and travel, it can be difficult to dissuade them from the area. Generally the toughest situations are when they’re feeding or nesting either on or close to the roof. Do you suspect there is a nest close by? If so, the only way to stop the activity will be to trap out the ones that come onto your home and then relocate the ones you trap over 25 miles away as explained in our RACCOON CONTROL ARTICLE. If they have one main location where the bulk of their activity is most present, it would be easy to trap them with one of our RACCOON LIVE TRAPS. Nothing solves the problem better and even though it will take a little time to relocate trapped animals, by diminishing their numbers you’ll decrease the amount active on your structure for sure.
If there is no reason to believe they have a nest close by, repelling them can be done but it will usually take a lot more than normal repellents. In our experience, several of the MOTION ACTIVATED WATER SPRAYERS installed where they get onto the roof can help. 1-2 situated so the entire rooftop is protected will also be needed. By blanketing the problem spots with sprayers you can make it so the raccoons won’t want to endure the constant water dousing. But this usually won’t work if you only install 1 or 2 units. If you leave any “safe zones”, they’ll quickly find them and learn how to effectively avoid the spray. So you only install these types of units, make sure you have enough in place so they will not be able to find any “water free” zones.
Additionally, we’ve had good results with the YARD GARD ULTRA SOUND DEVICE. Set 1-2 of these along their path of entry to the roof as well as 1-2 on the roof pointing to where they are spending the most time. The sound these units emit is intense and many times strong enough to keep them away by themselves.
Lastly, you need to start using an odor eliminating material when cleaning. Raccoon odors and scents will remain after being cleaned and many pheromones (especially those released by females) will attract other raccoons from long distances if not removed. To avoid this problem, clean with N7C and not just detergent or bleach. Those compounds will help remove most of the material but the odors (many times not detectable by people) will remain. Since these odors carry quite a distance, foraging raccoons will find the smell alluring which in turn will bring them to your house. Use the N7C to eliminate the odor, not just clean the roof, so you won’t be “advertising” quite as much.
In most cases, live trapping is the most effective way to deal with unwanted invading raccoons like the ones you currently have active on your roof. If there are no nests or food close by, you should be able to effectively repel them using some of the tools listed above. If you still have questions or concerns, please give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290 and we’ll try to further assist on the phone.
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