Do possums bother you in any way? Taking flowers and fruits from your garden and eating them? Creating chaos on your roof or garage and frightening your animals to death at night? Perhaps even just jogging along the fence to make fun of your helplessness. You undoubtedly want them off your property if any of this happened to you. We have a few tips that will help you get rid of possums naturally by utilizing natural things you may already have in your kitchen to make a DIY possum repellant.
Natural possum deterrents
The most effective natural possum deterrents repel because of their taste, smell, or both. Natural deterrent for possums influence their senses differently. They work because of how they feel (food texture) occasionally, but not very frequently. To prevent possums from devouring your plants and fruits, you may use natural deterrents in your garden and in roof cavities or other confined spaces of your house where the possum may be lurking.
Australia’s Wildlife Act of 1975 protects possums as a protected species! It is forbidden to hurt them or tamper with their natural habitat. This implies that you may only employ deterrents on your land and never on the animals themselves.
What Smells Possums Hate?
Strong scents are unpleasant to possums. Thus, the more putrid, the better! It turns out that smells work better as repellents than tastes. How come? Because the possum must bite something before it can determine that it doesn’t enjoy the flavor. Although we can all undoubtedly agree that’s not the ideal result, a partially eaten plant is still preferable to none at all.
The following scents are effective against possums:
- Mothballs
- Garlic
- Camphor
- Onion
- Fish smell
- Animal-derived fertilizers*
*For example, bone meal and blood can be sprayed on flowers.
Tastes that Possums Hate
Without a doubt, possums are not finicky eaters. If they were hungry, they would consume anything. Even though they might not enjoy it, they will consume it if they are hungry. Occasionally, you may use a certain meal to effectively repel a possum, only to discover later that it is no longer working. We may say it’s acquired taste.
Possums hate the taste of:
- Garlic
- Molasses
- Onion
- Hot sauce
- Hot peppers
- Mustard
- Black tea
- Quassia chips
- Fish oil
Homemade possum repellent recipes
Once we know what tastes and odors possums dislike, here’s how to take advantage of them by creating DIY possum repellents. Since even those sold over-the-counter have not been shown to be efficacious, you should attempt making your own. Some may even dry out your plants, which would be detrimental!
Possum repelled by garlic
One litre of boiling water and two teaspoons of chopped garlic are required. In a bowl, combine the ingredients and refrigerate overnight. Strain it after that, then transfer it to a spray bottle. We advise using it in your garden by misting it on foliage that possums like to nibble on.
Reapply it after rain or twice a week. You could try using it indoors, of course, but you run the danger of turning your family off as well.
Repellant for Quassia chips
Bring one litre of water to a boil, then immerse fifty grammes of quassia chips—South American tree bark—for one hour. The mixture should then be strained. To make the solution stickier, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of detergent with a potassium base. You now own a potent repellant. It should be diluted 1:4 with water before use. Apply a mist to the garden as needed.
Repellant to molasses
We’re going to make the simplest repellant, so get the jug of molasses out of the pantry. In a litre of water, combine one cup of molasses and whisk until the molasses is dissolved. Transfer the mixture into a spray bottle and mist the foliage. To extend the shelf life of the solution, you may add 1-2 tablespoons of natural dish soap or detergent with a potassium base to the mixture. Use cautious though, since certain plants may not respond well to it.
Mothballs used to deter possums
You can scatter mothballs around your garage or roof, should the possum be sheltering there. The possums find their stench intolerable, rendering the area uninviting. An added perk is that there are no moths.
Though the procedure appears simple, there are a few things you can do to make sure it goes well. Using mothballs against possums can be done as follows:
- 1. Find the possum’s hiding location. In this piece, we’ve gone over how to accomplish that.
- 2. Hold off until the possum has left. During the night, as they are nocturnal animals.
- 3. Put the mothballs in strategic locations, such as close to corners, entrances, and potential hiding places.
- 4. Sealing the openings while the animals are away will be beneficial. Precaution twice is preferable.
- 5. Keep an eye on the goings-on. If the damage persists, there may be another kind of mouse living in your house. Hire a pest control expert to check the area,
Other ways to keep possums away
Possums tend to avoid areas where cats and other animals are present. Not a feline owner? No issue, you could attempt one of those silhouettes of frighten cats. Plant them in the garden in various locations, such as on the grass, in the bushes, or far up in the trees. Usually constructed of metal, they have reflecting glass eyes and a black paint job. Though it may not seem like much, the nocturnal possum is definitely scared enough not to return when it sees sparkling glass eyes peering from behind the bushes.
Takeaways
- You can use tastes and odors that possums dislike to repel them.
- The effectiveness of deterrents that work by using their olfactory sense is higher.
- While one possum may respond well to one approach, another may not.
- They may also begin consuming the unpalatable food.
- Use of deterrents directly on animals is never advised, regardless of the technique used.
- It is against the law and cruel to harm possums.
*Speak with a possum removal expert if the possum continues returning. In addition, we provide gardening services to the most impacted individuals.
