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Getting rid of skunk

15K views 64 replies 30 participants last post by  Hillbillynursery 
#1 ·
After noticing a significant drop-off of my hives population I noticed the feces near my hive with bee parts in them. I tried to block all means of entry to my yard but every time I sealed one hole the skunk would dig somewhere else. I scanned this forum and left two eggs with two aspirins in each out last night. This morning one of them was eaten and the other untouched. Should I repeat this tonight or is one egg enough?
 
#5 ·
I would have done three asprins, but two will probably do. The asprins do the same thing that most mouse poison does now, thins their blood and causes them to bleed internally.

My experience is that skunks often travel in families. I'd leave some out for few more nights and see what happens.
 
#7 ·
Skunks will devestate your hives. They eat a lot of bees. Moving a very tall hive higher isn't always very easy to do and is sometimes too tall to not blow over and too tall to reach.

I went to all top entrances because of the skunks. I just nailed the bottom entrances shut and they haven't bothered me since.
 
#8 ·
I honestly do not think killing the family of skunks that is eating your bees is going to disrupt the natural balance of things.

Not to mention, they carry all kind of parasites and diseases I wouldn't really want in my yard, especially where my dogs run and such.
 
#10 ·
I think it's a personal decision.

Aint nobody's business.

I couldn't stand the site of hundreds of bees squished into patties laying on the ground in front of their hives. I had to put out the eggs. I'll do it again if I have ta.
 
#12 ·
I agree. I just finished off my second skunk in my hive yard in as many weeks. Spraying my dogs, eating my bees, and to top it all off, this area is known for being heavily concentrated with rabies-ridden animals, skunks in particular. I once saw my Vietnam veteran neighbor get chased around his house in the daytime twice by a rabid skunk till he got inside to his shotgun and finished the nasty critter off. They will chase you down and bite you, I have seen them myself running around in the daytime.

Anyway I trapped them in a live animal trap then gave them a humane dose of fast acting lead poisoning. The second skunk was HUGE and left out quite a parting shot of smell. Gotta keep trapping as there may be more where they came from.
 
#15 ·
Just out of curiosity, can you explain how you or some one else would humanely deal with a skunk?

If any else, the egg by the hive is almost defenatelly targeting the animal that is there to eat the bees.

The use of a live trap with some cat food in it, or something of the like, has the ability to draw in other animals, an animal that probabbly would have not bothered the hive but can smell the stonger odor of a different bait. But seeing as though it was caught in the trap most people would have the assumption it would have been there for the bees, in the end you may end up catching and destroying the wrong culprit.

I am not sure where your hives are, but my hives are pretty close to my house, although I am surrounded by woods. I have four large dogs that usually alert me to anything out of te ordanary. If a skunk has to rely on my hive for food and come in that close to my home, maybe something is wrong, like it is ill and having a hard time forageing elsewhere. So maybe the egg would auctually a better death, who knows.

Hey Daisy, I want you to know you did have the best reply with "I think it's a personal decision. Aint nobody's business" But I just had to add my two cents.
 
#18 ·
<If you can live with yourself being that cruel to an animal more power to ya.
I personally could not be the cause of any animal going through the torture of bleeding to death internally>

Bleeding to death is not bad at all. Been close to it my self. You go numb and fall asleep. Now as a bee keeper and mite killer, oh wait you don't kill the mites, by using a pesticide or FGMO. Ah then there is the opening of the hive and taking out frames, don't hurt any bees doing that, or when you put them back or the boxes. We can slant inhumane any way you want from keeping bees as slaves and we the pips making them work for us to removing the old queen and giving them a new one at our discretion. Sure beats giving cat food with antifreeze in it. Now that is a painful death.
Dan
PS Now who are you going to call? DEC, they will tell you there is nothing they can do and moving them to another location is out of the question since they do not want to spred deseases. Killing becomes the only option or keep feeding them your bees.

[This message has been edited by bjerm2 (edited August 16, 2004).]
 
#19 ·
"Just out of curiosity, can you explain how you or some one else would humanely deal with a skunk?"

We had a Rabbid skunk recently bite one of our cats causing us to have him put to sleep. I quickly trapped, shot and burried 3 feet under. No pain but same result.

"If any else, the egg by the hive is almost defenatelly targeting the animal that is there to eat the bees."

And what do you do when you see your neighbors cat eating the poisoned egg?

I agree that skunks can be a problem and sometimes have to be dealt with. I just don't agree with poisoning them.
 
#20 ·
What in the world is the cat doing in my yard? I shoot them, you know, since they have killed 18 chicks on me already this year. If you want a domestic animal then you better take care of it yourself and keep it home. Besides cats don't eat eggs that I know of but they will eat cat food and meats.
They also kill off quail, song birds, baby turkeys, etc. I have a cat and it stays in the house all the time. It has the full basement, and the upstairs, toys and such. Very happy and has no problems with my 20 Siberian huskies which by the way are penned up in two and a half acres of land with an electrified 6 foot fence. Like I said have a domestic animal better take care of it and not let it run around loose. May seem ok for you but what is your animal doing at the neighbors place? What is it killing or destroying. My boss make a compound for his cats, 8 of them. Used chicken wire and enclosed a 30' by 30' area with roof just for them to play in. Has a jungle jim and 'cat walks', bushes to hide and play in.
Dan

[This message has been edited by bjerm2 (edited August 16, 2004).]
 
#21 ·
Basicaly the cats don't eat the eggs. The skunks do and they die. The dogs do and don't even notice the asprin. Any other poison that I know of would be a threat to other creatures not involved. It is the most specific method I know of to get the culprit.

Of course, as I said, I just closed up the bottoms and went to top entrances instead.

Getting a clear shot at a skunk, for me, is problematic. The horses are to the west, my house is to the north west, my neighbors house is to the north. The road is to the east and there is nothing to stop a bullet to the south, so I don't know how far it will go. I have gotten a shot at one, but only when the dog cornered it in the chicken house after it ate parts of several chickens. That shot was almost straight down.
 
#22 ·
I live in a predominantly Omish. Menanite community. there are cats all over the place around here. The male cat that was bit by the skunk was impossible to keep in the house. We tried to keep him in short of locking him in a closet. He'd always find a way out.
I dont think he would have messed with any of my neighbors animals. Although I did see a commercial with a cat chassing a bull. Maybe that one gave him the courage to try out some beef cattle.
 
#23 ·
"We had a Rabbid skunk recently bite one of our cats causing us to have him put to sleep. I quickly trapped, shot and burried 3 feet under."

Did you have the skunk tested for rabies, or are you guessing? A lot of diseases have the same symptoms of rabies. So if you did not have the skunk actually tested for rabies you may have killed your cat for no reason. Not to mention a skunk, or any animal actually dying of rabies, is awful hard to trap in a live trap.

How do you know it was the same exact skunk that bit your cat. Did you see it bite your cat? Did you never loose sight of the skunk until it went into the trap? Then why did you go through the hassle of trapping it, why didn't you just shoot it?

"The male cat that was bit by the skunk was impossible to keep in the house. We tried to keep him in short of locking him in a closet"

Was your cat neutered? Neutering tends to keep them in the house, if not around the house a bit more. And if he was vaccinated for rabies you could have quarantined him for, I believe it is six months, instead of having him put to sleep.

Although not having the cat neutered, or vaccinated, and not quarantining the cat and instead just having it put to sleep, and not shooting the skunk in the side and having it tested for rabies is the "lazy" way out of it.

But,

"If you can live with yourself being that cruel to an animal more power to ya"

Cause if it was my cat, although I keep all mine securely in the house, altered and vaccinated, I think I would have done it differently.



[This message has been edited by Rooster4473 (edited August 16, 2004).]
 
#24 ·
"Did you have the skunk tested for rabies, or are you guessing?

The cat tested possitive. I have not seen another skunk since the incident happend.

"Was your cat neutered?"

Yes


"Although not having the cat neutered, or vaccinated, and not quarantining the cat and instead just having it put to sleep, and not shooting the skunk in the side and having it tested for rabies is the "lazy" way out of it."

Thats alot to assume

"Cause if it was my cat, although I keep all mine securely in the house, altered and vaccinated, I think I would have done it differently."

It Wasn't your cat. So how do you know what you would do. When you take your cat who cant walk a straight line and is obviously very confused and the vet tells you he has rabies 4 days after being in a fight with a skunk you really dont have much options at that point.
The cat was vaccinated for rabies at 6 weeks and 6 months. He was also fixed.

Neutering a cat doesn't make them not want to go outside in my experience. They are either a cat that wants out or one that doesn't. This one wanted out to the extent that he would tear screens down to do so.
 
#25 ·
"The point is there are many ways to deal with skunks".

Hi JReece, Well M. Reece, I don't know of any other way to deal with em here. I don't shoot guns, and even if I did, the skunks don't make appointments with me.

I have other animals on the place, and they are our pets. I will not set traps.

And I haven't finished making my bow and arrows yet.

Cats should not be let outdoors. They kill the songbirds.

Thanks Rooster... Truely it ain't nobodies business. But we're here to share our experiences.

Last I looked, skunks were not on the endangered list.
 
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