Animal repellent
Encyclopedia
Animal repellents are products designed to keep certain animals away from objects, areas, people, plants, or other animals.
For example, some animals will avoid anything that has the odor of the urine of certain predators. Tiger
urine
is thus very effective at keeping away animals. Coyote urine has gained currency as a deer
repellent. Fox
urine is used to repel rabbits, groundhogs, woodchucks, squirrels and chipmunks. Bobcat
urine repels moles
, mice
, voles and other rodents. Wolf urine is used to repel moose
.
Chemical repellents mimic natural substances that repel or deter animals, or they are designed to be so irritating to a specific animal or type of animal that the targeted animal will avoided the protected object or area. Some chemical repellents combine both principles. There are many homemade deer repellent recipes on the web. For example, the lawn fertilizer Milorganite
is claimed to be an effective repellent due to its smell. Repellents fall under two main categories, odor and taste. Odor repellents work better in the warm seasons and taste repellents work better in the cold months. Taste repellents only work after the deer or other animal has taken a bit out of the plant. If you have a plant you don't want nibbled on at all, use an odor repellent or a combination of both.
Other types of non-chemical repellents are sometimes used. A simple electrified or barbed wire
fence can mechanically repel livestock or predator animals. Some electrical repellent systems have been tested against sharks. High-frequency whistles have been used on vehicles to drive deer away from highways, and similar devices have been used to deter and repel certain types of insects or rodents. Repellents for domestic cat
s and dog
s can also be found; these include ultrasonic devices which emit a high frequency noise that does not affect humans.
The ideal repellent is completely specific for the target animal; that is, it drives away the animal that one wishes to repel without affecting or harming any other animals or people. One type of animal repellent may be effective for raccoons, while another animal repellent may be more effective for skunks. It can be difficult to design a repellent method that drives away only undesirable animals while having no effect on people or other creatures.
Some animals are more likely to be targeted than others by human users of repellents. Targeted animals are often predators of animals of interest to human beings, such as food fish or livestock. Sometimes the targeted animals are predators of human beings themselves.
Overview
Repellents generally work by taking advantage of an animal's natural aversion to something, and often the thing chosen is something that the animal has learned to avoid (or instinctively avoids) in its natural environment.For example, some animals will avoid anything that has the odor of the urine of certain predators. Tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
is thus very effective at keeping away animals. Coyote urine has gained currency as a deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
repellent. Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
urine is used to repel rabbits, groundhogs, woodchucks, squirrels and chipmunks. Bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
urine repels moles
Mole (animal)
Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...
, mice
MICE
-Fiction:*Mice , alien species in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*The Mice -Acronyms:* "Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions", facilities terminology for events...
, voles and other rodents. Wolf urine is used to repel moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
.
Chemical repellents mimic natural substances that repel or deter animals, or they are designed to be so irritating to a specific animal or type of animal that the targeted animal will avoided the protected object or area. Some chemical repellents combine both principles. There are many homemade deer repellent recipes on the web. For example, the lawn fertilizer Milorganite
Milorganite
Milorganite is the trademark of a biosolids fertilizer produced by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. The name Milorganite is a contraction of the phrase Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen, and was the result of a 1925 naming contest held in National Fertilizer Magazine...
is claimed to be an effective repellent due to its smell. Repellents fall under two main categories, odor and taste. Odor repellents work better in the warm seasons and taste repellents work better in the cold months. Taste repellents only work after the deer or other animal has taken a bit out of the plant. If you have a plant you don't want nibbled on at all, use an odor repellent or a combination of both.
Other types of non-chemical repellents are sometimes used. A simple electrified or barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
fence can mechanically repel livestock or predator animals. Some electrical repellent systems have been tested against sharks. High-frequency whistles have been used on vehicles to drive deer away from highways, and similar devices have been used to deter and repel certain types of insects or rodents. Repellents for domestic cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s and dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s can also be found; these include ultrasonic devices which emit a high frequency noise that does not affect humans.
The ideal repellent is completely specific for the target animal; that is, it drives away the animal that one wishes to repel without affecting or harming any other animals or people. One type of animal repellent may be effective for raccoons, while another animal repellent may be more effective for skunks. It can be difficult to design a repellent method that drives away only undesirable animals while having no effect on people or other creatures.
Some animals are more likely to be targeted than others by human users of repellents. Targeted animals are often predators of animals of interest to human beings, such as food fish or livestock. Sometimes the targeted animals are predators of human beings themselves.
Snake repellents
- Research has shown that cinnamon oil, clove oil, and eugenol are effective snake repellents. Snakes will retreat when sprayed directly with these oils and will exit cargo or other confined spaces when these oils are introduced to the area.
- In ancient times the Greek historian Herotodus noted that Arabian harvesters of frankincenseFrankincenseFrankincense, also called olibanum , is an aromatic resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia, particularly Boswellia sacra, B. carteri, B. thurifera, B. frereana, and B. bhaw-dajiana...
used burning resin from StyraxStyraxStyrax is a genus of about 130 species of large shrubs or small trees in the family Styracaceae, mostly native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority in eastern and southeastern Asia, but also crossing the equator in South America...
trees to repel poisonous snakes that lived in the trees. - CamphorCamphorCamphor is a waxy, white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is a terpenoid with the chemical formula C10H16O. It is found in wood of the camphor laurel , a large evergreen tree found in Asia and also of Dryobalanops aromatica, a giant of the Bornean forests...
- Moth balls
- The roots and other parts of Acacia polyacantha subsp. campylacanthaAcacia polyacanthaAcacia polyacantha, also known as White Thorn is a flowering tree which can grow up to 25m tall. Polyacantha has the meaning "many thorns" in Latin. The tree is native to Africa, India, the Indian Ocean and Asia, but it has also been introduced to the Caribbean.-Repellent uses:The root of Acacia...
emit chemical compoundChemical compoundA chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
s that repel animals including ratRatRats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s, snakes and crocodiles. For snakes, roots are placed in the rafterRafterA rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members , that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its associated loads.-Design:...
s of houses.
See also
- Insect repellentInsect repellentAn insect repellent is a substance applied to skin, clothing, or other surfaces which discourages insects from landing or climbing on that surface. There are also insect repellent products available based on sound production, particularly ultrasound...
- Shark repellentShark repellentA shark repellent is any method of driving sharks away from an area, object, person, or animal. Shark repellents are one category of animal repellents.-Overview:Shark repellents have been of interest to human beings for many years, for a number of reasons...
- Cat repellentCat repellerA cat repeller is a device or substance used to discourage cats from entering an area, or to encourage them to leave if they do enter. Such deterrents are most commonly used by gardeners, in order to prevent damage to their gardens, to avoid cat feces, or to protect birds.-Ultrasonic devices:Many...
- Electronic pest controlElectronic pest controlElectronic pest control is the name given to the use of any of the several types of electrically powered devices designed to repel or eliminate pests, usually rodents or insects....
- Bird control spikeBird control spikeA bird control spike, also known as an anti-roosting spike or roost modification, is a device consisting of long, needle-like rods used for bird control. They can be attached to building ledges, street lighting, and commercial signage to prevent wild or feral birds from perching or roosting...