|
Skunks | Skunk Overview | Skunk Damage Assessment | Skunk Damage Management | Skunk Acknowledgments | Skunk Resources | ICWDM | Wildlife Species Information |
Insects, particularly grasshoppers, beetles, and crickets, make up a large portion of the skunk’s diet. Skunks usually dig small cone-shaped holes in lawns, golf courses, and meadows in search of beetle larvae. A common complaint of objectionable odor occurs when skunks take up residence under buildings. Skunks may depredate bee-hives.
Skunks kill few adult birds, but are serious nest robbers (Einarsen 1956). Eggs are usually opened at one end; the edges are crushed as the skunk punches its nose into the hole to lick out the contents (Einarsen 1956, Davis 1959). The eggs may appear to have been hatched, except for the edges. When in a more advanced stage of incubation, eggs are likely to be chewed in small pieces. Eggs may be removed from the nest, but rarely more than 3 feet (1 m) away.
Most rabbit, chicken, and pheasant carcasses found at skunk dens are carrion that have been dragged to the den sites (Crabb 1948). When skunks kill poultry, they generally kill only one or two birds and maul them consider-ably. Crabb (1941) observed that spotted skunks help control rats and mice in grain storage buildings. They kill these rodents by biting and chewing the head and foreparts; the carcasses are not eaten.
Inhabited dens can be recognized by fresh droppings containing undigested insect parts near the mound or hole. Hair and rub marks also may be present. Dens usually have a characteristic skunk odor, although the odor may not be strong.
Contents |
Summary of Damage Prevention and Control Methods
Exclusion
Buildings: close cellar and outside basement and crawl space doors; seal and cover all openings including window wells and pits. Poultry yards: install wire mesh fences. Beehives: elevate and install aluminum guards.
Habitat Modification
Removal of garbage, debris, and lumber piles.
Frightening
Lights and sounds are of limited value.
Repellents
Some home remedies such as moth balls or flakes or ammonia solution may be useful, but no repellents are registered.
Toxicants
None are registered.
Fumigants
Gas cartridges.
Trapping
Box trap. Leghold trap.
Shooting
Practical only when animals are far from residential areas.
Other Methods
Skunk removal. Odor removal.
|
Skunks | Skunk Overview | Skunk Damage Assessment | Skunk Damage Management | Skunk Acknowledgments | Skunk Resources | ICWDM | Wildlife Species Information |
