Lawn & Garden
Frequently Asked Questions
Select a topic:
- Fruit Trees
- Garden and Household Pests
- Houseplants
- Lawn Care and Landscaping
- Pesticides and Fertilizer
- Trees and Shrubs
- Vegetable Gardening and Small Fruits
- Wildlife
- Blackbirds
- Deer
- Moles
- Rabbits
- Raccoons
- Q: I have raccoons around my property, what type of damage can they do to my property?
- Q: I have raccoons on my property, what can I do to control them?
- A: To prevent raccoons from entering buildings or attics, cover all openings with wood, wire mesh, or metal flashing. To prevent access to a chimney, cover the top with a tight fitting steel grid or a commercially available cap.
Treating lawns for grubs will help to deter raccoons from digging. Pinning or staking sod may help to prevent raccoons from rolling it over.
Securing garbage can lids with clamps or weights may be necessary to prevent access. Keeping the garbage area clean and odor-free, or, if possible, storing garbage inside a shed or garage, will also prevent raccoons from disturbing it.
To prevent raccoons from entering the garden, an electric wire can be placed 2 inches above already existing wire mesh fencing or an electric fence can be used alone. One strand of electric fencing placed 4 to 6 inches above ground, and another 4 to 6 inches above the first has proven effective as a means of preventing raccoons from entering gardens and corn.
To have nuisance wildlife removed from your property a wildlife professional should be contacted. For contact information regarding wildlife issues, contact your local RCE office, the Division of Fish and Game's Wildlife Control Unit in Clinton (908-735-8793) or local police department.
Note: Information attained from RCE fact sheet FS566, Wildlife and Homeowners: What's Best for Raccoons, McLaughlin and Vodak.
- A: To prevent raccoons from entering buildings or attics, cover all openings with wood, wire mesh, or metal flashing. To prevent access to a chimney, cover the top with a tight fitting steel grid or a commercially available cap.
- Q: I have raccoons on my property, what general information do I need to know?
- Q: What do I do if I have notice a raccoon acting strangely or I have been bitten by a raccoon?
- Skunks
- Squirrels
- Wildlife Professionals