My name is Ken Smith and 20 years ago I bought my first house with a yard and enjoyed the opportunity of taking care of the lawn and landscaping. Having worked for two different companies, early in my career that cared for lawns, I felt I had the knowledge to produce a beautiful lawn and well-kept garden. After spending a summer weeding, thatching and fertilizing I had a lush green lawn going into the fall, and before I knew it squirrels decided it was a great place to hide their nuts.
So I started trying to find deterrents to keep the squirrels away from creating so many small holes. They responded by shredding the cotton wicks in small bottles of fox urine I had put out to ward them off. Following the squirrels, skunks decided that there must be some tasty grubs under this lush green lawn. I would wake up in the morning and see patches of the lawn pulled back from their search for food. In the following spring, rabbits decided to make their nests in the middle of my front lawn. Before I knew it there were three small baby rabbits in the hole and 5 or 6 large blackbirds trying to get them out.
That is how I joined the ranks of many homeowners who face the same problems of dealing with the wildlife living in their neighborhoods. As these critters go about their lives, eating, nesting, raising their young and damaging lawns and landscapes in the process. Since I bought that house I have tried over the years to deal with these issues, using common lore solutions as well as applying my education as a chemist ( Bachelors and PhD in Chemistry) to maintain and defend my yard.
In this website I will be offering information based on my experiences in testing and research of techniques and products that can help deal with critters. I will also be testing some of those old remedies handed on by word of mouth to see if these solutions truly can help. Being a scientist I use methods of collecting data, reviewing results, and testing to see what works best and what really doesn’t help at all. Hopefully my experiences and trials will be of value to you, so you won’t have to go through the same process which can take months or years.
I do enjoy and appreciate the wildlife that is in my neighborhood and understand the roles that these different creatures play in the environment. So hopefully I can offer advice and relay information that will not only help keep your yard and pets safe, but will also respect these animals we live with.