Coyotes Are Eating My Watermelons

Despite their reputation for grabbing small creatures, coyotes (Canis latrans) also love juicy watermelons, particularly in dry weather weather, just like humans do. The harm to watermelon crops can be extensive, with reports of coyotes eating as many as 20 melons in 1 night being fairly common. In case you have a backyard garden with just a few vines planted, 1 coyote could destroy your whole crop rather quickly.

Coyote Exclusion

Preventing coyotes from eating watermelons is hard. No repellents appear to function, and frightening devices function on a temporary basis at best — and sometimes not at all. In case you have a small lawn, exclusion would be a much better bet, as well as a safer one. Coyotes have been known to eat creatures, and they may be a threat to small children. Adults aren’t immune either. Keeping coyotes from your lawn is vital for everybody’s safety, but bear in mind these are intelligent animals. Calling landscapers or animal control experts to erect fences which could prevent coyotes from entering your lawn is best. The Humane Society of the United States notes particular roller attachments at the top of fences stop coyotes from jumping above.

Old Hat

This is really not a new problem; in the 1905 novel “Coyotes in Their Economic Relations,” writer David Ernest Lance relays anecdotal sightings of coyotes eating watermelons in Arizona and unidentified melons in Kansas. It looks like a newer problem because coyotes have been spreading across the United States, meaning an increasing number of people are now discovering exactly what coyotes can do to antioxidant crops.

Coyotes Aren’t as Cute as They Look

Coyotes can look during the afternoon, and therefore don’t assume you do not need to worry about them when the sun is out. If they have appeared in your lawn before , they could return, and you don’t want to fight the animal if you are harvesting watermelons when it appears. If you see one, don’t approach it, and get all pets and children away from the coyote, rather moving them within your home. Coyotes can carry diseases like rabies, too, so even if a person shows no signs of assaulting, stay away. Call your city’s animal control or wildlife department if coyotes are showing up in your area.

Leave Hunting to the Experienced

Killing coyotes is legal in some states, but the regulations vary. Usually, you might need a license whether you’re searching on public or private land. It is crucial that you contact officials before embarking on a hunt to eliminate coyotes because people are able to interpret laws differently, and you shouldn’t rely on secondhand information about legalities passed to you with a neighbor, like.

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