Have you just come across another dead chicken or can’t seem to find your favourite rabbit? How about your garden? Is it disrupted, with remains of fruits and vegetables scattered everywhere? Ohh… those pesky and disruptive weasels are back at it.
Weasels save you the cost of controlling pests such as rats, shrews, mice, voles, and other smaller rodents. However, they can become a pain in the neck once their wild food source declines.
Deterring weasels naturally using a smell they hate is the way to go. They hate the smell of:
- Predators
- Peppermint oil or the smell of mint
- Hot pepper
- Eucalyptus, tea tree, and citronella oils
- Brewed coffee grounds
The adorable mini-carnivores, with curious eyes and sleek bodies, got an excellent sense of smell. They hate these smells for either making them nervous or making it hard for them to survive. Learn how to use these smells effectively.
5 Smells to Deter Destructive Weasels and How to Use Them
1. Predator’s Smell
The mini-killing machines have pursuers, too. Coyotes, hawks, foxes, lynx, wolves, horned owls, and martens make a meal from weasels. The smell from either the liquid waste or the coat of these predators makes weasels nervous.
You can source a predator’s liquid waste or coat from a pest control supply store. Wolf urine is more effective and proven to repel weasels. It also turns away coyotes and raccoons.
After purchasing wolf urine, spray it around burrows, the garden, or within your property line. Avoid spraying the urine close to the poultry coop or rabbit hutch because the smell may stress them out too.
Other alternatives to wolf urine include red fox and coyote urine. Follow the same instructions as when using wolf urine.
Alternatively, you can collect your pet’s fur and place it near the coo. While dogs and cats are not arch enemies of weasels, their scent is similar to that of weasel predators. So, these pesky intruders are likely to stay away once they get a whiff of their scent.
2. Peppermint Oil or the Smell of Mint
A minty aroma is quite sharp, although soothing, with a touch of coolness, especially when taking a deep breath. It is like smelling refreshing coolness. This experience might be pleasant to you but so harmful to weasels.
Whenever weasels consistently breathe in the minty smell, the cool whiff flowing into their nostrils overwhelms them. As a last resort, they will escape from the environment, since the smell limits their hunting capabilities.
You can purchase peppermint oil from your local grocery shop and spray it around the coop or weasel burrows. Moreover, you can save time and money by planting mints along the perimeter of your backyard. Later, harvest and crush the mint leaves and mix them with water to make a mint spray.
Alternatively, other plants like costmary have a balsam and mint smell. If you got costmary around, you can crush it too. You can also plant costmary as it regrows and blooms for many years without the need for replanting.
3. The Smell of Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, and Citronella Oils
The sweet aroma of essential oils is relaxing, especially when you are stressed or anxious. However, weasels hate the aromatic smell as it confuses them. When overwhelmed by the pleasing smell, they can no longer hunt for food or smell for predators.
Among the widely available essential oils, weasels hate eucalyptus, tea tree, and citronella essential oils. These plants produce oils with potent aromas.
To make a spray solution with these essential oils, combine a cup of water with 10-15 drops of the oils. You can also mix different essential oils and spray the solution around the coop, garden, within debris piles, under sheds, and around weasel burrows.
When spraying essential oils, avoid getting close to poultry. The scent will probably fill their home, stressing them out. Also, re-apply the oils occasionally to increase their potency.
Keep off water sources like ponds and fountains with fish when working with essential oils. That’s because solutions of essential oils can harm marine animals or contaminate water.
4. Hot Pepper Smell
Image Credit: oldwolfphotography
If you love the burning sensation of chili pepper such as peri-peri and poblano, you must remember that one moment you had to request some milk due to the hotness. A concentrated smell of crushed hot pepper burns to some extent, sometimes worse.
Weasels have a thin and vulnerable nose lining. So, this creature cannot withstand the sensation of hot pepper burning through the lining. In fact, extended exposure of the lining to the stinging sensation might damage it permanently.
The smell of hot pepper also masks the keen sense of smell weasels possess. That means they will no longer be able to sniff predators, which makes them vulnerable. This forces them to relocate to another area that offers more suitable conditions for survival.
You can make or purchase a spray solution of hot pepper. To make such a mixture, get hot sauce and add two tablespoons of it to a spray bottle. Add 1 cup of water to the bottles and shake properly.
Spray the solution around the coop or garden and close to burrows. Do not forget the areas with signs of underground digging or nesting.
Avoid spraying close to poultry, as their respiratory systems are sensitive. The spray might also irritate them when it comes into contact with the skin and eyes of the birds.
Sprinkling dried cayenne pepper flakes around the coop and in the compound also deters weasels, as they cannot withstand their taste.
Do not worry about chicken eating pepper because they are unlikely to taste capsaicin. Capsaicin is the component responsible for the chili’s bitterness. Actually, research highlights that egg production is likely to increase if they eat pepper alongside their diet.
5. The Smell of Brewed Coffee Grounds
Ground coffee is a product of different roasted coffee beans, including light, medium, and dark roasted beans. Dark roasts have the most intense and strong aroma. The distinct scent is pungent and bitter, especially when concentrated. Weasels are not a fan of these smells.
Like hot pepper, the smell of used coffee grounds burns through the lining of the weasel’s nostrils, hindering it from perceiving its environment. Because of this, weasels would prefer escaping to an accommodating environment.
Controlling weasels using coffee dregs is economical if you are a coffee lover. Also, the smell of ground coffee remnants does turn off other uninvited guests like raccoons. All you have to do is spread the brewed coffee grounds close around your backyard and your chicken coop or place with frequent weasel activities.
Even though coffee grounds make it easier for you to keep away weasels, do not overcompensate the sprinkling of the coffee grounds due to their acidity levels. The acidity will likely damage your lawn or any grass covering around the coop, garden, or property line.
Besides keeping weasels away with the aid of the smell of brewed coffee grounds and other smells, you can augment your systems through these additional weasel deterrent techniques.
Other Ways of Getting Rid of Weasels
1. Traps
Set traps with baits in or around their burrows. It would help to wear gloves while preparing and setting up the traps. The gloves ensure that your smell does not stick to the trap.
Always check on the trap to ensure the weasel is not trapped for long, leading to its demise. The goal is to trap and not kill. Release the weasel outside the limited territory. While releasing the weasel, take care to avoid an unexpected bite.
2. Fencing
Fence the area around the coops or the garden. Ensure the chicken wire has no opening of more than ½ an inch because the weasel’s head will probably fit through such a space. Once the head fits, the whole weasel can access the coop.
Ensure the fences are tall enough to deter the weasels. A height of about 1.5 meters will do. Also, dig the chicken wire or gauge wire into the ground. Some of those cute mini-monsters are clever and can dig to gain access to your poultry.
3. Scaring them away
Implement systems to scare weasels away, like automated sprinklers. Whenever the sensors on the automated sprinklers detect the movement of a weasel, they eject a jet of water to scare it.
You can also erect statues of predators such as an owl or wolves. The statues are decoys to scare weasels. Take time to change the position of the statues. This tricks the weasels into thinking that the predators are alive and guarding the limited territory.
Take Action Today, Go Green!
Weasel rarely ventures into human territories. They prefer living and hunting mice, moles, rabbits, and squirrels in the wild. But a shortage of food and human encroachment into their natural habitats forces them to venture into urban and suburban areas.
This is not a good thing, because they can be quite problematic. Once they gain access to your backyard, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of them. What’s more, they can feast on your chickens and their eggs.
By using natural smell-based deterrents like hot pepper and mint, you can eliminate weasels from your property without injuring or killing them. For the best results, combine these smell-based deterrents with other weasel-control methods, including fencing and using traps.
We hope this post has answered your question. If you have any other concerns, please let us know!