Protecting Veggie and Flower Gardens from Animals

It is that time of year, well for those of us who live in regions with limited growing seasons anyway – the time of year when the garden beds that we labored over, and the ground we’ve broken up begins to bring forth its bounty. Not far behind the early vegetables and flowers inevitably come the rabbits, deer and other animals hoping for an herbaceous smorgasbord. After putting so much of yourself into tilling the ground, fertilizing the beds, carefully planting seeds and transplanting tender seedlings, it can be quite devestating to go outside to check on the progress and see whole rows of buds missing and plants stripped of leaves by voracious animal pests. What can be done to prevent this wanton destruction? There is a an answer, a proven one – predator urine. Obviously, we use it ourselves at Winterberry Farm, and we sell lots and lots of bottles to people all over the world, but if that’s not enough to convince you, here’s some recent press recommending the use of predator urine to keep animals out of the garden in a safe way:

Garden beds at Winterberry Farm

https://www.greenmatters.com/p/protect-vegetable-garden-animals

“Predator Urine

You can buy predator urine online or at your local gardening shop. Usually, predator urine is more specifically, wolf urine. It keeps vegetable-predators — like deer — at bay because of its foul smell. Deer will smell the wolf’s urine, think a predator is nearby, and steer clear of your veggie garden.” stephanie osmanski

CYBER MONDAY

I have never quite understood why people get so excited about “black friday” or “cyber monday”, but my daughters tell me I should pay attention to this stuff. So, in honor of our first ever cyber monday sale, Get 30% off your entire order! This applies to all of our product lines. Get BearGuard, PredatorPee, Foggy Mountain and Slipleash all for 30% off. Free shipping as always. They tell me you can do this by entering code CYBERMONDAY30 at checkout. I’ll take their word for it.

The PeeMan

Does PredatorPee® Really Work? – What the Scientists Say.

science-teacher Over the past 30+ years of our PredatorPee® business life, one of the most frequently asked questions is “does it work?” It is an understandable question. After all, for decades we have been conditioned to think that man-made chemicals are the only solution for pest control. The idea that natural wild animal urine could work prevent deer damage, get rid of skunks, solve rat problems etc. was just plain weird!

So after PredatorPee® introduced predator urine into the marketplace as pest control product in 1986, researchers around the world started looking into how and why PredatorPee® worked. What they found in research was the same as what we found in practice, PredatorPee® takes nature’s predator/prey instincts and puts them to work for us to repel pests in our homes, yards, gardens and farms. Here are some excerpts:

“Introduction of bobcat urine appeared to have significant effect on their preference in first two trials. The data consisted of the total trial investigations of reaction towards the predator’s urine. When bobcat’s urine was introduced in the maze, mice went straight to the left side where no odour was present. This allowed me to assume that they do recognize possible danger. The data showed 100% refusal to go right where the urine was located.”

The effects of Bobcat urine on the behavior of Mice ,
Karina Chechilnitskaya, Alverno College, Wisconsin

“The mean level of damage recorded for apple tree stems treated with undiluted bobcat urine was significantly lower than for any other treatment group. Mean damage to seedlings treated with urine was significantly less than the damage to control seedlings. For woodchucks, undiluted urine resulted in reductions in gnawing of 84-96%…”

National Wildlife Research Center Repellents

Conference 1995

ScienceDaily (Apr. 27, 2008) — Many animal species detect and avoid predators by smell, but this ability has largely been ignored in the study of birds, since it was traditionally thought that they did not make use of this sense. However, it has now been discovered that birds are not only capable of discerning their enemies through chemical signals, but that they also alter their behaviour depending on the perceived level of risk of predation.

“Predator urines act as powerful repellents against many species of mammalian herbivores.Consequently, they have considerable potential as a tool in reducing damage to agricultural crops.”

National Wildlife Research Center Repellents

Conference 1995

“Undiluted red fox urine was more effective at deterring browsing by snowshoe hares than were single compounds or simple mixtures derived from the urine”

Sullivan and Crump 1986.

“Meadow voles spent significantly less time on the half of the trial arena treated with bobcat urine….A traditional explanation for aversion of prey to areas treated with predator scent is that it is an adaptive behavioral response to reduce the risk of predation by minimizing activity in an area known to be frequented by a predator. The majority of prey species tested to date respond to predator urine in ways that are most easily explained as antipredator strategies…”

National Wildlife Research Center Repellents

Conference 1995

“The Talkeetna moose seem more fearful than other Alaskan moose …. a finding strengthened when Berger, using a pitching arm honed by college baseball, starts hurling snowballs loaded with wolf urine and bear scat. He observes that moose familiar with predators flee from the odors….”

The Better to Eat You With: Fear in the Animal World Joel Berger
University of Chicago Press, 2008.

“Feeding by deer on corn treated with coyote urine was significantly reduced.”

Professor Stanley Ries,
Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University

NEWSFLASH: Using Wolf Urine Works to Deter Coyotes – KTVN 2 News

gray-wolf-head-canis-lupus-436x544 Of course we’ve known our 100% Wolf Pee is an effective deterrent against coyotes for years, but it is always nice to have some independent confirmation. Check out this story from a local tv station in the Reno-Sparks, NV area – and don’t worry it is not FAKE NEWS.

“There are a few ways to deter wildlife from coming onto your property. Here in Reno-Sparks, many are trying to keep coyotes out of their yards.

Wolf urine is one of the most widely-used deterrents in our area, according to Michael Beran, Owner and Operator of Wildlife Command Center. Beran says that’s in part because people can order it online and in large amounts.

So how does it work? It plays off of their animal instincts. Bill Chamberlain, Director of the United States Wolf Refuge in Reno, says, “Their sense of smell, their sense of hearing is so intuitive, that the scent of wolf urine lays out the scent of an adversary.” Beran adds, “That instinct is very, very effective against a female coyote, especially one that’s thinking about, or is, denning.”

Therefore, if the coyote lurking around your home is a female, then wolf urine would likely do the trick. But, when it comes to the male, especially urban coyotes like we see in our area, it likely won’t be effective. Beran explains, “He’s never experienced the wolf, so he doesn’t know the threat, and so he’s just not as afraid.”

However, if your curiosity is piqued and you’re looking for a non-lethal option to keep coyotes at bay, you may think it’s worth the try–especially if you’re unsure if it’s a male or female coyote, or perhaps both, near your neighborhood.

If you do try it, Beran says the application process is important. Always squirt the product on a fence or pole–above the height of your knee. He explains, “The higher that lift is, the bigger an animal thinks that predator is. Apply the urine to all major posts or fences along your yard, similar to a wolf marking its territory.

Now for the million dollar question: How do companies collect the urine?

It comes from wolves living in preserves and kennels with special flooring. Those floors have collection troughs underneath, so when they urinate, it goes into that trough, where manufacturers are able to collect and process it.

Beran says, if raccoons are your problem, wolf urine is a completely effective deterrent in that case.

We’d like to point out that the U.S. Wolf Refuge in Reno shown in this story does not collect their wolves’ urine. PredatorPee is one of many wolf urine sellers available online. To check them out, click here.

If you’d like to learn more about the refuge, which houses more than a dozen wolves and runs completely off of donations, click here.

To learn more about coyote removal efforts and prevention, click here. ”

By Elizabeth Olveda

http://www.ktvn.com/story/37299694/using-wolf-urine-to-deter-coyotes-does-it-work

(As an aside, our long term experience with the predator-prey instinct principle has demonstrated time and again that the fear is instinctual and not based on exposure to the predator, therefore, in this case, the wolf urine works to deter both male and female coyotes)

Until I find more words(my own or others’) . . .The PeeMan

Now that’s just funny . . .

PredatorPee made the comics!

comic

http://comicskingdom.com/shared_comics/2640ec14-9cc7-4b3a-b363-e1954e03b65d

Problem: Perilous Pupping Season – Solution: Wolf Pee

It is pupping season! Not the “aww cute” puppies kind but the soon to be adult vicious predators that can pose a threat to small pets and backyard chickens kind. Yep, coyote breeding happens in January and February and then voila! – coyote pups in March and April.

Just like many animals, when coyotes are starting a family, they tend to be more aggressive to any perceived threats. This coupled with the fact that many suburban and urban areas are close to breeding spots and you’ve got a problem.

(Coyote)Breeding occurs once annually, typically in late January and in February, with pups born in March and April. Parents and offspring continue to remain in a family group for about six months. Before giving birth, the adults excavate one or more dens in the soil, occasionally expanding the burrows of other animals, but sometimes using hollow logs, rock piles, or culverts. Typically, even when denning in suburban areas, they choose sites where human activity is minimal. If disturbed, the parents may move the litter to an alternate den site. . . Coyote mating season is in late January through February and pups are born in March and April. Coyotes can be aggressive and protective during mating or when protecting litters of pups

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/06/coyote-attacks-in-california-are-on-the-rise-heres-how-to-see-if-theyre-in-your-area/

coyote2small Ok, so they are breeding, steer clear, what’s the big deal? The big deal is that every day reports surface of coyotes attacking, maiming and even killing small dogs and other small domestic pets. Here are links to just a few stories from the past month:

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/columnists/2017-03-27/guest-column-city-officials-must-take-proactive-steps-address-atlantic

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/06/coyote-attacks-in-california-are-on-the-rise-heres-how-to-see-if-theyre-in-your-area/

http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/cuyahoga-county/coyote-attacks-dog-near-lakewood-home/415668755

And as if this isn’t bad enough, the link below describes a coyote attack on a man who was out for a jog!

http://www.wpxi.com/news/trending-now/man-out-for-morning-jog-attacked-by-coyote/499200273

Clearly, this is a HUGE(nod to POTUS)problem. Well, as you well know by now, we at predatorpee are all about solutions to common pest problems. Using the predator-prey instinct as our guide, we are led to the canis lupus or wolf as the predator to the coyote.

In order to protect your pets from this voracious predator we recommend using our 100% Wolf Urine. Create a “pee-rimeter” around your yard by using WolfPee liquid with ScentTags or 33 Day Dispensers.

But, as usual, you don’t have to take my word for it . . .

“…After we bought your WolfPee last year, we did not have any problems with coyotes whatsoever and we thank you for that. New year and we have three cats we must protect. I thank you and will place my large order soon…”

Margery F. – Walpole, MA

“It really works…we haven’t seen a coyote in the neighborhood for years now.”

Nancy – Woodinville, WA

“I believe this is my third purchase from you, and it seems to be deterring the coyotes, so I’m going to continue hanging it on my fence to keep them at bay, from my doggies.”

Susanne – Denver, CO

So, the problem is real but so is the solution. Don’t wait, keep your pets safe during pupping season. Get some Wolf Pee!

Until I find More Words . . .The PeeMan

Fresh Eggs Daily & PredatorPee – The Perfect Maine Combo

Lisa Steele(Fresh Eggs Daily)holding a bottle of 100% WolfPee and modeling an Authentic Maine Crusher Hat

Just recently, we decided here at predatorpee.com to be an online sponsor/advertiser for Fresh Eggs Daily. There were many factors that caused us to choose this particular blog/website etc.A couple of them are that Lisa Steele(the woman behind Fresh Eggs Daily)is a prominent and respected expert on all things chicken keeping and she has recently moved her farm and business to our beloved home state of Maine. How could we go wrong?

In her own words, a bit about Lisa Steele

About the Author | With an audience of hundreds of thousands that spans the globe, I am well-recognized as the creative force behind Fresh Eggs Daily®, the most popular destination for natural chicken and duck keeping advice on the internet.

A fifth-generation chicken keeper who has been around chickens most of my life, I have been raising my own backyard flock since 2009 and sharing my farming adventures on my wildly popular blog and Facebook pages, charming readers and drawing them to Fresh Eggs Daily® in record numbers to help them learn how to keep their flocks safe from predators, how to build strong immune systems, and how to keep them healthy and happy without using antibiotics or other commercial medications.

A Maine Master Gardener and aspiring herbalist dedicated to raising my own animals as naturally as possible, I offer practical, down-to-earth and time-tested advice for raising chickens using herbs and other holistic preventives and remedies – and show my readers how to have some fun while doing it. In addition to chicken keeping tips, I also share DIY projects for the coop and run using repurposed materials, natural household and personal products, gardening ideas, and recipes using fresh eggs, vegetables and herbs.

Just last week, Lisa wrote a great piece about predatorpee.com and yours truly, The PeeMan. There is an excerpt below:

“. . .But after a little bit of online research, I was delighted to happen upon a very unique, effective way to keep these hungry predators away from all of our animals!

Let me Introduce you to the PeeMan!
No matter what type of predator you face, the PeeMan has you covered. This Maine-based company bottles and sells urine from various types of animals of prey, which, when applied around your coop and run area, will deter other predator from moving in. Predators mark their territory to warn others away, and with Predator Pee, you can fool the predators you’re worried about from moving in.”

https://madmimi.com/s/c1e779

So, for all you chicken keepers out there, check out Fresh Eggs Daily and remember to keep your flock safe with predatorpee. Also, if you want a great hat for outdoors that you can stuff in your pocket, get yourself a Maine Crusher Hat.

Have a great day!

Until I find more words . . .The PeeMan

Of Mice and Lawyers – more wire chewing woes

Well, I have been trying to tell people about this problem for a while now. It seems that some consumers are fed up and have turned to the law to protest the use of tasty soy based wiring in their vehicles. . .

CALIFORNIA — Do you have warning lights and costly car repairs? Rodent damage could be the culprit behind your next break down. A class action lawsuit claims the type of plastic used in new cars could be attracting vermin that eat the wires.

“I never could figure out where the stuff came from until I saw the rat,” said Barbara Olm. On more than one occasion a tiny hitch hiker made a meal out of the wiring in Olm’s 2012 Lexus.

The 84-year-old poisoned one rat in her car, but not before the rodent cause more than $400 in damage. “The mechanic found a ground wire and coolant wire eaten by rats,” Olm said. . . . .

Chewed up insulation is a cheap fix but wiring damage can be costly. “I have seen a couple in the $2000 range,” Campanili said, and damage is not covered under warrantee. University Honda can’t explain what’s attracts rodents to vehicles, but attorney Brian Kabateck can. “The plastic coating around the wires is made of soy,” Kabateck said. “I am not a rat expert, but soy must be delicious to rats.”

“While we cannot comment on this litigation, we can say that rodent damage to vehicle wiring occurs across the industry, and the issue is not brand- or model-specific.” Victor Vanov Corporate Communications Toyota Motor North America

http://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/lawsuit-claims-car-wiring-too-tasty-to-rodents

Car owners across the country are getting into their cars these days, turning the key and finding their engine won’t start. The reason may be hard to believe: an animal ate their car’s wiring.

Now, a class action lawsuit claims millions of Toyota cars, trucks and SUVs contain wiring that is attractive to animals like squirrels and mice. Honda settled a similar suit a few years ago.

Thousands of car owners in recent years have ended up like Woody and Mary Herald, who two years ago showed us how animals chewed through their car’s wiring. “On the ground we found this connector, with six inches of wire on either end of it, that the varmints had chewed into completely,” Woody Herald said.

This new suit claims Toyota uses soy-based wiring, which is environmentally friendly but tasty to animals. . . . . .

http://fox17online.com/2017/02/08/do-animals-think-your-car-wiring-is-tasty/

While taking on the auto giants may be an option, it is likely to take lots of time before something is resolved. In the mean time, what is to be done for the average person who is stuck with a rodent taking up residence in their engine and feasting on their car wires?

“If you see any evidence of rodents under the hood of your car, you should buy a repellent immediately, before they cause hundreds of dollars of damage. That way, you don’t waste your money.”

http://fox17online.com/2017/02/08/do-animals-think-your-car-wiring-is-tasty/

Well, I have never been one to bring up a problem without offering a solution. Our PeeShots are perfect for this application. They come in an 8 pack and are “Pee-Loaded” with PredatorPee. Remove the lids and place the PeeShots near each tire and in engine compartment or other target areas in the vehicle. Remove before driving. Choose BobcatPeeShots for mice, CoyotePeeShots for rats and ‘coons, FoxPeeShots for squirrels, and WolfPeeShots for domestic and feral cats.

Rodents Cause More Than £370m Of Damage Annually To Cars in the UK Alone

Guest Blogger Toby Bateson

Rats are renowned for being highly destructive. They are well known to damage food, clothing and buildings. roof-rat-961499_640 They also target machines and computers, including the wiring in your car engine. Repairs can be expensive, sometimes an entire car may need rewiring as a result. For a high end sports car or SUV this can be in the region of £7000.

car-482683_640 Research by Hammer Technologies has shown that an amazing 9% of car users in the UK have had their car damaged by rodents at some point. Damage found included chewed pipes, bitten plastic cowling and broken wires and pipes.

The reason they tend to do this is thought to be because their teeth grow constantly throughout their lives. They chew on hard materials such as steel wires in order to wear their teeth down. The warm engines of cars are also thought to attract rats looking for a home.

The survey demonstrated that the average cost of repair came to £300. The total cost of rat damage to cars every year was calculated to be an amazing £377,410,90.

The way this figure was found, if you are interested, is as follows.

In 2013 31 million cars were on the road in the UK, according to official Department of Transport figures. The survey showed an average of 1.86 rat damage events for each person who was affected. Eight of the 33 episodes reported occurred in the previous year.

9% of those surveyed had suffered rodent damage to their cars. The following sum calculates the total cost of the damage. 9% * 31 million cars * £300 * 1.86 episodes per person * (8÷33) episodes in the last year = £377,410,909.

If you have a car make sure you do everything you can to protect yourself. The PeeMan has products which will protect your car from rat damage. Visit the store now to get the protection you need.

Tasty Wiring Biting Honda

Greetings from the North Woods,

Almost exactly a year ago I published “Green” Car Wiring Tickles Rodent Tastebuds on this very blog and what should I stumble across today but more news about exactly how tasty car makers have been making their wiring! So tasty that angry customers are actually starting to sue! The below article from nbcnews.com details a class-action lawsuit against carmaker Honda. It seems that in the company’s zeal to pursue eco-friendliness, they have made friends of mice and enemies of some of their customers. The damages caused by the rodents can add up to thousands of dollars very quickly. While Honda deals with angry customers, there is a solution for those of you stuck with yummy soy-based products in your vehicles – predator urine. I am not just saying that – Wiley Faris of Arapahoe Autotek is quoted in the article below – “Predator urine is a good deterrent,” Faris said. “That stuff can take care of the critter damage pretty quick.”

Where do you get predator urine? Predatorpee.com .com of course! Auto mechanics, car dealers, and pest control specialists just like Faris have begun telling their customers about our products, specifically our PredatorPee PeeShots for vehicles and other indoor applications. They are available with WolfPee, FoxPee, BobcatPee, and Mt. LionPee depending on the particular pest you are trying to deter. So, while you are waiting for your class-action money, protect your car from any further damage with predator urine. urine.

Honda’s Soy-Based Wiring Covers Irresistible to Rodents: Lawsuit

by Lucy Bayley

Environmentally friendly car wiring with a soy-based coating is too tempting for rodents to resist, according to a federal class-action lawsuit that demands Honda pick up the tab for the damage caused by gnawing mice, rabbits and squirrels.

The breach of warranty lawsuit, filed last week in Los Angeles and first reported by Courthouse News Service, results from the automaker’s quest to “go green” by using soy-based biodegradable wire coating. The coating costs less than plastic but does have a downside, according to lead plaintiff Daniel Dobbs of Wyoming.

In the lawsuit, Dobbs alleged that he had to pay twice to have chewed-up wires in his 2012 Honda Accord replaced at a Honda dealership. The second time, he said, mechanics wrapped the wires in special tape intended to deter rodents, demonstrating that Honda is aware of the issue.

That means car owners should not have to foot the bill for the repairs, argues Dobbs, who was joined by Honda owners in Arizona and Texas in suing Honda.

A deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), seen in an undated photo provided by the National Park Service. d) John Good / National Park Service via AP

“(The automaker) has turned this defective soy-based insulated wiring into another source of income for Honda and its dealers by charging aggrieved vehicle owners for repairs or parts to deal with the adverse consequences …that Honda should have covered under warranty in the first place,” the lawsuit says.

Other car owners not involved in the lawsuit say they have had similar problems.

“I just picked up my 2013 Honda Accord from the dealer with almost $2,000 worth of work completed due to a wood rat eating a main harness,” one dissatisfied driver said on a forum discussing the issue. “Then I find (that) Honda makes a shrink wrap tape specifically for the problem. Are you kidding me!!! Fix it from the start instead of putting the burden on us consumers.”

This isn’t the first time that the use of soy in vehicles has caused problems. In the mid-1940s, in an attempt to spare metal for the war effort, license plates in some states were made from compressed soy beans and fiberboard. Goats and cows were attracted to the vehicles and regularly chewed off the plates completely.

The soy-based wire coating also has been known to be appetizing. In 2013, the Los Angeles Times reported that rabbits had munched their way through soy-based wiring in cars parked at Denver International Airport.

advertisement

“They come to the recently driven cars for warmth, and once they’re there, they find that many of the materials used for coating ignition cables are soy-based. And the rabbits find that quite tasty,” Wiley Faris of Arapahoe Autotek repair center told the newspaper.

Faris suggested a solution for anyone seeking to prevent their car from becoming a critter snack shack – coating the wires with fox or coyote urine.

“Predator urine is a good deterrent,” Faris said. “That stuff can take care of the critter damage pretty quick.”

Honda did not immediately respond to a request from NBC News seeking comment on the lawsuit.