Forum Topic

Fox Deterrant

Lately where I live, there has been a bit of a problem with foxes tearing open rubbish bags etc. I had heard that if you use furniture polish and spray it on the bag they leave it alone as they don't like the chemical smell. I have tried it and surprisingly it works. I had put out a bag that contained some seafood (fish heads etc)as well as usual rubbish, sprayed it with furniture polish and when I looked this morning several other bags had been ripped open but mine remained intact. Give it a go!!!!

J Smith ● 5384d40 Comments

Tonight's, Sunday, Countryfile appears to have a piece about the "dangers presented by foxes in urbam areas". Now that's bias.The programme's transmitted on BBC1 at 18:30.And what is the betting that the weather forecast in the programme will be a load of tosh?

Alan Brainsby ● 5372d

but not wheelie bins they are too large.

Philippa Bond ● 5380d

Dunno, you posted a quote earlier about wheelie bins and health & safety, maybe it's the same reason?Perhaps it's a time issue, emptying bins must take more time than throwing bags in the back of the truck.  I just don't know.I do however, know a fair bit about foxy and also know that I do not have an alter ego or another identity on here.

G Lord ● 5380d

My dustbin gets emptied by the Council even when I would prefer they didn't empty it.  Why is it different where you are?

Philippa Bond ● 5380d

Am not a saddo, just informing the community of a remedy to stop foxes ripping open rubbish sacks. It is a problem especially as the refuse collectors won't empty bins and will only take sacks.

J Smith ● 5380d

Good points, Philip.Unfortunately, the saddo who posts under the names of "G Lord" and "F Stone" has his own agenda.

Robin Taylor ● 5381d

The 10p a tail stuff was rats?

G Lord ● 5381d

I always use L'Oréal on my foxes, because their worth it.Honestly though if people put there rubbish out in black bags at the right time i.e. before a collection, sealed properly I don't think there would be so many foxes hunting the bins, spray them by all means but make sure it doesn't harm anyone.I think there is a price for their tails, I remember when THEY wanted to cull the population of grey squirrels, THEY were offering 10p a tail, I think you had to take them to the Town hall, can you imagine the scene at Ealing Town Hall, when you wander in smelling like a fox, with a bundle of tails slung over your back, it's getting rid of the bodies that's the difficulty.By THEY I just mean the Party/people in control of the council at the time

John Pollastrini ● 5382d

Many of us have been using them and having our waste collected directly from them for years.  It is great no longer having to worry about the foxes ripping the bags apart and having to deal with the mess before you go to work.  Using the food waste bin has made life even easier.From the LBE website:"Rubbish bins I don't live in a wheelie bin area.  Can my rubbish be collected straight from a normal houshold bin? The crew will take tied refuse bags from a normal household bin. If you have purchased your own wheelie bin then you must take the tied refuse bags out of the bin before collection. It is against health and safety regulations for the refuse collectors to manually lift bags out of a wheelie bin in case of injury."

Philippa Bond ● 5382d

No they wouldn't, if there was no food for them they'd pack up their foxy goods in a soiled nappy and move on.

G Lord ● 5382d

If the existing foxes couldn't forage for waste food in bins, sacks, etc, they would turn their attention to other food sources such as small mammals, e.g. mice, rats, cats, and small humans...

Alan Brainsby ● 5382d

You are correct when you say hunting or culling isn't the solution to the fox problem. Perhaps if the so-called animal lovers were given lessons in refraining from leaving food out for these creatures then perhaps we would have less rubbish strewn about our streets.Unfortunately I've just had a rather costly bill for cleaning the front of my 4x4 after a particularly messy encounter with our friend Basil.

J Smith ● 5382d

I've always found one of my 4x4's is best for running over foxy, the tyres are wide so there isn't much escape.Hunting or culling urban fox isn't the solution, it upsets the townies who usually start banging on about gods creatures or getting a bit political by calling everyone a toff.  It's not really practical.Serious real answer is to stop providing a food source.

G Lord ● 5382d

Would anyone be in favour or organising an Urban Hunt? I have a couple of Vuvuzelas, some cans of Furniture polish and some jiff squirters and an estate car to do the hunting from if anyone's keen?

James Brown ● 5382d

Would anyone be in favour or organising an Urban Hunt? I have a couple of Vuvuzelas, some cans of Furniture polish and some jiff squirters and an estate car to do the hunting from if anyone's keen?

James Brown ● 5382d

re: Daytime disturbance of your rubbish is far more likely...-------------------It was a Fox, I saw it, bushy tail, guilty look on his face.  The bin men won't empty a bin, they only take black bags round my way and are quite strict on this, if they have any doubts they leave them.When it comes to foxy, forget tree hugging organic nonsense, get the chemicals and do the job right.  Chilli and pepper is said to repel squirrels but not foxy.  It's the "un-natural" smell they don't like.They aren't much cop at controlling rats when in cities, urban fox prefers fast food such as fried chicken, far easier to catch.Foxy and other vermin will only hang around for as long as a food source is provided, if you can put your food waste in those caddies and lock them instead of in the black bag, they should bugger off.  If like me you don't have a caddy, spray it with cheap furniture polish/bleach/RT's aftershave and they won't be interested.Maybe we could have a "Spray bin bag with chemical smell to make foxy leave and stop biting children" week?

G Lord ● 5382d

Why not put the fish heads in the food recyling bin?

Tom Maramaros ● 5382d

"the one that roams near where I live likes to eat used nappies." Fox on the runs I suppose?

Tony Wood ● 5382d

Daytime disturbance of your rubbish is far more likely to have been caused by stray dogs, cats or squirrels. Even if it was in fact the result of insomniac foxes, may I suggest that you invest in a bin rather than chemical repellents? And if you can't see the value in buying a bin, what about some alternatives to the chemical pollutants, such as chilli powder or ground pepper? Both do as good a job. The 'brazen, child biting, flea ridden vermin' actually do a rather good job of controlling rat populations in the inner city. I know what I would rather have running around my garden.

Philip Slater ● 5382d

"the brazen, child biting, flea ridden, mangy vermin"They're not fussy about what they eat either, the one that roams near where I live likes to eat used nappies.

J Smith ● 5382d

Same here, often see the brazen, child biting, flea ridden, mangy vermin in the day.They are chancers and very cunning creatures.But to be fair, you will see more at night than in the day.

G Lord ● 5382d

Well I don't know where you are living but have seen many a fox in the daylight hours!

J Smith ● 5382d

Whilst that may be the case, I suspect that would be an extreme rarity. Foxes are nocturnal and you can barely walk around at night in Ealing without spotting one, try spotting one during daylight hours and you could be searching for a long time.

Philip Slater ● 5382d

Same here!

Charles Campbell ● 5382d

It doesn't matter when you put your rubbish out, a fox will always get into the sacks. I've put my rubbish out on the morning of collection before, only to find that when I leave the house half an hour later that the fox has been about.

J Smith ● 5382d

Here's an idea...why not just put your rubbish out on the morning it's being collected? Saves chemicals and pollutants being used totally unnecessarily

Philip Slater ● 5382d

'Older mothballs consisted primarily of naphthalene, but due to naphthalene's flammability, modern mothballs use 1,4-dichlorobenzene instead. Both of these ingredients have a strong, pungent odor often associated strongly with mothballs. Camphor, an insect repellent, can also be used in mothballs.'I am not sure which the EU banned but in pharmacy, camphor is no longer used medicinally.

Graham Weeks ● 5383d

Bleach, Jeyes, furniture polish will all smell bad to foxy.ANYTHING with a chemical smell should do it, mothballs used to be used but the EU banned whatever substance was in them.But give it a go and see for yourself, you don't really want them biting kids again do you?

G Lord ● 5384d

Bleach is probably an even cheaper option - that works for us.

Charles Campbell ● 5384d

They don't like Jeyes Fluid

Keith Iddon ● 5384d

Both!

J Smith ● 5384d

The Fox or the bin bag looks shiny?

G Lord ● 5384d

Definately cheaper than any other means - trapping and hunting. Added bonus they now look shiny!

J Smith ● 5384d

Polishing off the foxes. There could be a marketing opportunity. The wax that makes reynard wane?

Graham Weeks ● 5384d

It's the smell.

G Lord ● 5384d

Are you sure it's the smell? It could be the taste.

Alan Brainsby ● 5384d

Exactly - why waste money on an expensive brand when all you want to do is to deter vermin.

J Smith ● 5384d

No, it probably won't matter which brand, the cheaper the better as its the chemical smell they won't like.

G Lord ● 5384d

I can't remember - I don't think it really matters.

J Smith ● 5384d

May one inquire as to which brand of aerosol polish proved so efficacious?

Alan Brainsby ● 5384d