Now this really stinks....

The police reports include more than information about various police calls.  Recently, there seemed to be an increasing concern about critters in the village – and not those that attend Village Board meetings.

Here’s a sampling of problems and suggestions.

 

• It’s very true about the skunk problem in Strathmore between Arlington Heights Road and Ivy Hall School, and it’s been going on for a couple of years now. This year there seems to be three of them because the other night I saw two together and then a third one came along a couple of minutes later heading in the same direction as the other two (south between the houses on Aspen Drive and Penny Lane).

• Last year I saw a skunk digging around the base of a tree at night and also doing the same near a tree in our neighbor’s yard in the late afternoon around 5:00 pm. I think their source of food is the cicadas after the cicadas shed their shell, because I have found what’s left of the cicadas with their body gone but the wings and skull still in-tact. (Yes, gross!).  (By the way, skunks also like to dig for grubs….)

• Since everyone is complaining about the skunk problem in Strathmore, may I put in my 2 cents and talk about the chipmunk problem?  The chipmunks (who we've named Alvin, Simon and Theodore) made such a tunnel system under our brick porch that it buckled. We have holes all over the yard. We had to have the porch re-done and the sides were cemented and covered with decorative white stones. Well, the chipmunks got so upset that the kicked (or pushed) all the decorative stone away, but could not get back under the porch. Our backyard is being taken over by these (cute?) little monsters. We have used mothballs and poison peanuts, but they still love it at our house. Would anyone have a suggestion?(I had a similar problem.  All small trap baited with bird seed did the trick.  After a while Chip and Dale got the hint.  Check for bird seed and any open holes by a deck.)

• It’s very true about the skunk problem in Strathmore between Arlington Heights Road and Ivy Hall School, and it’s been going on for a couple of years now. This year there seems to be three of them because the other night I saw two together and then a third one came along a couple of minutes later heading in the same direction as the other two (south between the houses on Aspen Drive and Penny Lane).(Skunks seemed to dislike light.  Keep your lights on and that may detract them).

• Those d*&# skunks: We live in the same nuisance Skunk area of Strathmore in a ranch w/a porch. This is an ongoing problem alternating with Woodchucks + Chipmunks even after back filling the hole. Came home from 3 wk. vacation to find mama skunk + 5 adorable [ha ha ha] tiny babies parading across the porch from hole under porch [again]. We stuck a shop light in the hole, left it on for hours during day, used Fox Urine Granules then moth balls for good measure. Took 8-9 days -their holes cause undermining of cement which then causes cracks! They move elsewhere but obviously don't leave the area. This is an ongoing issue, even with preventative measures - may be due to our proximity to the creek or Forest Preserve. Animal removal guys are pricey + tell you there is no guarantee "your" skunks will be trapped [which makes sense] . We've smelled skunk every night for a couple weeks. As for Chipmunks- try a small rag soaked in Vanilla stuffed in hole. 

• The skunk problem is so widespread in Strathmore that one person hiring to trap them is not the fix. The suggestion for some type of group meeting with a firm is a good one as it is the only way to solve it is to work on the whole area. If who ever suggested it gets something going post it and lets see what we can do. They are a nuisance but I do think it is the cicadas which we seem to have year after year. It is hard to entertain on your patio/deck when your guests are watching skunks come closer and closer! 

• To the person with the chipmunk problem. Get a dog!! My dogs chase those little critters all over the place and now we have found that we have very few problems with them ! Now, if it were only that easy to get rid of the skunks!!!!!! 

• Great input on the skunk problems. I've got a slightly different question - I now have the cicadas burrowing under the edge of my patio, creating what I first thought were some monster ant hills alongside. Does anyone have any magic potions to stop them and get rid of the ones already there? (Leave the video of a Village Board meeting running…who knows what may scare them off.)