Okay, so the other day I had a bit of a raccoon problem in my backyard. They kept getting into my trash cans, making a huge mess. I was trying to figure out how to keep them away, and I remembered someone mentioning that raccoons might be scared of light. So, I decided to put that to the test.
My Raccoon Experiment
First, I grabbed a few different kinds of lights I had around the house. I had:
- A regular porch light
- A motion-sensor floodlight
- A couple of solar-powered garden lights
I started by just leaving the porch light on all night. Usually, I turn it off to save energy, but for this experiment, it stayed on. I watched from my window, and sure enough, the raccoons didn’t come near the trash cans that night.
But I wasn’t sure if it was just a coincidence. So, the next night, I set up the motion-sensor floodlight. This thing is super bright and only turns on when something moves nearby. I positioned it so it would shine directly on the trash cans.
This time, I actually saw the raccoons approach. They got close to the trash cans, and then BAM! The floodlight popped on, and those raccoons took off like rockets! It was pretty funny to watch.
Just to be extra sure, I also placed the solar-powered garden lights around the perimeter of the yard. These aren’t very bright, but I figured they might add an extra layer of deterrence.
Did the Lights Work?
After a few nights of this, I can definitely say that, at least in my experience, raccoons are indeed wary of lights, specially the sudden, bright ones!
The motion-sensor floodlight was the clear winner. It scared them off immediately. The regular porch light seemed to help, too, but it wasn’t as dramatic. The garden lights, well, they probably didn’t do much, but they looked nice.
So, if you’re having raccoon problems, I’d recommend trying out some lights. It might not be a foolproof solution, but it definitely seemed to work for me! It’s a simple, cheap thing to try before you have to call in the professionals.
