Wacky Pest Wednesday: Raccoon
Happy Wednesday to all of you Tri-County Pest Control fans out there, and welcome to our first edition of Wacky Pest Wednesday of the decade! Please join us today as we cover one of the smartest pests you may come across this winter: the raccoon.
While some pests will hunker down for the winter until the warm weather comes once more, raccoons stay active during the entire season. Sure, they can hunker down for a few days when the weather gets really, really cold, but for the most part they stay out and about raiding trash cans and picking up any scraps of food that they can find. You may find them more active during the warmer days, but with this ever-changing and weird winter weather, you never know when those days will come around, so it pays to be prepared.
To stave off the raccoon threat, try your best to keep food and food waste stored away properly. Clean up promptly after cooking and ensure that you have a lid for your exterior trash can—both of which will limit just how much these pests can munch on. Also, make sure that you don’t leave food in the trash can—always make sure that food goes into a bag which then goes into the lidded can. This will help to mask the scent that the food will give off, meaning that there is a reduced chance for raccoons to get curious when they get hungry.
Did you know that a raccoon once lived in the White House? A raccoon named Rebecca was slated to be President Calvin Coolidge’s Thanksgiving dinner, but once he and his wife met the critter, they decided to adopt it. So, sure enough, Rebecca became a part of the administration, taking part in the famous Easter Egg roll and often went with Coolidge on walks around the White House.
Also, did you know that the term “raccoon” came from the Powhatans? In their language, “aroughcun” means “animal that scratches with its hands.” When the English settled in Virginia, they were quick to come across this critter, and quickly Anglicized the name to what we now know as “raccoon.”
Enjoy your Wednesday!
