Who needs coffee when you have a family of wet skunks under your porch? Skunks can spray their musk up to 15 ft. For instructions on getting rid of the smell, read How to get rid of skunk smell.

Warning: Skunks can carry rabies. Never approach a live skunk and if someone gets bitten try to capture the skunk so it can be tested for rabies. Keep the head intact as the brain is needed for the test.

1. Keeping skunks away... far away

Skunks are scavengers and will eat anything from bugs to garbage. If a skunk finds a tasty morsel on your land, chances are good that he'll start visiting more often. This section will walk you through some steps to repel skunks from your property.

Eliminate skunk nummies

Skunks are nocturnal, so you're most likely to see.. erm.. smell them at night and in the early morning when they're out scavenging for food. Skunks can and do eat anything; bird eggs, bugs and larvae, human wastes, small rodents, you name it - they'll eat it. Following is a list of the most common foods that attract skunks onto people's property:

Unprotected garbage. When you transfer your trash outside for pickup, store it in heavy duty metal or plastic trash cans with lids that will stay on even if the can is knocked over. Never place unprotected bags out on the curb.

Grubs and larvae. Skunks love grubs! Grubs are beetle larva that live underneath of your lawn. Skunks are known for digging small holes in peoples yards as they hunt for them. Luckily, beneficial nematodes also love to eat grubs, and are easily deployed in your lawn and garden to eliminate this attractant.

Pet food. Never leave unprotected animal food outside at night, it's akin to setting a place at your dinner table for Pepé le Pew. I had a neighbor once who would leave table scraps and cat food out for neighborhood strays. She ended up with a family of skunks living on her property.

Nuts, berries, and fruits. If you have bushes or trees that bear fruits, nuts, or berries you should periodically walk your yard and remove any that have fallen to the ground. Skunks will happily feast on them, and so will rodents... which skunks will also happily eat.

Other attractants. While the above food sources are the most common culprits that attract skunks, there are (of course) more. If any of these exist on your property, do your best to minimize or eliminate them.

• Compost heaps containing bones, fruit rinds and egg shells. (Learn how to make compost)
• Large numbers of ground dwelling insects under dead leaves and foliage.
• Easily accessible water sources.
• Bird feeder spills.

Skunk repellents

Many folks swear by this or that for repelling skunks, but there seems to be little that delivers consistent results across the board. Here's a list of the most effective skunk repellents that we've been able to dig up. If you know of any not listed here, please add them with the 'tips' form at the bottom of this page.

• Bright light - Skunks are nocturnal and prefer to stay hidden, flooding an area with light can be an effective deterrent. Use flood lights in combination with motion sensors.
• Automated sprinklers - Contech manufactures a device called 'The Scarecrow' which is essentially a sprinkler attached to a motion sensor that will spray any animals that wander into your yard.
• Spicy pepper solutions - Pepper sprays are reported to work well but must be reapplied every few days to remain effective.
• Commercial repellents - There are many available types, people have also reported success with dog and cat repellents.

Skunk barriers

The good: Skunks are horrible climbers and they can't jump very high.

The bad: Skunks can fit through openings as small as 4" and they're good diggers.

Strategy: Erect barriers around areas that skunks may find interesting in order to keep them out.

Skunks will make homes underneath houses, sheds, decks, and other above-ground structures. Seal them off as well as possible - remember that they can fit through holes as small as 4 inches. Skunks won't burrow underneath them unless they can see that there is space on the other side. Fill in holes and ditches as well.

Enclose large, open areas with a three-foot high wire mesh fencing like chicken wire and it one foot deep to keep skunks from burrowing underneath.

2. How to get rid of a skunk that's moved in

Be cautious when around skunks - they could have rabies. If you see one acting strangely, disoriented, foaming at the mouth or overly aggressive - get away from it and call animal control. If someone gets bitten by a skunk, do your absolute best to capture it so it can be tested for rabies. It's brain is required for the test, so keep the head intact.

Forcing skunks out

Skunk removal isn't hard. The trick is to do most of the work while the skunk is out foraging so you don't risk getting sprayed. Sprinkle a light layer of flour, chalk, or other white powder around it's den and wait until nightfall. After dark, return and look for tracks leading away to indicate that the skunk has left in search of food and then get to work sealing up all of the entrances (barriers were covered in the previous section). If you do this right the skunk will not be able to get back in. If he does, wait until the next evening and try again.

Skunk traps

If you can't seem to coerce your skunky buddy to leave willingly, you may need to trap him. First, check with your local authorities to make sure you're within the law to do so and then invest in a box skunk trap that is small enough to keep the skunk from raising it's tail all the way up.

When you set the trap, secure a few old towels or blankets to the outside to make it safer to approach once it catches a skunk. Bait the trap with anything that has a strong odor; sardines, tuna, giblets, and canned cat food are all good choices. Check it often, you're just as likely to catch a stray cat (Tips on how to get rid of stray cats) or raccoon (Learn how to get rid of raccoons) as you are a skunk so don't depend on your nose.

Once you've got your skunk, cover up the trap so it cannot see outside (don't smother it) and secure it in the back seat (or open trunk) for a nice long ride out of town. When you've located a suitable secluded area, place the trap on the ground, open it up and wait for the skunk to leave. Skunks will often be confused and scared so it might take it a while to work up the courage - be patient. Sometimes you can coax it out by sitting the trap so it's floor is angled towards the door.

If that doesn't work, consider leaving it for a few hours and returning later to retrieve the empty trap.