Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Skunks
A couple of weeks ago in the Bindery department there was the distinct smell of SKUNK. There had been sightings in the past, in the front of the building and once in the dock area. The smell was the strongest around where the sprinkler riser entered the warehouse. A month earlier we had our backflow protector tested in front of where this riser was, I had noticed a faint smell of skunk. The guys on the dock were certain that Pepe La Pew was in the building.
What does one do to get rid of SKUNKS? We could trap them, but what do you do with them after they are in the cage? I don't want to be the one that has to pick up the cage and move him, these things stink, not a little but a LOT! With the plant just a block away from the fire station shooting them wouldn't be the wisest choice either. I called a pest removal company to come out and set some traps. They charged me to come out and do a site survey, I know where they are because I can smell them! I still didn't want any part of having to move them so I didn't fuss too much about that fee.
The company comes out on Thursday and sets two traps outside by a hole under a concrete slab where we think the stinkers are living. You may be asking what do you bait a trap with that a SKUNK would like to get? Fried Chicken! Friday nets zero SKUNKS, yet the smell is just as bad inside as Thursday. The dock guys still swear that Pepe is inside, so the trapper sets a couple of traps up inside. Saturday results with the trap outside being tripped and the bait gone. We don't have the regular run of the mill SKUNKS here, we have a Houdini SKUNK! The trap is reset with more fried chicken.
When I go in on Monday I drive down by the dock to see the first SKUNK! I call the company to come and get the little stinker! As much as I would have liked to see him pick up the cage, I miss it. He resets another trap outside, then stops in to let me know what he has done and that he would return Tuesday morning. On the way in I stop and see that we have trapped another stinker. Well this stinker is a little bigger then the stinker on Monday. I think that this stinker is not happy about being in the trap and sprays the pest guy. The pest guy comes in by my office to let me know that he has the stinker and set another trap. The thing is that I knew he was coming because I could smell him before he even entered the building! I said that the SKUNK had sprayed, and he asked why can you smell it? I told him that it was strong, he looked down his legs and said "I don't think he got me." Well he can think that but from where I was standing he had to have been sprayed! It took over 5 hours for me to return to my office without my eyes watering!
We trapped one more of those stinkers. Despite several sightings if Pepe inside, we never did get any action inside. The smell had to be coming from the ground around the sprinkler pipe. I will admit that the pest company earned every penny in removing our SKUNKS!
What does one do to get rid of SKUNKS? We could trap them, but what do you do with them after they are in the cage? I don't want to be the one that has to pick up the cage and move him, these things stink, not a little but a LOT! With the plant just a block away from the fire station shooting them wouldn't be the wisest choice either. I called a pest removal company to come out and set some traps. They charged me to come out and do a site survey, I know where they are because I can smell them! I still didn't want any part of having to move them so I didn't fuss too much about that fee.
The company comes out on Thursday and sets two traps outside by a hole under a concrete slab where we think the stinkers are living. You may be asking what do you bait a trap with that a SKUNK would like to get? Fried Chicken! Friday nets zero SKUNKS, yet the smell is just as bad inside as Thursday. The dock guys still swear that Pepe is inside, so the trapper sets a couple of traps up inside. Saturday results with the trap outside being tripped and the bait gone. We don't have the regular run of the mill SKUNKS here, we have a Houdini SKUNK! The trap is reset with more fried chicken.
When I go in on Monday I drive down by the dock to see the first SKUNK! I call the company to come and get the little stinker! As much as I would have liked to see him pick up the cage, I miss it. He resets another trap outside, then stops in to let me know what he has done and that he would return Tuesday morning. On the way in I stop and see that we have trapped another stinker. Well this stinker is a little bigger then the stinker on Monday. I think that this stinker is not happy about being in the trap and sprays the pest guy. The pest guy comes in by my office to let me know that he has the stinker and set another trap. The thing is that I knew he was coming because I could smell him before he even entered the building! I said that the SKUNK had sprayed, and he asked why can you smell it? I told him that it was strong, he looked down his legs and said "I don't think he got me." Well he can think that but from where I was standing he had to have been sprayed! It took over 5 hours for me to return to my office without my eyes watering!
We trapped one more of those stinkers. Despite several sightings if Pepe inside, we never did get any action inside. The smell had to be coming from the ground around the sprinkler pipe. I will admit that the pest company earned every penny in removing our SKUNKS!
# posted by Harry Hostetter @ 7:32 PM 
