Masked bandits in the landscape

Most people recognize raccoons and their distinctive black “mask” over the eyes and rings around the tail. Because they are mainly active at night, it may be more useful to recognize signs of their presence around homes and landscapes.

Raccoon damage to gardens and landscapes is quite common. They eat a variety of plants and animals including fruits, berries, vegetables, bird eggs, insects, fish, snails, and others, but will also scavenge through garbage and compost piles and eat pet food left out overnight. Raccoons will roll up newly laid turf looking for beetle grubs and will occasionally prey upon koi in backyard ponds. Raccoons are known to carry diseases and internal parasites such as raccoon roundworm, rabies, and distemper.

Read more about detecting raccoon presence around your home, landscape, parks, and neighborhood, along with various management approaches in our revised Pest Note: Raccoons by Roger Baldwin of the UC Davis Dept. of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology.