As mating season approaches, we’re more likely to find and smell skunks around our homes. In mating season, like us humans, males don’t necessarily make the best choices and sometimes will shoot across traffic and make other life altering changes. While driving, especially at night when it's dark and wet and raining, extra caution needs to be made because mating season really does bring out the crazies. Here in Delta we have a huge population of skunks and now is when we may smell them most rather than seeing them. At the tail end (yes I did say that) of January the mating season starts in earnest and at night the air may become rancid with the chemicals that a skunk sprays: 2-butene-1-thiol and 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, chains of carbon and hydrogen with the sulfur and hydrogen thiol group attached to one end. Now from personal experience, skunks are honestly a fairly laidback animal as long as you don’t get them too excited. But having said that, if your pooch runs into a skunk, usually the gloves are off and the victory belt goes to the skunk, as your dog retreats with a face full of sulfur and hydrogen thiol. If you happen to be put in this situation the "googler’’ has many recipes for removing the skunk smell but here is one that is tried and true: mix 1 litre of hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda, 1 teaspoon liquid soap. Spray this on the effected area and rinse well with water.
Go Green Pest Control owner Randy Bilesky is a long-time South Delta resident. Trained and certified, Bilesky has first-hand knowledge of the pest problems that local homeowners and business owners encounter.
