A fence’s purpose is to keep you safe from undesirable guests that might otherwise creep into your lawn– wildlife included. Sometimes, nature can stray a little too close for comfort, and while a good fence will keep you safe, it’s coming into contact with a wild animal can result in some level of disrepair. Fortunately, there is a way to keep both you and your fence safe from all manner of wildlife. You can treat your fence in such a way to keep threats both big and small from becoming a nuisance. Here are a few tips and tricks as to how you can go about protecting your fence from becoming an oversized chew toy:
The Tiny Threats
Size really doesn’t matter when it comes to what can damage your fence. Sometimes, the worst offenders are the ones you can’t even see coming. Termites, carpenter ants, and certain forms of beetles can spell disaster for a wooden fence. Wood-boring insects bury themselves deep within the wooden planks of your fence and eat it from the inside out. Save your fence from that gruesome fate with the aid of insecticides and a proper stainer. Coating your fence with a stainer will help with more than just serving as an insect repellent, but its rot-resisting properties keep your fence from looking like a tasty meal. There are many different kinds of insecticides, but be sure to get one that’s non-carcinogenic. An environmentally safe insecticide will do the job just as well as something potentially hazardous to your health, such as creosote. Your fence is supposed to protect you from harm, after all.
The Small Threats
Small animals, such as rodents, can pose a serious threat to your lawn. While these may not pose a direct threat to the fence itself, if they can get under the fence, they can get in your yard and wreak havoc with your carefully cultivated flowerbeds or freshly mown lawn. In order to prevent rabbits, squirrels, gophers, and the occasional tunnel-happy dog from getting in your lawn, dig a trench alongside your fence, and bury mesh wire in it. Place the wire beside the place where the planks rest in the ground. This keeps your lawn safe from intrusion and your fence safe from creatures that might loosen the ground your fence posts are secured in, which can make them loose and unsteady.
Big Threats
While larger animals, such as deer, don’t target wood specifically, they can still prove to be a burden. This is especially true in the case of collisions. While we understand that a fence means turn around, go the other way, wild animals don’t. And while your fence is likely to withstand a rampaging or leap-happy buck, it could still do some damage to the fence. Luckily, you have a number of options in order to keep large animals away from your lawn. You could convince the animals that whatever’s beyond your fence isn’t worth the effort by placing barbed wire over it. This doubles as a bit of extra protection against unsavory human attention, such as in the case of potential robbers.
