Moth balls question

[Carol]

I have a neighbor who seems to have used a ton of moth balls around their garden to keep critters away. I can't even open my door without the stench drifting in my house! (it's just awful smelling - can't be healthy for me or my kids)

I have watched as birds thismorning are picking up the moth balls and carrying them to my property! (I really hope they are not eating them)

Now my question...I have blue jays and squirrels that I feed...as well as a cute new little chipmunk. Will my beloved fuzzy butts eat these things and get sick??

Thanks for any help!

(really hoping it rains today and disolves those potent stench bombs so I can open my door again and BREATHE!!)

[Jackie in Tampa]

oh no...they are poison...
I hope it doesn't rain, they'll be in the earth...
...sneak over there while she is away and get them...in the trash...
wtf are people thinking...shame on her...
may the fleas of a thousand camels infest her armpits!
j/k kind of!

[Carol]

When they were out, I managed to pick up all the ones on my property that the birds picked up and dropped here and threw them in the trash...She's got so many and it still stinks!! The squirrels don't seem to be bothered by the smell either...they are still in her yard and very much close to them. (haven't seen any eat them yet..and just hoping that they DO NOT touch them!)

My husband who usually doesn't care about stuff like this, does not like the smell either and picked some up the other day and said they'll likely kill our grass and flowers if they keep doing this! So let's hope they stop because it's not benefitting anyone ... critters are still here because we live in a subdivision in the country near a forest and farm....

HELLLOOOOOO! If they didn't want to have critters why buy a house in the country then??? geesh! I'll never understand some people...

[rozdow]

I have neighbors who lost a cat & dog because another neighbor used mothballs in the garden (it rained, the animals walked through the water, and licked the substance off thier paws - a necropsy was done!!)

[CritterMom]

Yup, it's deadly and of ABSOLUTELY no use outside. Mothballs will only work as rodent repellant if used in a CLOSED SPACE and the earth's atmosphere doesn't qualify. In addition to gassing the neighborhood and poisoning the wildlife, they are throwing their money away.

I am in the service end of things in the power generation business, and we have to mess with this all the time because rodents want to build their nests in the generator housings (bad stuff happens when they start running). Mothballs only work in an enclosed space.

Tell them to purchase fox or coyote urine at a sporting good store and use that.

[Carol]

Thanks Critter Mom!!