Possums might not win any beauty contests, but these misunderstood marsupials are actually doing your Michigan yard a huge favor.
Before you call animal control or try to shoo them away, you should know they’re working hard to keep pests under control and your garden healthier. Learning about what possums do might completely change how you feel about having them around.
1. Tick-Eating Machines That Protect Your Family
A single possum can gobble up thousands of ticks every week while wandering through your property at night.
Michigan residents face serious risks from tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease, especially during warmer months when ticks are most active. Possums groom themselves constantly and eat the ticks they find, making them nature’s pest control team.
Having one living nearby means fewer dangerous ticks waiting to latch onto you, your kids, or your pets when you’re enjoying outdoor activities around your home.
2. Free Pest Control Without Chemicals
Why spend money on exterminators when possums work for free? These nocturnal helpers feast on cockroaches, beetles, crickets, and other creepy crawlies that invade Michigan homes and gardens throughout the year.
They’ll clean up slugs and snails that munch on your vegetables too. Unlike chemical sprays that can harm beneficial insects and pollinate, possums target only the pests you want gone.
Your wallet and your garden will both thank you for letting these natural hunters stick around your property.
3. Snake Spotters With Serious Appetite
Ever worried about snakes hiding in your woodpile or garage? Possums actually hunt and eat snakes, including venomous species, thanks to a special immunity to many snake venoms.
Michigan has several snake species, and while most aren’t dangerous, having a possum patrol your yard adds an extra layer of protection. They’re brave enough to take on rattlesnakes and copperheads in other states.
Even though Michigan’s snakes are mostly harmless, possums still help keep their numbers down naturally without you lifting a finger.
4. Cleanup Crew For Fallen Fruit And Garbage
Rotting fruit under your apple trees attracts wasps, flies, and other annoying insects that make outdoor time miserable. Possums love eating overripe fruit, helping clean up the mess before it becomes a bigger problem for Michigan homeowners.
They’ll also nibble on food scraps and garbage that might otherwise draw rats or raccoons to your property. Think of them as nature’s sanitation workers, quietly tidying up after dark.
This cleanup service reduces smells and keeps more aggressive animals from setting up camp near your house.
5. Rabies Resistance Keeps Everyone Safer
Here’s something surprising: possums almost never carry rabies because their body temperature runs too low for the virus to survive.
While raccoons, skunks, and bats in Michigan can spread this deadly disease, possums pose virtually no rabies risk to your family or pets. Their presence might actually discourage other wildlife that does carry rabies from moving into your yard.
When people fear wildlife diseases, possums should be the least of their worries. They’re one of the safest wild animals you could have visiting your property at night.
6. Garden Helpers That Skip Your Vegetables
Unlike rabbits and deer that destroy Michigan gardens, possums rarely damage healthy plants or vegetables. They prefer hunting for protein-rich insects and small animals over munching on your tomatoes or lettuce.
You might spot them walking through your garden beds, but they’re actually searching for grubs, beetles, and slugs that would otherwise harm your crops.
Any plant damage you notice probably came from other critters. Possums get blamed unfairly for destruction caused by groundhogs, rabbits, or even neighborhood cats roaming after dark.
7. Quiet Neighbors Who Mind Their Business
Raccoons knock over trash cans and make racket all night, but possums are remarkably quiet and keep to themselves.
They won’t tear up your siding, dig holes in your lawn, or cause the property damage that other Michigan wildlife creates regularly. When threatened, they might hiss softly or play dead rather than attack. They’re not aggressive animals and would much rather waddle away than confront you or your pets.
Most homeowners never even know possums are visiting because they’re so secretive and peaceful about their nightly rounds.
8. Natural Mouse And Rat Deterrent
Mice and rats cause serious problems for Michigan homeowners, chewing wires and spreading disease throughout garages and basements. Possums compete with rodents for food and will even hunt young mice when they find them during their nighttime travels.
Their presence alone often encourages rats to relocate elsewhere since possums are bigger and more territorial.
You’re essentially getting free rodent control without traps or poison that could harm other animals. Many people who remove possums soon discover their mouse problem gets much worse without this natural competitor around.