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You鈥檝e probably noticed the rise in rabbits this summer. They鈥檝e been seen hopping in and out of bushes, scampering through parks, and scurrying along sidewalks throughout Western Washington. Wildlife experts aren鈥檛 certain what鈥檚 caused the supposed 鈥渂unny boom,鈥� but one thing is clear: they鈥檝e been wreaking havoc on gardens, munching away at hard-earned harvests.

Garden guru Ciscoe Morris said he鈥檚 tired of those pesky rabbits and shared his secret to getting rid of them.

Morris has a complicated relationship with rabbits. He loved his childhood bunny, Snowball, but nowadays when he sees their fluffy faces and big ears, Ciscoe goes mad.

鈥淭hese little guys will eat practically anything you鈥檝e got in your garden,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淭hey ate my broccoli, they鈥檝e eaten my Brussels sprouts and that鈥檚 a serious infraction!鈥�

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The culprits are the eastern cottontail rabbits, the most common mammals in North America. They were first introduced in Washington as a game species in the 1930s.

Morris put up fences to keep them away. He let the dogs loose on them, but the rabbits are relentless. A couple years ago, he tried something different, a new kind of 鈥渂unny-be-gone鈥� spray.

鈥淚 had to try and find the perfect secret recipe that is really going to repel these rabbits without causing any big problems,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the oh, la, la 谤别肠颈辫别.鈥�

The recipe calls for only three ingredients. First, one tablespoon of baking powder goes in a bowl with an egg yolk. Then, add a quart of water and whisk until the mixture becomes a pale yellow. Pour it in a spray bottle, and let it set for a few days before it really starts to smell, almost like sulfur.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the one bummer in this. It has to smell kind of bad,鈥� Morris said.

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Rabbits, after all, avoid certain scents.

鈥淚鈥檝e spoken with individuals who use predator urine as a cue for danger to keep the rabbits at bay,鈥� said Aaron Wirsing, an associate professor of wildlife sciences at the University of Washington.

Wirsing couldn鈥檛 say for sure why the number of cottontail rabbits appears to be on the rise this year. He had some theories, including the region鈥檚 recent mild winters, a trend that started around 2015.

鈥淎ny change in environmental conditions that even slightly bumps up offspring survival can lead to a population explosion,鈥� Wirsing said. 鈥淚t might also be that gardening and landscaping and the suburbanization of a lot of the surrounding regions to Seattle are basically creating extra ‘habitat.’鈥�

Morris鈥� backyard must a be a bunny鈥檚 paradise. A fountain overlooks the lush lawn, dozens of rare plants, and a buffet of vegetables.

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On a recent afternoon, Morris armed himself with the 鈥渙h, la la鈥� mixture determined to keep the rabbits away. He plunged his spray bottle before layering a coat on the garden, covering each veggie with his special recipe.

鈥淛ust by spraying there鈥檚 nothing that you can鈥檛 eat in this,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淣ot harmful at all.鈥�

Ciscoe said it鈥檚 important to spray daily. That鈥檚 the only way to keep up with the rabbits and their reputation for breeding.

鈥淓very female bunny can have up to 28 young in one season — Oh, la, la, la, la,鈥� Morris said. “You can be doing this a lot to say the least.”

Find more tips and information for co-existing with rabbits at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife .