Look For Signs Of Damage In Your Garden
Chipmunks will consume almost anything in your yard. Chipmunks are easy to see since they take the bulbs straight out of the ground, the buds off your flowers, and other garden plants that would not be eaten by another animal.
The more of your flowers that are gone, the more probable it is that a chipmunk is munching on them.
How To Prevent Chipmunks From Coming Back
Of course, the problem with repelling or trapping chipmunks is that they can make their way back to your yard or house. To prevent this from happening, try the following methods in conjunction with repellents:
- Clear yard debris, clutter, rock piles, and wood from your yard to remove hiding places, and trim back overgrown bushes.
- When berries, seeds, or nuts fall to the ground, sweep them up as soon as possible to remove food sources.
- Store birdseed and pet food in airtight containers.
- Surround your garden or even your home with a moat of a few inches of gravel, which will remove plants that can act as hiding places as well as deter digging and tunneling.
- Put a wire mesh fence around the garden, buried about 8 inches into the soil.
- Similarly, bury special L-shaped barriers or footers near house foundations, around decks, and anywhere else you want to prevent tunneling.
- Seal all cracks and crevices leading into your home with caulk or expanding foam. Cap chimneys and seal vents and gutters with metal hardware cloth.
Fortunately, many of these methods will also help keep away other pests such as insects and spiders.
Where Should I Look For Chipmunk Burrows
If youre looking for piles of dirt as the sign of a burrow, you may be surprised. Chipmunks build their homes free of dirt at the entrances and exits. The holes tend to be quite small, often only two to three inches in diameter, and may extend two to three feet under the surface.
Stumps, stony areas, fallen logs, and woodpiles are inviting spots for chipmunks. Cover provides them comfort. Patios, stairs, basements, and any well-hidden sites near a house or building will fit a chipmunks needs.
Being underground protects chipmunks from cats, foxes, skunks, hawks, owls, and snakes. As some of these predators grow to adult size, they have difficulty fitting into a chipmunk burrow.
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How To Get Rid Of Chipmunks With Ammonia
Chipmunks are naturally skittish. I mean, who wouldnt be when youre at the bottom of the food chain?
This fear works to your advantage when trying to deter chipmunks from the foundation of your home by using ammonia. Ammonia simulates urine smell for most animals, which signals predator to the tiny chipmunk trying to find a safe space to rest his head.
As a bonus, ammonia is also what keeps snakes away from your home. Snakes dont like the odor either and tend to shy away from areas scented with ammonia.
Trapping Is An Option
Humanely trapping chipmunks is another thing that people consider doing. You can find chipmunk traps that can capture the chipmunks alive without harming them in any way.
Once a chipmunk has been captured, its going to be possible to relocate it. The chipmunk should be driven a fair distance from your home and then released into the wild.
To get this to work properly, youll need to use gloves when setting the traps. The human scent will scare chipmunks and they will be too wary of the traps.
The best traps are probably the ones that utilize simple one-door tactics. Chipmunks enter the little door to try to get the bait, but they cant get back out.
You can use several different things as bait if youd like to, but peanuts actually work brilliantly. It might be good to try peanut butter or sunflower seeds as well.
The only problem with this trapping idea is that it might not be legal in your area. Some places have laws about trapping woodland creatures, and you might not be allowed to relocate animals either.
Before you go any further with this idea, its going to be wise to look up the local laws in your area. You want to be sure that youre doing everything properly to avoid potential consequences.
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How To Keep Chipmunks Out Of The Garden
There are several things you can do to keep chipmunks out of the garden once youve removed them. Fencing and natural plant deterrents can both be very effective against chipmunks and other unwanted critters.
Bird netting is a good example of a fence material that can deter chipmunks, as most will not wish to chew through the mesh material to reach a few plants. Be sure to extend the fence below ground by one to two feet to discourage pests from simply digging under it and has an enclosed top to prevent them from simply climbing it.
Alternatively, a few baited traps around the fence perimeter will prove more appealing than a long climb or trying to chew through the metal.
Garlic or hot peppers are crops that a chipmunk will turn its nose up at, so try using a garlic spray as a natural pest repellent. To make the spray, simply crush some garlic and hot peppers, then add then to a cup of hot soapy water in a spray bottle. The soap helps your spray to stick on plants longer, but it must still be applied every few weeks or after it rains.
One of the most natural methods of repelling pests is to use complimentary gardening. This is a process of using only plants that compliment each others needs or act as natural repellents.
Growing garlic, hot peppers, marigolds, or peppermint are all great ways to naturally produce scents that repel chipmunks while proving beneficial to your garden .
Removing Chipmunks In Your Yard
Another way to handle your chipmunk problem is by using a popular spice from your pantry. Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, a hot and spicy ingredient that chipmunks hate to smell and taste. Its also the perfect way to keep squirrels out of plants and gardens.
- 2 tbsp ground cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
To make this recipe, bring the water to a boil, then stir in the cayenne pepper. Add the spicy mixture to a spray bottle and shake well. Apply the solution to areas where chipmunks frequent, spraying once every two weeks to keep them away for good.
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How Do I Know If I Have Chipmunks
Chipmunks find their way from the woods to human dwellings for all the reasons you might expect: food, water, and shelter. If you have a fruit or vegetable garden, growing produce might attract them. Chipmunks eat flowering bulbs, fruits, and young plants, but they can even disrupt plants and seeds they dont eat. Youre also likely to find these rodents underneath bird feeders, eating bird food that has fallen to the ground.
Chipmunks are also natural tunnel diggers. Some people report chipmunk damage to sidewalks caused by their burrowing, but the Humane Society insists this is not true. Tunnel entrances are usually near a structure like a wood pile, a rock, or your homes foundation.
Its somewhat rare that chipmunks will actually infest your home, but they can squeeze into surprisingly tight places. If they make it inside, its usually into a basement or crawlspace, though they may get into the walls, too. If this happens, youll hear scratching or chirping sounds. Check out-of-the-way places in your home for chew marks on wood, stockpiles of food, or excrement to confirm a chipmunk problem.
Home Remedy To Get Rid Of Chipmunks
The writers from ProShieldPest suggest a better solution: attempt non-lethal approaches to drive the chipmunks away, such as placing used kitty litter in all of the chipmunk holes you can find. This will make them think that a cat has marked their territory. Chipmunks are also not fans of the smell of garlic, peppermint or cinnamon. Spraying these scents inside or nearby any chipmunk holes can be enough to get rid of the problem.
Spreading human hair around the nesting areas or perimeter may also be enough to deter and drive away these timid creatures Alternately, you may fill the holes with fine gravel or sand, which will be difficult for the pests to easily remove.
While mothballs may be another tempting solution, chipmunks may not wind up being the only victims to this substance. Pets and children may accidentally consume the concentrated poison, and even if they dont, you would need to promptly remove every last one of the corpses to avoid the risk of disease or attracting other, more dangerous and destructive pests.
Things You Will Need
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Strongly scented sprays, such as peppermint or cinnamon
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Do Mothballs Keep Chipmunks Away
Chipmunks detest the smell of naphthalene, a chemical present in mothballs. If they mistakenly ingest a mothball, they would die. A chipmunk can detect the scent of naphthalene from a far distance, and they tend to stay away from any area or object that remotely smells like it.
You can keep mothballs in the garage, underneath furniture, around the yard or garden, in sheds, garbage cans, mailboxes, and under the stairs where the pest can see and get them.
While using mothballs, it is vital to note that naphthalene is also very poisonous to humans and can cause reactions like nausea, vomiting, and liver problems.
So they must be kept from kids who may mistake them for candy they should be kept from pets and far from food and any edibles. You should pay close attention to instructions for application and avoid overusing mothballs in poorly ventilated spaces.
Having mothballs in your space will help chipmunk control. It may not be 100% effective in cases of severe chipmunk infestation. In those cases, you may need to apply another method to prevent further damage and get rid of the pest.
Keep Your Garden Tidy
Chipmunks come to your yard because they are looking for food. If you have lots of plants in your yard, then that might be attracting the chipmunks to the area.
Some plants and trees have berries that will fall to the ground, and chipmunks will want to come to eat this food. You can make it less likely that chipmunks will bother you by simply tidying up your yard.
Try to pick up the fruits and berries that have been falling on the ground. If you go through and tidy the garden up a bit each day, then the chipmunks will have far less to try to eat than normal.
Basically, its about not making things easy for the chipmunks. You dont have to eliminate bushes or trees that produce fruit or berries, but you will need to be a bit more proactive about cleaning the yard up.
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Using Chipmunk Repellent For Chipmunk Control
Common chipmunk repellents are pureed garlic, hot peppers, or a combination of both. Steep the pureed garlic and hot peppers in 1 cup of hot, soapy water until the water is cool. Strain and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Shake and pour into a spray bottle. Spray this on plants you wish to keep the chipmunks from.
Other chipmunk repellent suggestions include castor oil, predator urine, and ammonium soap.
Prune And Clean Up Trees And Bushes
To prevent chipmunks from overtaking your home, make sure to regularly prune trees and bushes in the yard. Any tree limbs or shrubbery that touches your roof should be trimmed back. This will make it harder for them to climb on top of the house. In addition, the bottom layer of shrubs and bushes should be trimmed to prevent chipmunks from burrowing underneath. Once chipmunks feel they can no longer hide their burrows under shrubs, they will likely move on to a safer location.
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Lethal Methods For Getting Rid Of Chipmunks
This method can only be your very last option in a very desperate situation.
You can get rid of chipmunks using a non-lethal method or inviting animal control to handle it for you. Do not be in haste to start killing them off.
The best solution is always to create an uncomfortable environment for them and watch them abandon your space as quickly as they can. It also prevents future infestations.
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How Deep Do Chipmunks Burrow
Chipmunks burrow excavations can be huge. The main tunnel can extend 2 to 3 feet deep under the ground and reach 20 to 30 feet in length.
The tunnels within the burrow system vary in width and may run alongside extensive tree roots. The chipmunk is also continuously expanding its burrow system each year.
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How To Identify Chipmunks
Chipmunks are members of the squirrel family, which includes squirrels, woodchucks, marmots, prairie dogs, and more. Chipmunks are frequently mistaken for squirrels, but there are some primary differences between squirrels and chipmunks.
Unlike squirrels who live in the holes left in trees by woodpeckers or other pests, chipmunks prefer to live in burrows on the ground, where they create complicated tunnel systems with food storage areas. Areas with stumps and logs are also preferable to chipmunks.
Chipmunks have a tan body with iconic black or dark brown stripes that run down their back and side. Their underbellies are lighter in color, and they typically have light brown feet. In contrast, squirrels are grayish with a prominent, fluffy tail. Chipmunk tails are much flatter and will even lay on the ground when they are sitting. In terms of size, chipmunks are eight to ten inches, which is much smaller than squirrels, who tend to be 18 to 20 inches long.
Not only do chipmunks have a much smaller build, different habitat, and coloring than squirrels, but they are omnivores, whereas squirrels primarily eat fruits and nuts. Chipmunks will eat birds eggs, snails, salamanders, and even small snakes. During the winter, they also go into torpor, a state of sleep that alternates with groggy states where they eat, which is why they create food storage areas in their burrows.
Signs You Have A Chipmunk Problem
Chipmunks tend to be quick and quiet, making them hard to spot. In fact, you may have a chipmunk problem in your yard and not even know it. Here are a few ways to identify a chipmunk infestation.
- Evidence of damage in the garden or flower beds Does it look as though something has been munching on your plants, flowers and fruits? You may have a chipmunk problem. Oftentimes, chipmunks choose to burrow in gardens and flower beds, so keep an eye out for damage to your gardens.
- Tiny footprints in the yard If youve got a chipmunk problem, you may spot chipmunk footprints in your yard. Chipmunks have four toes on the front feet and five toes on the hind feet. Keep a look out for prints in the dirt around the sides of your home, garden or garden shed.
- Cracked sidewalks and issues with the house foundation This could be evidence that chipmunks are building tunnels underneath your walkways and home. If you spot evidence of chipmunks tunneling around your home, youll need to take care of the pest problem asap to prevent structural damage.
- A high-pitched chirping sound Think you have a chipmunk inside your home? Listen out for high-pitched chirping noises that sound like chip chip. If you do find a chipmunk in your home, make it easy for them to escape. Trust us they dont want to be inside your house any more than you want them to be there.
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How To Get Rid Of Chipmunks Outdoors
Many humane methods exist to deal with problematic chipmunks. Whether youre looking to repel or kill chipmunks, here are some helpful tips.
- Make a spray mixture of cayenne pepper and water.
- Use an ultrasonic zapper. The vibrations send chipmunks packing.
- Plant toxic daffodils or grow onions, hyacinths and marigolds. Chipmunks hate the scent.
- Soak non-edible bulbs in thiram, a fungicide that deters all kinds of rodents.
- Scatter mothballs around the basement, garage and shed. Mothballs are poisonous if ingested, so dont use them if you have children or pets.
- Hang pie tins, CDs or beach balls in trees to scare chipmunks away.
- Catch chipmunks with a humane trap.
- If permitted in your state, drop aluminum phosphide tablets into a burrow. They react to the moisture in the soil to create a toxic phosphine gas to suffocate rodents.
- Sold in many hardware and garden stores, gas cartridges produce carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gas in tunnels, killing chipmunks by asphyxiation.
- If legal in your area, kill them with a small-gauge shotgun or .22-caliber rifle with birdshot. Dont try this unless youre experienced with firearms. Per the Firearm Industry Trade Association , dont shoot unless you know exactly what your shot is going to strike. More importantly, be sure your bullet will not injure anyone or anything beyond your target.
How To Get Rid Chipmunks
1) Trapping Trapping is the most effective way to get rid of Chipmunks. Havahart offers a safe, effective live animal trap that comes ready to use.
- Prebait first. It helpful to”prebait” traps for 2-3 days prior to setting out a “live” trap. Prebait by putting your choice of bait in and around a trap with the doors wired open. This allows the chipmunks time to get used to the trap and the food source it provides.
- Activate the Trap. After the prebaiting time period is up, set the live trap in the same area with the same type of bait.
- Check traps often, releasing non-target animals.
- Release. After chipmunks are trapped they should be driven several miles away from your property and released or otherwise dispatched according to your local and state ordinances.
You can also use a rat trap by following the same baiting methods described above for the live trap.
3) Exclusion Exclusionary practices as well as habitat modifications may keep chipmunk numbers down or drive them off of your property completely.
- Remove wood piles, debris, or plantings of ground cover that provide above-ground protection.
- Place bird feeders at least 15 to 30 feet away from buildings so spilled bird seed does not attract and support chipmunks near them.
- Put away pet food dishes after feeding time.
- Chipmunks should be excluded from buildings wherever possible. Use copper mesh, caulking, or other appropriate materials to close openings where they could gain entry.
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