Chipmunks can be cute and fun to watch, but they can also become a nuisance by burrowing under patios, digging up gardens, or getting into homes. If chipmunks have moved into areas around your house where you don’t want them, there are some effective ways to encourage them to leave and prevent them from returning.
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Why Are Chipmunks Pestering My Yard?
Chipmunks are small rodents that are native to many parts of North America. They are active during the day and spend much of their time gathering and storing nuts, seeds, fruits, and other foods. Chipmunks build underground burrows and tunnels to live in. They maintain several different burrows and routinely switch between them. The burrowing and tunneling behavior is what causes chipmunks to disrupt gardens, lawns, and other landscaped areas around homes.
Chipmunks are drawn to yards and gardens for a few key reasons:
- Abundant food sources – Gardens, bird feeders, pet food, and trash cans provide easy access to foods that chipmunks love.
- Good burrowing habitat – Soil in gardens, under sheds, beneath patios or walkways provides the perfect conditions for burrowing.
- Shelter – Shrubs, woodpiles, sheds, and other areas around yards give chipmunks places to hide and build nests.
Understanding why chipmunks are in your yard is the first step toward getting rid of them in an effective, humane manner.
Natural Chipmunk Deterrents
If chipmunks are currently active around your property, there are some simple home remedies you can try to encourage them to leave and discourage their return. Natural deterrents are a good first option since they are safe for people, pets, and the environment.
Remove Food and Shelter
The most basic way to deter chipmunks is to remove whatever is attracting them to your yard. This means:
- Pick up fallen fruits, nuts, and seeds
- Use bird feeders only during the day and clean up any spillage
- Keep pet food indoors
- Secure trash cans and compost piles
- Trim vegetation back from the house foundation
- Seal openings wider than 1/4 inch around the home exterior
- Move woodpiles and debris away from the house
Taking away food sources and shelter will encourage chipmunks to look elsewhere. Maintaining a tidy yard and sealing the home perimeter are also good preventative measures.
Spread Repellents
Applying natural scents and substances that chipmunks don???t like can also make areas undesirable for them. Some options include:
- Fox or coyote urine – The scent triggers a fear response in rodents.
- Ammonia-soaked rags – The strong smell overwhelms their senses.
- Cayenne pepper or chili powder – Irritates their noses, eyes, and throats.
- Mothballs – Gives off a pungent scent they will avoid.
- Coffee grounds or peppermint oil – Smells they dislike.
Focus these repellents along chipmunk burrows or entry points into gardens and landscaping. Reapply them frequently, especially after rain. Humanely trapping and relocating chipmunks already on your property can be done in combination with repellents to fully rid your yard of current pests.
Exclusion and Removal Tactics
If the natural deterrent strategies are ineffective, you may need to take more intensive exclusion and removal measures to eliminate a chipmunk problem.
Install Barriers
Put up physical barriers to prevent chipmunks from digging into specific areas:
- Use wire mesh fencing to surround vegetable gardens, flower beds, or other landscaping you want to protect.
- Bury the bottom of the mesh several inches underground. Use a mesh size of 1/4 inch or smaller to block chipmunks.
- Place large rocks, gravel, or paving stones around the perimeter of gardens and yards to block burrowing.
Barriers can help limit the areas chipmunks can access and damage with their extensive burrowing. But barriers alone won???t get rid of chipmunks completely since they can climb over or dig under many obstacles.
Use Traps
Live trapping paired with relocation is the most effective way to remove chipmunks once they become a nuisance:
- Use appropriately-sized live traps designed for chipmunks.
- Bait traps with peanut butter, sunflower seeds, raisins, prunes, or nut butter.
- Set traps along burrows, fences, or buildings where you???ve seen chipmunk activity.
- Check traps frequently and release non-target animals immediately.
- Relocate trapped chipmunks at least 5 miles from your property to prevent them from returning.
Follow local regulations for legal trapping and releasing of chipmunks. Continuing to trap over several weeks will be necessary to remove all chipmunks on your land. Close up any burrows you find and use repellents around your property to deter new chipmunks from moving in.
How to Stop Chipmunks from Coming Back
Getting rid of your current chipmunk problem is only half the battle. Taking precautions to prevent future infestations is key to keeping them away for good:
- Fill in burrows and tunnels as you find them to discourage return activity.
- Use mesh fencing and other barriers to protect key areas of your landscape.
- Reduce food and shelter that attracts them, especially under porches and decks.
- Keep yard debris and woodpiles far from your home???s foundation.
- Apply repellents around possible entry points and in landscaping beds.
- Use traps or other removal methods at the first sign of new chipmunk activity.
Be vigilant and proactive about exclusion and population control before chipmunks get out of hand again. Consider preventing burrows along foundations by installing wire mesh during new construction projects. Focus on making your landscape less appealing to chipmunks seeking food and shelter.
Conclusion
Getting rid of pesky chipmunks involves:
- Removing food sources and access to denning sites.
- Applying repellents and smells they dislike.
- Installing fencing and barriers to protect gardens and landscaping.
- Trapping and relocating existing chipmunks.
- Continuing prevention and population control measures.
With some persistence using humane removal tactics focused on exclusion and relocation, you can successfully get chipmunks to leave your yard and help prevent future problems. This will allow you to keep your landscape chipmunk-free and enjoy your yard once again.