Chipmunks may look very cute to some people, but you should know that they can cause devastating damage to your garden if they are allowed to run free and unchecked. It is perhaps incredibly important for you to understand just how much damage these little beings can cause.
They are incredibly cute with their bushy tails and their big eyes, and they also closely resemble squirrels. However, that’s as far as the comparisons usually go. Whereas squirrels like to climb up trees and move around, chipmunks prefer to burrow under the ground.
However, the thing about these cute little creatures is that they only look good on television. In reality, chipmunks can cause extensive damage to your garden if you are not careful. Chipmunks like to burrow under the ground and they like to create these tunnels underneath where they live.
Needless to say, chipmunks are bad news for your garden. They may look really nice and cute, but they can cause extensive damage to your property if they are allowed to run unchecked.
For starters, you should know that chipmunks multiply really quickly, and if you don’t take steps to curtail the infestation, it won’t be long before the chipmunks burrow through the garden and upend all of your plants.
There are some pretty common signs that indicate a chipmunk infestation. You might notice all of your plants will be uprooted from your garden, and ugly chipmunk tunnels will appear all over as well.
Chipmunks like to chew a lot as well, so there is a risk that they will chew up all wires on the outside, including the ones in your car (if they manage to get under the hood).
Why Do You Have to Get Rid of Chipmunks?
You should understand that there is a stark difference between chipmunks and squirrels. Whereas squirrels are only just going to get around from one tree to another and they don’t cause a lot of damage, chipmunks can wreak havoc if they are allowed to run unchecked.
You will notice them burrowing throughout your garden. However, this is just them being innocent. At their worst, the chipmunks are likely to look for holes in your house and enter the building, which can lead to a serious infestation and a major problem.
Chipmunks are drawn to food like most other rodents, and they can easily cause extensive damage.
Why Do Chipmunks Dig Holes?
You might have seen chipmunks with bulging cheeks, which is a common sight because they like to store their food in their cheeks.
However, have you ever wondered where exactly these animals take their food? Chipmunks, for those who don’t know, are hibernating animals.
This means that these animals dig their holes in the ground as the winter months arrive, stock up, and then sleep underneath to live out the harsh winter months. If you have seen chipmunks out and about, you might have noticed that their activity increases as the fall season approaches.
That’s because these animals are simply stocking up for the winter months. Moreover, they are also going to dig holes in your garden, which will eventually lead to a series of complex tunnel networks. It’s fascinating at first, but you should know that it can lead to extensive damage.
Imagine how angry you would be if you spend most of your time laying out the plants in your garden, only to find that they have been uprooted by the chipmunks. It’s obviously going to make you angry and frustrated, and you might be looking at a variety of different ways to get rid of chipmunks.
Thankfully, there are several humane methods that you can use to get chipmunks off of your property. While there are some really harmful traps that you can use, it might not be such a good idea to hurt the animal.
Instead, you should consider using humane traps to get rid of the chipmunks from your property. Here are a few ways by which you can keep chipmunks off of your property.
Using Trap Buckets
There are a whole bunch of different trap buckets that you can use to capture chipmunks. The bucket trap is a pretty common way of catching a chipmunk. You just need to put a bucket at an angle, suspended by a rope, and then place some food at the bottom.
As soon as the chipmunk gets underneath, the weight of the chipmunk will cause the bucket to close over, thus trapping the chipmunk inside.
Once you have trapped them, you can always call animal services and they will take the animal away. It’s a pretty effective way for trapping chipmunks.
Remember, for this to work, it is important for you to set up trap buckets all over the garden. There are going to be several chipmunks in your garden, so it is imperative that you catch them altogether.
It might be a wise idea to run a sweep around your garden to make sure that there aren’t any chipmunk babies.
Calling a Professional
The best thing to do if you don’t want to get into the hassle of getting rid of the chipmunks on your own is to get in touch with a local company that offers professional animal and rodent cleanup services.
Calling a professional is the best way to deal with this problem, because these experts have considerable experience in dealing with chipmunk infestations.
They are going to first inspect your garden thoroughly to determine the extent of the infestation. Once they have figured out just how many chipmunks are causing trouble on your property, these professionals are then going to set up appropriate traps.
Using chipmunk poison or mothballs is not a wise idea, though many companies also offer such methods for getting rid of chipmunks as well. It is absolutely not recommended, because killing these animals is never a wise solution.
Instead, you can use humane traps to trap these animals and then have them relocated.
Using Smells
There are a few scents that chipmunks don’t like, and you could use this to your advantage as well.
Furthermore, you should know that chipmunks are incredibly fearful of large predator birds such as eagles or owls, so putting up a couple of statues of these birds is also a great way to get rid of the problem.
Obviously, this is a slow process, and it’s going to take a while to really convince the chipmunks that there are large predators in the area.
Chipmunks also hate scents such as peppermint or eucalyptus. They absolutely can’t stand the smell of garlic either, so it might be a wise idea to use those to your advantage.
You can plant a few trees that chipmunks don’t like, and it’s a great way to keep them off of your property. Taking pre-emptive measures from the get-go is a great way to not just keep chipmunks off of your property, but you can also make sure that other animals such as hedgehogs and rats will stay away from your property.
These are just a few things that you should know about chipmunks and the extent of damage that they can cause to your property.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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