This article is about CHIPMUNK control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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Chipmunks are small animals that resemble grey
squirrels. Their bodies are tan/brown with dark or
light stripes running down their back. These dorsal
stripes vary with the species. The two main species
are the eastern and western chipmunk. Eastern
chipmunks have three dark stripes while the western
species has five. Both are small only reaching 8-10 inches
at maturity. Either can hibernate, but western
chipmunks seem more likely to stay active all year.
Both species breed in the spring and summer months.
Gestation usually takes one month and litters may
have 2-8 young. The eastern species seems to be
more likely to have more than one litter a year,
although either species may have several if the
conditions are right.
Chipmunks are ground dwellers. They are active
during the day and move around cautiously and
tentatively. Chipmunks exist in all 48 of the main
states of America and seem to be thriving more now
than ever. As with other animals, chipmunks have
been able to take advantage of suburban areas. They
can exist alongside man in parks, wooded lots or
in our yards. The rule is simple; if there is a supply
of food around your property then expect to have
some chipmunks moving in as neighbors. Chipmunks
have a large list of food on which they will readily
feed. This list includes slugs, snails, insects,
small birds, eggs, mice, seeds, fruit, vegetables,
seeds, flower bulbs, and pet food. They seem to
have an endless appetite and will hoard food if
given the opportunity. Homes with pet food, bird
feeders, nut trees, gardens, flowers or an
abundance of insects are likely to have chipmunk
activity. In most cases, the first signs of chipmunks
are welcomed. These small animals are both cute
and innocent looking. Most people like to watch them
as they forage for food and move about in the yard.
But don't let their harmless looks charm you.
Chipmunk infestations can quickly grow out of
control and once established, they can be difficult
to remove! Watch to online video to see just
what one looks like.
Chipmunks can be a problem several ways. Each case
Chipmunks can be a problem several ways. Each case
is different, but they all start the same. One day,
a chipmunk is seen foraging in the yard. The
homeowner leaves the animal to do as it likes not
realizing what will happen. Soon, this one chipmunk
becomes many. This increase in population leads to
problems from the chipmunks behavior. If you have
chipmunks in your yard, here are some of the problems
you might expect to have happen.
1) Chipmunks eating garden vegetables and fruits
2) Chipmunks eating from bird feeders.
3) Chipmunks chewing on cable lines, air conditioning
pipes and electric lines.
4) Chipmunks burrowing into the ground which leads to
water undermining patio slabs, driveways and
foundation walls. This undermining will eventually
lead to water getting inside your home, cracked
cement slabs and broken driveways.
5) Flowers, bulbs and other plants being eaten or
dug up.
6) Flea problems developing on the chipmunks and then
ultimately becoming for pets and people.
7) The possibility of diseases such as plague,
Rocky Mountain spotted fever or the Powassan
virus to be transmitted to you or your family
increases with these animals being around.
8) Flower beds, retaining walls and trees have been
tunneled and burrowed into leading to water
problems. For flower beds and trees, this excessive
water will lead to fungus and water rot. This
ultimately will lead to the plant becoming diseased
or sick. Retaining walls which are tunneled through
will become weak and damaged leading to repair
quicker than normal.
9) Burrows made against the home will lead to a
quicker breakdown of any termiticide barrier.
10)Snake infestations. Chipmunks will inevitably
attract snakes which will come looking for the
chipmunks for food.
These are some of the more common problems associated
with chipmunk infestations. Control methods will vary
depending on why they are active around your home and
what they are doing. Here are some things that will NOT
work for chipmunk control.
1) Baiting with "Poison Peanuts" or other Rodent bait.
Chipmunks are fussy and only seem to like tasty and
selective foodstuff generally not available in a
"bait" form.
2) Flushing water or gasoline down their burrows. Putting
gas down their burrows will sterilize the ground and
the chipmunks will simply avoid treated areas. Since
their burrows usually go 20-40 feet, it is not likely
that you can reach them with either gas or water.
Don't waste your time or money.
3) Rat snap traps. Although you may get an animal or two,
the rest of the population will quickly learn to avoid
them.
4) Cats and dogs. Although your cat or dog may occasionally
kill one or two, more will quickly occupy the vacated
area. Typically, the chipmunks which inherently are
coy enough to escape the pets reproduces and their
offspring inherit these same qualities which allow them
to survive as well.
5) Moth balls. As the name implies, this product is for
moths - not chipmunks. Although they smell to people,
don't expect them to do anything to chipmunks. No one
knows where this old wives tale originated but you can
rest assured it will not chase away chipmunks. The only
repellent which has shown to have any ability to scare
or repel is COYOTE URINE. Since they are are predatory
and love small rodents, chipmunks don't want like being
close to areas which have active coyotes. Applying some
close to burrows, around trees and shrubs where chipmunks
are active and any plant you want to protect has proven
to scare chipmunks in some instances. The use of urine
really proves effective when applied before the animals
have established themselves. If you know they are a
nuisance in nearby properties, it will serve you well
to apply some around your property line every few
months to help keep them out. REPELLENT GUARDS will
help to keep the material protected from the rain
and sun. This will allow applications and odors to
last even longer. Once established, however, the use
of repellents will probably not work. You will need
to start using some of the more specific materials we
have for active infestations.
If you are trying to control nuisance chipmunks, there are
things you can do. We will now list the products available
for the type of control you are looking to accomplish.
For chipmunks which are chewing on plants, wires or
pipes, use ROPEL SPRAY to stop them. Ropel tastes terrible
and once the chipmunks get the taste of it, they will avoid
treated surfaces. Ropel is easy to apply. Simply spray it
with a pump sprayer or a trigger sprayer. It is clear, odorless
and does not stain. It will not harm pets, children or the
chipmunks, but it will get them to stop chewing whatever
you spray with it. Generally, treatments last 30 days. Expect
longer residual during dry weather and less with a lot
of rain. However, Ropel tastes so bad that even trace amounts
are enough to keep them away.
If you have several burrows throughout your yard but are
not quite sure where the chipmunks are active, the use ofGAS STICKS might help. These are sulfur
gas smokers that have fuses. To use, light the fuse and then
place the smoker down the burrow. The intention is to
kill the chipmunk with the smoke. It usually takes 2
smokers to treat every burrow. The problem with this treatment
method is that it is very hard to get proper coverage.
If you don't get the smoke to fill every part of the burrow,
the chipmunks will usually move to the part where there
is enough air for them to survive. In order for the coverage
to be complete, you need to be sure all entry and exit
holes to the burrows are closed. Do this by covering the
holes with rocks and dirt. If all holes to the burrows
are sealed and the gas is able to fill their tunnels,
the gas will kill them. This approach may be less
expensive and time consuming, but it is difficult to
be successful. Expect some to live and that you will
more than likely have to do several treatments to knock
out existing populations.
Baiting for chipmunks generally does not work.
There are many reasons why baiting is not effective. First,
chipmunks like to eat several different things. It is
likely that they will feed on what is most tasty,
abundant and in season. Generally, this will be some
insect, fruit or nut. Rodent bait is neither succulent,
fresh or tasty. Rats and mice are not as picky and will
readily feed on rodent bait. Chipmunks are more finicky
and may readily hoard bait placements for a later date.
This leads you to believe they are eating your bait
when in fact they are simply storing it in case there is
a shortage of more desirable food. Secondly, rodent
bait is formulated for rats and mice. During the
product design stages of rodenticides, the manufacturers
do not even consider whether or not a chipmunk will like
the taste. In fact, many products are now being designed
so that non-target animals will be able to detect a bad
taste that will stop them from eating it. The bad taste
is not detectable by rodents, but chipmunks, squirrels,
dogs, children or other animals that might accidentally
eat it will quickly stop. This reduces the risk of
poisoning non-target animals, but it also decreases the
likelihood the product will work for anything else than
the rats or mice. Although traditional rodenticides will
not work, there is a formulation that can be created
for this purpose. Although this process will work, you
must be careful when using it. Because the formulation
is so attractive, non-target animals such as pets
may eat some. This would lead to them getting sick
and possibly dying if they were to eat enough.
Because of this inherent risk, U-Spray does not
recommend this approach. However, the overwhelming demand
for a bait which could be used for their control
lead to this new usage for an old product. LIQUID POISON is
a liquid rodenticide which is usually mixed with water.
It is then placed out and will kill mice or rats if they
drink it. Liquid poison is not easy to use and results vary so
the product has never been able to develop to it's full
potential. However, it can be used quite successfully for
chipmunks. The secret is mixing it with something they
can't resist. Although you may try mixing it with bird
seed, it is very likely the local chipmunks will simply
hoard your bait placements. If you want them to consume
the product quickly, mix the Liquid Poison with TRAPPERS CHOICE PECAN PASTE. This paste is rich with
nuts, oils and sugars. Chipmunks can not resist eating
it immediately. Mix one pouch of Liquid Poison with a
jar of Pecan Paste and then place the bait in a
plastic ziplock sandwich bag. Put the bag down their
burrows where they will quickly find it. One placement
will can kill 2-4 chipmunks. You must be careful that
non-target animals like dogs are not able to dig it up.
This mixture will make them sick and could lead to their
death. The same applies to opossum and raccoons. These
animals will dig for a good meal and any in your yard
may try to get to your bait placements. Repeat
placements as needed for ongoing control. Chipmunks will
not hoard this formulation because it is succulent and fresh.
They know it will go bad so they must eat it immediately.
This insures quick control and results. Expect animals
that eat it to die within a week.
The most practical and effective method for chipmunk
control is live trapping. Chipmunks are easy to catch
and can be caught with little effort. The use of a live
trap is humane and they won't become afraid of it. Simply
place the trap by their burrows or under plants, trees or
bird feeders where you have seen them. Use any of the food
stuff you know they are eating as bait and you will
quickly catch foraging animals. To catch them quicker, use
some TRAPPERS CHOICE PECAN PASTE. The aroma is very
attractive and will cause them to find your trap rapidly.
Apply one tablespoon on the trip pan of the trap and smear
it across the metal plate. Now add 1/2 lb of bird seed to
the back of the trap, behind the trip pan. Though the scent
of the Pecan Paste will get them to the trap, the seed
represents the pot of gold and is something they can
readily identify. Once they see the seed they will readily
enter. Don't worry if some is leaking through the sides
of the trap when you make your set; as long as most of
the seed is in the cage they will enter.
When it comes to choosing a live trap, there are several
that can do the job. For minor or light infestations, the5X5X16 GREEN LIVE TRAP. It blends into the landscape
well and isn't easy to see - a good choice if you
need a "stealthy" or easy to hide trap. The true
commercial traps are the elite models of this group.
Built to last, easy to set and spring loaded, we have
4 that fit into this group. The single catch LT5518
or LT5518RD would be able to handle any number of
chipmunks and will last for many years. The LT5518RD
features a rear sliding door which makes for easy baiting
and animal release. But since chipmunks regularly travel
and forage in pairs, you might consider getting a
repeating live trap. These multiple catch traps feature
two holding areas and can trap 5-10 chipmunks with
one set! The 3.5 x 3.5 x 24 REPEATER can hold 4-6
comfortably and the 5 x 5 x 30 REPEATER RD can hold
8 or more with no problem. The 5x5x30 Repeater also
has a sliding rear door which like the LT5518RD makes
baiting and animal release easy. Make your trap choice
based on needs. Any of these models can handle
chipmunks and once caught, you'll have to cart
the animals at least 5 miles away before releasing
them. Chipmunks can travel several miles so make
sure you don't give them a chance to get back to
your property. Remember, you can also destroy them
if you want to be completely sure they won't return.
The last option you have is the use of kill traps
This includes the use of ELECTROCUTION DEVICES. These
are set alongside burrows where chipmunks are known
to be active. They work by storing an electric charge
in capacitors. The charge is drawn from batteries
and when a small rodent like a rat or chipmunk enters
the device and steps on the ground pad a lethal
electric charge kills them. The shock has good voltage
but is not a hazard to animals over 5 lbs. Like
live traps, chipmunks will not get afraid of these
devices. They will readily enter them never noticing
others that have been killed by the shock. It probably
appears as though the animal died naturally since
there is no apparent physical damage like that sustained
from a snap trap. Bait them with Pecan Paste and some
seed as well. Remove the dead chipmunks as soon as you
find any. Try to inspect them daily to insure they
are properly set. This is a humane way to kill chipmunks
since the charge delivered is both quick and strong.
In fact, many people who choose to destroy nuisance
animals will use both the LT5518RD and these devices
in conjunction. Animals which enter the electrocution
devices are killed right away; animals trapped in
the live trap are then destroyed by aligning the
rear of the trap with the opening of the device.
When the rear door is opened the chipmunk will
exit and be killed quickly. This reduces the amount
of drive time since you are not having to relocate
trapped animals and may be the only option when
local populations have reached high numbers.
ONCE REMOVED, HOW DO YOU KEEP THEM FROM COMING BACK....
After you have completely removed the current population,
there are a couple of things you can do to stop new ones
from coming around. First, placing out some of the Coyote
Urine discussed above can deter new activity. Foraging
chipmunks will smell the urine and the scent of other
chipmunks. However, they will soon figure out there are
no chipmunks around. This will alert them to "danger" and
in most cases get them to look elsewhere for a place
to live.
Another type of repellent we have found to work is
the use of sound. Since chipmunks are a favorite food for
hawks, just the sound of a hawk will cause chipmunks to
scatter and hide. By installing a BIRD SOUNDING DEVICE
where chipmunks have been active in the past, you can
effectively stop new chipmunks from coming around. Hawks
are day time feeders. So, too, are Chipmunks. Though hawks
will ignore squirrels (squirrels are too large), the
smaller chipmunk is a dietary staple for hawks where
available. This is the prime reason most chipmunks
are secretive in their movement and not nearly as brash
and brazen as squirrels; they know at any moment a local
hawk may see them and danger is ever present. By placing
a Bird Sounding Device in the yard or garden where
chipmunks have been a problem, you can effectively stop
any from returning. Set it to work automatically for a
month or two and after a couple of months, you can adjust
it to sound only when it detects motion. The use of some
Urine and a Sounding Device is sure to keep your yard
chipmunk free.
Chipmunks can become a nuisance if their populations are
allowed to grow out of control. Use Ropel liquid to stop
them from chewing on your home, wires or other items
around the yard. Gas or poison small populations if you
really don't like them and are not concerned about
killing them. Live trap for the most productive and
effective method of control but consider electrocution
devices if you have a lot to gather and want an easy
way to destroy trapped animals. Once you have reduced
local populations, install some Coyote Urine to help
keep new ones from nesting.
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