How to Keep Chipmunks Away From Your House or Yard

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As you watch chipmunks scurry around, they can be quite adorable, but they can be more invasive and create chaos amongst your plants, garden and possibly your home. Because they like to dig and build their homes beneath the soil, you may be frustrated by the way that your yard looks afterwards. If you’re planning on repelling, starting as soon as you notice them is the right time to get started.

Eliminate Food Sources
Chipmunks like to eat fruit, nuts and seeds. Considering they are dwellers of the ground, eliminating food sources that make living in your yard quite comfy for them can help repel them. It may not stop them from coming back, but the less food they’re able to obtain from your yard means that over time you’ll see them less and less. If you have bird feeders, position them about 20-30 feet away so that the chipmunks are not attracted by any that spills. Also, invest in bird feeders that are chipmunk proof. Clear your yard each day of any fruits, seeds or nuts that have fallen from the tree.

Garlic and Hot Peppers
Chipmunks are not very fond of the smell of garlic and marigolds supposedly, so you can actually make your own repellant by using them. You could grow garlic in your garden along with all of the other delectable veggies that you plant. On top of repelling the chipmunks, it’s supposed to frighten away other insects and bugs as well. You might also consider picking a few cloves of garlic from your garden. Crush them and mix with 1 cup of hot soapy water and a few peppers. Add 1 tsp of oil after you have strained the mixture and allowed it to cool. Shake it up well and spray the mixture anywhere chipmunks seem to be a problem. This repellant has to be used every 1-2 weeks to repel chipmunks and only works for a short period of time. Chipmunks will soon become immune to your solution and start back dining in your garden.

Mothballs
Mothballs have been used quite often to deter chipmunks. People place them around the foundation of their yard and garden or in affected areas in your home. They produce a foul smell that people claim chipmunks cannot tolerate. The idea can only be effective if the chipmunks are not already in your yard or home. Placing them around the perimeter line of your yard before removing them could actually be what will keep them in. Besides, mothballs are not safe to use around pets and children and has often been linked to cancer when inhaled.

Netting/ Fences
If you have a small garden or a flowerbed that you want to protect, you may want to use bird netting or a hardware cloth that is mesh. This could work for small areas considering the chipmunks are not going to try and chew through the metal. If you need protection around your entire yard, you might consider an electric fence which is known for zapping critters when they get too close. The only thing is that you must not allow any branches to hang low near the fence or the chipmunks will get back in. Again, these options are only effective in repelling if the chipmunks are removed from your yard first.

Yard Guard
Ultrasonic devices are used to repel a variety of animals including the chipmunk. It can be used indoors or outdoors and is motion activated. Because sound waves have trouble moving through solid objects, it’s best to place them in uncluttered open areas. Powered by batteries or AC, you can expect to acquire coverage up to 4000 square ft. The sound waves emitted through this device cannot be heard by anyone else, just the animals. The sounds are supposed to repel them but after hearing them for so long, a chipmunk may learn to tune the noise out.

Traps
Traps may offer a long term solution for repelling chipmunks because you can remove them yourself. However, once they have been used; you may need to still use repellants so that you don’t have a problem with chipmunks in the future. You can buy a live trap to put bait in and trap the chipmunk that way or you could use a 6 gallon bucket loaded with seeds but placed by a step. The chipmunk will eventually get in the bucket to get the seeds but won’t be able to get out.

More in-detail how-to chipmunk removal articles:

Information about chipmunk trapping - analysis and methods for how to trap.
Information about how to kill a chipmunk - with poison or other methods.
Information about how to catch a chipmunk - remove one stuck in the house.
Information about chipmunk repellent - analysis of types and effectiveness.

This site is intended to provide education and information about how to keep chipmunks away from your house, yard, garbage cans, shed, so that you can make an informed decision if you need to deal with a chipmunk problem. This site provides many chipmunk control articles and strategies, if you wish to attempt to solve the problem yourself. If you are unable to do so, which is likely with many cases of chipmunk removal, please go to the home page and click the USA map, where I have wildlife removal experts listed in over 500 cites and towns, who can properly help you with keeping away chipmunks.

Click here to read more about how to get rid of chipmunks.