Chipmunks eat cultivated fruits, nuts and flower bulbs.
They are not aggressive toward humans but, like other rodents, can carry a number of diseases.
Squirrels are much larger, either brown or gray in color, and have long bushy tails.
The Spruce / Paige McLaughlin
Chipmunks are distinctly marked with dark, vertical stripes on their backs and around their eyes.
The tail is shorter, flatter and more brush-like.
If you suspect chipmunks are taking over your gardens, look for the following signs.
Eastern chipmunkAlina Morozova / Getty Images
Here are eight strategies to help you get started on a chipmunk damage prevention plan.
Use Gravel to Fill Holes and Create Barriers
Gravel and sand are difficult to dig through.
Fill every hole you find and check daily for freshly dug ones.
Placing a gravel border around outdoor sheds will discourage digging and tunneling.
Seal or screen all openings in outbuildings and verify doors and windows can be securely closed.
Try offering different seed.
Black oil sunflower seed is a chipmunk favorite but they don’t care for thistle.
Consider planting daffodil and allium bulbs for spring color and bloom.
A goodselection of spring bulbs is available that chipmunks don’t care to eat.
Be prepared to take preventive steps early to protect your harvest.
Bury the netting six inches deep in the soil around the plant to prevent the chipmunk from digging underneath.
Cover the entire plant including the top.
A spray of cider vinegar or peppermint oil will also discourage sampling of your fruits and vegetables.
They also can be repelled by scent.
Citrus, garlic, peppermint, cinnamon, and eucalyptus all provide odors disagreeable to chipmunks.
Sensitive to predator danger, chipmunks avoid places with animal urine and waste.
These products can be elaborate, emitting strobe lights, predator sounds and impulse waves.
Solar-powered outdoor units are available but the jury is out on how effectively they work.
Garden raiders also adapt to changes in their environment especially when the deterrent loses its element of surprise.
Adding static items like scarecrows and predator statues won’t work for more than a day or two.
Consider using ultrasonic devices intermittently on a schedule instead of operating them constantly.
Domestic and feral cats will also hunt chipmunks.
you’re able to dispose of attractive hiding places like rock piles and wood piles.
Cover stacked wood and mow or weed-eat grass and weeds under fencelines and around buildings and outdoor structures.
Maintain an open green space between your property and the woodlot next door.
Keep gardens free of weeds and tall grasses where chipmunks can hide and feast on your flowers and crops.
Trapping also can cause a stressed animal to injure itself.
Here are some elements around your yard and garden that invite chipmunks in.
These small animals can chew through wiring in homes, and outdoor equipment like tractors and four-wheelers.
Shredded insulation, furniture cushions and other accessible materials can all become part of a nest.
Tunneling can cause cracks in patios and pavement and undermine retaining walls.
Extensive damage often indicates a problem more quickly and efficiently resolved by a professional wildlife removal service.
Chipmunks survive in the wild for about three years.
They can live in captivity for as long as eight years.
The heart rate slows but the animals don’t truly hibernate.
They emerge above ground in March or April.
They come down trees headfirst and can sometimes be spotted running atop fences.
Maine Department of Entomology.
Chipmunk Control.University of Georgia
What You Should Know About Mothballs.Louisiana Department of Health.
