I've noticed no one has offered a "humane" solution to your chipmunk problem. If you get to the point where you want to consider "capital punishment", I can offer a suggestion.

Tami

Try this: Lawn Mole Formula (apply with watering can)

This formula should give you good mole control for up to a month. Glenn says the repellent works to rid gardens of squirrels and CHIPMUNKS, too.

Ingredients:
 1 tbsp natural Baar castor oil
 1 tbsp liquid dish soap
 6 tbsp water

Directions:
 Mix oil and soap in blender until mix has consistency of shaving cream.
 Add water and blend again.
 In watering can, mix 2 tbsp of this "mole mix" with 2 gallons of water.
 Sprinkle mix over mole-infested yard and garden areas.
 Hint: apply after rain to make sure it soaks into soil. If no rain in forecast, soak area thoroughly before and after you apply repellent.

You can buy it online but I also saw it at my local hardware store this a.m.

Cher

our city is also over-run with the critters this year... even the hospital parkinglot is full of them! I've tried everything from mothballs (which kept the neighbours away) to critter-ridder (mixed pepper oils), to amonia, to standing there with a garden hose and squirting them as they return to the burrows!(of which there are many!)

I've bought a "havaheart" trap and relocated MANY to the woods, but it seems there is no shortage of replacements for them. I wonder if there is a natural fluctuation in their population...

For the time being, I surrender... as much as they are being a pest.. they really are so cute :)

eb

I've had chipmunks in our yard for years and have never had one do anymore damage than stealing food out of the bird feeders. No damage to plants, no holes. I have had problems with moles and rabbits digging and eating, the rabbits especially like crocus! I put out moth balls around crocus and plant castor bean plants where ever I have mole problems (that's why the old people call them 'mole beans'). The only problem we have with chipmunks is they do raise their young under our out building and if need be, dig shallow indentions to get underneath. I personally feel too much blame has be put on them, but maybe I just feed mine so well, they don't care to dig.

SPRINKLE HUMAN HAIR CLIPPINGS (SHORT ONES) IN TO TEHIR HOLES.... NO EXPLANATIONS REQUIRED. READ IT FROM A GARDEINING BOOK AND IT WORKS.

Another who has had no problems with the chipmonks......they are cute little beasts....who don't chew into the house, don't eat my potted plants ( but they do bury seeds in the pots)....the biggest bother is that my toy poodle thinks they are kin and always has her nose looking for one.
They only dig holes where there is slight resistance...like around the roots of an old dead tree...or among thwe rocks in a retaining wall. Would be very unusual to find one digging a hole in the middle of a yard.
Are you sure they aren't 13 lined ground squirrels?
Linda C

I never heard of chipmunks burrowing holes. Sounds like moles to me. If you've had a problem with Japanese Beetles last summer your lawn and flower beds are probably full of JB grubs. Moles come in to feed on them. In order to get rid of the moles you have to get rid of the grubs. The best (and safest) way to do this is to get a product like Grub Away or Milky Spore Powder. It's a little costly but it keeps working for years. The time to put it down is in early spring. I had the same problem you did a few years ago and since I used Milky Spore Powder I no longer have a mole problem or a JB problem. Hope this helps and good luck.

Eh, you've never heard of chipmunks burrowing holes? You must have a different type of chipmunk than the ones we have here.

Well I read all I could find on the net about how to get of them since they destroyed all my tulips (ABOUT $1500 WORTH), a bunch of my prized azaleas (not replacable) and several other things.

For those of you who believe in "prayer" :) the answer came as I was "requesting", for the rest of you it was indigestion :)

"Use expanding foam insulation in their holes". So far I seem to be making great progress, will let you know how many of them dug out later :)

And the foam mushrooms in my yard are cool too :)

John

You can cover the holes, fill them with rocks or whatever but they WILL dig out somewhere else. They are cute varments but so destructive to lawns. I have holes in my lawn from them but get fed up with it every few weeks & have to rig the 'chipper dipper' to eradicate them. I dislike having to kill them but I dislike more having them dig up my yard & flowers. I got 3 today. But hey, I warned them & they didn't listen. Betty

Hi Betty,
What is a "chipper dipper"?
Tina

Tina - I remember Grandpa use to fill a 5-gal bucket half full of water, then set up a ramp leading up to the middle of it, baiting it with peanut butter/dry oatmeal mix, and the critters would walk up the board, and off the end of the gang plank.... Guess that may be a chipmunk dipper? Also recall him using big rat traps on some too. They must not have had the humane traps we have nowadays to use?!

We have had chipmunks in our yard for years and have had no problems with them other than the holes that they dig down into the ground to live in. We actually enjoy them and my husband encourages them by feeding them! Sometimes they do "plant" sunflower seeds in my flower pots and window boxes but it really isn't a problem. I can go outside and call to them and they come running! It wouldn't do any good to fill in the holes because they would just dig another. This year, now that the next door neighbor and their cat have moved, we have more chipmunks than ever. Perhaps you might want to get a cat to help get rid of them.

My termite guy told us that chipmunk holes and burroughs under the front stoop allowed termites to gain access to the outside frame work around the front door.

We do not think they are so cute.

Sandy

My "chipper dipper" is a five gallon bucket filled half full with water. Pour sunflower seed on the water about 1" thick to cover the water. The seeds float. Place a board, I use a 2X4 about 3' long, & prop it against the side of the bucket like a "walk the plank". Place a few sunflower seed going up the board. The chipmunks think the bucket is solid seed so they take a dip into the bucket to get the seeds & 'oops' they can't get back out. I have had 3 at the time in a bucket. It's sounds cruel & I guess it is but they get bad around here at times & leave holes all over the yard & flower beds. Other than my BB gun it's the only way I have found to get rid of them. Betty

As everybody has suggested already it would be good to try a safe, 100% organic, natural repellent to protect your garden from pest critters. Specially those chipmunks.
Apply it twice a week (or after rain or snow) for the first two weeks, then twice a month for maintenance. Sprinkle lightly in and around areas where animals are causing damage, or in areas you want to protect. Allow up to two weeks for granules to take full effect.

COVERAGE: Each 20 oz. bottle will cover up to 600 linear feet when applied as directed.
Active Ingredient: Garlic Oil (1%)
Inert Ingredients: Calcium Carbonate, Urea, Water (99%)
To delay washing-away by rain and evaporation, use in a Garden Scentry repellent container

www.birdx.com/products/

Here is a link that might be useful: Shake-Away Repellent Granules 20 oz. by Bird-X, Inc.

Order the RatZapper or a couple of them, and a bunch of alkaline D cell batteries. It really works. A buddy of mine has two of them and he baits it with just small dog kibble...like 3 or 4 pieces. He has zapped about 20 of them so far..and counting. Previously he was doing the water bucket trick, but that stunk and was messy. The zapper is quick, efficient, and easy to use. He made some covers for them with an opening on one end...plywood I think. That is just to keep the rain out of the electronics on it. You can buy them too from the zapper manufacturer. That would be easier.

This may not be the best choice if you have small curious children though. Always read and heed the warnings on these devices.

Ohmmm, I have a big chipmunk problem, I've tried every natural remedy there is, and nothing works...dog hair, ground up hot peppers, fox urine, moth balls, you name it. I really wanted to get rid of them without killing them, but I'm about to give up. Now I'm looking for humane ways to kill them - never liked the "swimming pool" option. So, I've been looking into the Zapper. Question - can birds get into the zapper, or for some reason are they not interested in it? I worry about killing birds, too, which I really don't want to do. Anything you could share with me about this would be great. Thanks.

I've done the chipper dipper, but with a modification because they seemed to sense the water and wouldn't go in (I watched from a window). I put a white sheet of paper over the bucket, cut from the inside-out like you would a pizza, but not all the way to the edge....so that if a chipmunk stepped on the paper, it'd fall through the wedge-shaped cuts to the center of the bucket. I placed sunflower seeds on the paper, taped the paper around the sides of the bucket so it wouldn't fall in.

The chipmunks climb the ramp, see the seeds on the paper, step on the paper, and fall in. However, I only put about 2 inches of water in the bucket so they can't jump because they are busy sticking their head above the water. Then I cover the bucket, spill out the water like a spaghetti strainer with the cover holding the chipmunk back. Then you have a safe chipmunk in the bucket to transport as you wish.

However, the above was a big pain in the butt...so I bought a Havahart...caught 8 chipmunks in 2 weeks (no joke!), it REALLY works, I cover the havahart with some leaves to camouflage it, who knows if that works, but they go in. Be careful because if they are in the cage too long (i.e. 5-6 hours in my case for 1 of them), they will have a heart-attack and die in there....

The ideas I get from these forums never cease to amaze me! Tried the chipper dipper today....well 15 minutes later I have my first victim! I feel guilty....but not too much when I look at the holes in my yard and stone walls.

Thanks Betty! "Chipper Dipper" is most efficient and effective method yet. Got seven in 12 hours. Maybe the gardens, lawn, rock landscaping and bird feeders can get a reprieve and recover now.

My Uncle Carl told me about a similar Chipper Dipper, but he uses anti-freeze instead of water. He says it causes the chips not to stink after they drown, also so less cleaning the trap as often.

We are going to try one this week for our critters, also one for a serious indoor mouse infestation at our summer house.

My Uncle Carl swears by it, he is a straight shooter, no BS.

These little rodents may seem to be cute, but when one is sitting in their living room and a chipmink runs across the living room floor...that is too much to take aside from the digging in my yard. I have a sure fire way of stopping them. It's called a 410 shotgun!!

I have lost a 4' section of my brick front walkway due to chipmunks! Looking for ideas form using thumpers, hardware cloths etc as I dig up the walkway and replay the bricks. All I see are more off shoots of burrows from the current large hole.

The infamous "chipper dipper" has claimed two chipmunk lives within the first 24 hours of operation. So far so good. We also had two chipmunk casualties this weekend with the trusty old Daisy Pumpmaster 760. This pace keeps up, the garden may survive the summer.

Ok, this will be my last update but I am amazed at the effectiveness of the "chipper dipper". So in the first 24 hours the dipper claimed two chipmunks. Well the second 24 hours claimed 8 more (and one field mouse)!! I know this is just the start of the long Battle of the Munk, but a solid strike to get things going. Actually ate a red strawberry from the garden last night, previously the 'Munks grabbed em as fast as they grew.

Thanks everyone, it is 7am. I have a chipmunk taking up residence in my garage. He is an independent kind of guy just looking at us when we open the door. The chipmunks are cute but I think they are outnumbering us. There are holes in my yard, in my garden and in the grass. I have been paying to get rid of voles but I don't think they are the problem. If my husband will clean the "dipper", I may put together a "chipper dipper". The foam sounds good but my property is large and it wouldn't look cool to have mushrooms all over the mulch, besides, those critters have dug holes in my blue stone driveway and I filled the holes about 4 times, put a rock on top of the hole only to have them dig a hole right next to the first one

There is only one way to stop "Alvin and his friends"; you have to get rid of them or they will keep building underground condos all over your yard! While I agree the Chipper Dipper works very well, killing them for what they are programmed to do is just wrong. I use a live trap (cage) to catch them and release them near the woods about two miles from my home. They would have to cross the tollway to get back to my property. I know this is time consuming and a waste of my expensive gasoline, but I just can't kill them. We live on a little over an acre that is very wooded with oaks and hickory so it's the "mother lode" for these kritters at our house. I have caught about 35 since I started trapping about two weeks ago and my neighbor got over 50 with two traps. I use sunflower seeds in the trap placed on a plastic butter tub lid - they go crazy for the seeds! Good luck!

The best way to get rid of chipmunks is with Hollow point pellets and a pellet gun with 500 fps or more. Got two so far but wonder how many more there are with 3 or 4 holes in the yard.

Ok, I lied about the previous being my last update. Got 33 'munks (and two mice) in a week with the "dipper". I went through a whole bag of seeds, as I was baiting and changing the water out of my two buckets (stinks after two hot days). Well I figured 33 was the bulk of these little nuisances, so I retired the "dippers". Nine days later, they are back, ransacking the garden, digging holes in the mulch beds, chirping at me every time I turn around. I guess 33 was not enough, time to get more seeds.

I disagree with relocating them, I would rather not pass the problem to someone else. They have to cross the highway to get back to your property, but what about Joe Schmoes' property next to the woods. Maybe I am heartless, but I would rather just finish the job right up front.

Chipmunks cute? They destory drainage by digging arounfd foundation. More water in home? Drain lines to road etc too.

The Chimpmunk Psychy

I did not want to kill a lesser intelligent specie doing what it takes to survive and after catching 8 of them in a cage and driving 10 km away to release them was too much as they kept coming into the cage with no stopping ( I live in the country ).
Then I said don`t fight them - understand your enemy they say ! The issue at hand is the chimpmunk is territorial so use this to your advantage.
So after trapping the local 2-3 munks claiming my property as their territory (50 feet from their burroughs) and then releasing them over 5 miles away - or they will home-in back - I then trap only one munk and leave it in the cage by the garden for the better part of the day (water included) so that other approaching munks testing to see who owns the territory see him . I noticed that with this method others didn`t come to the garden bed as it now seems that it is already claimed territorially so they go elsewhere. At the end of the day I release the munk and reset the trap for the next trespassing munk to serve a short penetance of territorial guard duty for the day. Saves the car traveling mileage that was endless. So far so good. I do expect a dominant munk to occasionally challenge the daily trapped munk guard but so far not.
The chimpmunk psychy method I call it.

Cheers

"Chipmunks cute? They destory drainage by digging arounfd foundation. More water in home? Drain lines to road etc too."

They may be cute but I've noticed my front sidewalk has sunk a 1/2 inch in the past year so I assume it is THEM doing this. My neighbor trapped 14 of them. I'm sure we have a lot more than that.

I don't want to pass my 'problem' along to anyone else, so I think I will try the chipper dipper method.

I will 'recycle' them (after they have expired) to the wooded area next door where the raptors can find them.

Careful. At least in NY state it is illegal to transport caught wildlife without a nuisance wildlife control license. So ironically enough it is legal to kill them but illegal to move them. Go figure.

I would never use a 'Chipper Dipper', drowning is one of the worst ways to die! I don't care about the holes in my lawn but I do care about the holes in my flower garden and borrowing under the front step always leaving dirt and mud. The possibility of termites and/or water damage. I like the ideas of a live trap and transporting, I also like the idea of leaving the critter in the trap (with water) for a day to deter others.

For those of you who get all excited because you killed a creature that is doing it's job while you are living on his land... you make me sick to my stomach. I understand killing a fly, a mosquito, even a spider but really a chipmunk! The squirrels around my house cause more damage then the chipmunks do. I want to deter not destroy.

Jo

They are burrowing under my pool causing the liner to sink. There are little ditches all over the bottom of my pool. People are stubbing their toes. The only way to fix it is to drain the pool remove the liner and rake and repack the sand underneath.$1000! Jo, you do what you want, but there is such a thing as overpopulation. These things also carry ticks, of which there is a big problem around here this year. I will shoot them, trap them, even stomp on them if I have to, and to the person who said "you're on their land", I pay the taxes here. This is MY land. Have a nice dayðÂÂÂ

Ya Chipee's like the Vietcong digging tunnels all over my yard. He recently dug a tunnel under my concrete stairs. I filled it in several times and he keeps digging it out again. I sprayed deer and rabbit repellent into it, but it doesn't deter him. I even poured kerosene into his hole LOL. My dad built a have a heart trap, and I've captured several of them over the years, but for every one I catch, there's probably ten or one hundred more. I"m beginning to believe they are part of a muslim conspiracy to take over the United States.

I'm about to become like Bill Murray's character in Caddy Shack and break out the 105 howitzer.

I haven't read the entire thread, but if no one mention it, try moth balls in your flower beds, it should not take a lot.

Moth balls work if you can stand the smell. We put them in our attic to ward off rodents but we could smell the moth balls when sitting on our porch swing and it was very unpleasant.

Birth control. That would work.

Ok here's whT worked for my me. Chipmunk trap cage and once in leave him there w water for the day as you need him to claim the territory whe in the cGe to other chipmunks. Then at end of day drive him 5 miles from home so he won't find his way back. Did 30 chipmunks and using a trapped one all day as a territorial one help reduce the daily catch and travel. Once I trapped one inside the cage for the day and his mate came next to him and let me know she wasn't happy. Being a romantic I couldn't separate them forever so I let them go that once.

Humane ways to get rid of chipmunks from Humane Society. Haven't tried them yet but intend to. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/digging_animals_fence.html?credit=web_id87247704

what does a chipmunk hole look like???

By far, the best succes I've had is with a have-a-heart type trap. I place the trap along an open run against a wall (ex. up against your house). I don't use any bait at all. The chipmunks just walk right through the trap and get caught. I've caught 35 chipmunks in 30 days and then no more (i had caught most or all of them in the area). i can catch 4 per day at times if i really keep checking the trap. this works for me every time ive tried it. if you dont catch one for a few days, move the trap to a different wall. i just kill the boogers, but do what you like with them. you may have to do this every few years to keep the population down.

I had a pair of owls in the woods behind my house. That made a significant dent in the chipmunk population.

C'mon, people! Get yourself a couple old fashion spring rat traps. bait them with a couple sunflower seeds, and you will have yourself a gourmet chipmunk dinner nightly. Iv'e been catching them daily. $2.00 trap, a bag of $2.00 sunflowers, problem solved. You have to kill them or else if you catch them live, then you better travel a few miles, because they will regenerate and repopulate your precious gardens. We have a RatZapper as well, bought on Amazon last year, and that works too. Trouble is investing in batteries to keep it zapping.

Leave them alone. They need to live too. Lol. We have the same issue and I tell at hubby because they are so cute. I'm sure there is chipmunk heaven under our front lawn