I live in an rural area with stone walls and there are many chipmunks. They make tunnels and they have eaten the roots of hostas that I have planted near the stonewalls. Nothing that I have tried has helped much. They overwinter here and are here to stay. They are cute but real pests.

i thought i had a thousand of them... in one huge bed ..... digging tunnels under irrigation lines.. into which small hosta would eventually sink ...

trapped out about 4 ... and that was it..

hyperactive little critters

if you want to know how to get them.. let me know ...

ken

Ken,

I'd like to know how to get them. They have tunnels under my porch, and it has ruined the concrete. My neighbor trapped some, and it didn't seem to make a dent in the population. There are a couple neighborhood cats that come to my yard and crouch next to the chipmunk holes waiting for them, but the cats haven't seemed to take care of the population either.

Deanna

now that you mention ruined concrete - that might explain why my patio blocks are sinking in by the deck!! we used to have a chipmunk that lived under the deck and i'll bet he burrowed under there. phooey.

i'll bet ken's solution involves "poison peanuts" and birdseed ;-) the only luck i've had getting rid of moles has been to use the poison gummy worms. and even with that not even enough success to be considered good luck.

large 10 gal black bucket .. check the recycle bin if you dont have one ...

rat trap.. bigger version of a mouse trap ...

peanut butter..

bait the trap ....set the trap ... next to an active hole.. invert bucket over it ...

get some flags.. stomp a hole closed .... check the next day.. set trap near a hole that was re-openned ....

life aint a disney movie .. vermin are vermin ...

ken

Hi, I had posted a message about the chipmunk chewing on my hosta stems causing them to fall. I watched him do it.
I caught him in a live trap and took him for a ride. It was suggested that he was chewing because the lack of rain. And I set out a pan of water as suggested. The damage seems to have stopped, but I will keep my trap set for his friends. So disappointing to see a huge leaf on the ground when the plant only has 3 leaves!

There's a persistent ant colony where nothing can grow... hostas included...

but my chipmunks aren't interested in my hosta. My patio is a cement slab, it's not sinking anywhere.

send me the chipmunks, I love them.

Cinnamon is the thing my sister in law said will get rid of ants. I haven't tried it yet but I too have a repeat ant problem in a flower bed. I doused it with ant powder a couple of times and got rid of half the colony but not all. Need to use it and see for myself.

Connie

Idig: what's a 'live trap' and where do I get one? I can't kill anything - not even a spider, and I HATE them. I go nuts when I'm digging and cut worms in half. I know I'm sick but I'm through with therapy. Sorry Ken, I can't do it. I can't even look at the pics of the oiled birds - cuz I CRY!!!! But I'm thinking a live cage might make me happy (except then I'll feel bad because they'll be taken from their buddies and babies!) Life is so sad - and of course I don't watch the news. Maybe I should leave some food out for them so they don't eat the hostas??? Or will I then have millions?

Westy

Cinnamon is the thing my sister in law said will get rid of ants. I haven't tried it yet but I too have a repeat ant problem in a flower bed. I doused it with ant powder a couple of times and got rid of half the colony but not all. Need to use it and see for myself.

Connie

MOST trapping and relocating of wildlife is illegal ....

and immoral to trap it and make it someone else's problem ..

instead of taking care of it yourself ..

if you just dont have the heart to take care of your problem.. all the power to ya..

just dont complain when your hyper-sexed vermin take over... sooner or later they will do so much damage... that something will snap.. and you might become more willing to take action ....

ken

When we built our stacked stone wall to make our first hosta garden, the chipmunks thought it was a chipmunk condo and moved right in between the stones. That was three summers ago. The garden is built around a couple of juniper trees which contain squirrel nests.

I have NEVER seen a chipmunk or a squirrel eating or chewing on a hosts. I have never seen evidence that a chipmunk or a squirrel has been chewing on a hosts. The only damage I have had can be clearly attributed to deer who jump my fence or slugs.

This is just my 2 cents from experience.

I have never heard that moving a chipmunk from your yard to a rural area is against the law. We have a field of about 15 acres behind our house where we relocate the mice who find their way into our house. (we use live traps that can be purchased in a hardware stores) I suppose we belong in jail.

Since you are soft-hearted like me, I would try to trap the critter in a cage and take him to a wooded area if you can.Who is going to report you?? : )

chris

Well, guess what gang -- (and thank you Chris-e - your post is ironically perfect timing because I just got back from a visit to 7 homes in this area to poll them - ALL have reported deer). My husband kept telling me there were deer tracks out there but I didn't believe him. Every neighbor has seen them. They walk right up to their front door - I did see a herd of 7 last year walking right down the middle of the street but I thought they were lost. We also have coyotes - two toy poodles were taken right off neighbors' patios this spring! AND WE ARE NOT IN THE WOODS! I guess a few burbs over isn't called 'Deerfield' for nothing. But I never saw a chipmunk while I had Simba (my cat) for 18 of the 20 years we've been here. I need to get another cat! He never even brought one to me....it was just his scent. We have raccoons that take baths in our fountain on the patio, too. Bottom line, I have to live with lots of critters so I'm not going to kill a little chipmunk who might be innocent.

Westy