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I know it is a ‘cruel’ thing to “kill” animals, but if it is between my garden where I am growing food for the year, or an animal that I don’t want to feed, then…that animal will go. Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, “whistle pigs,” or marmots, are rodents that can do a lot of damage to your lawns and gardens. And since groundhogs are herbivores, they enjoy making a meal on the plants in your garden, so all that hard work you put into it can be decimated in a single afternoon. How often does it happen that you find your fruits half-eaten and lying on the ground? That said, groundhogs are one of the most common burrowing pests found across gardens and backyards.
Natural Repellant Sprays
The problem is that groundhogs—also known as woodchucks or whistle-pigs—are binge eaters who can wipe out your vegetable garden in a matter of minutes. They climb, they burrow, they swim, and they eat—an adult consumes about a pound to a pound-and-a-half of vegetation daily. Groundhogs can be pretty stubborn and difficult to get rid of once they find a nice shelter and area to live in. Live traps can be used to catch groundhogs so you can transport them to another location safely. Catching a groundhog with a trap may take some time as they may be cautious of the new object you have in your yard.
How to Get Rid of Groundhogs (a.k.a. Woodchucks)
Here, active groundhogs have brought many artifacts to the surface thanks to their burrowing, including human bones and pottery. Groundhogs are most comfortable in tall vegetation, which can serve as a natural defense. Remove vegetation from around the entrance of a den to make groundhogs feel insecure. Time is of the essence when finding the right moment to evict groundhogs.
Ways on How to Get Rid of Groundhogs Under Shed or Deck
They have brown fur which may range from light to dark brown with a round body and bushy tail. Woodchucks have very short but strong legs and round eyes on a flat head. You can do this by stuffing the entry and exit points with vegetation such as tall grass and flexible plants. If the filling is still there several days later, it’s safe to assume that the burrow is empty. Use repellants to make burrows and surrounding areas unpleasant for groundhogs. Repellants are harmless substances that have an offensive smell or taste.
If the groundhog in your yard is feeding on your garden, you can also add these herbs there as they will avoid the area due to the smell the herbs give off. If groundhogs have built homes on your property, it’s best to understand their tendencies so your efforts to control them will be successful. Groundhogs will destroy pretty much any vegetation they find in your yard. You’re especially vulnerable if you happen to grow soybeans, alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, clover, lettuce or broccoli. These are groundhogs’ favorite foods, so much so that they’ve been known to devour their seedlings before the plants have a chance to grow. Groundhogs are ecologically important, even in urban ecosystems.
Ask Ann: Keep wild critters out of your crawl space - Tennessean
Ask Ann: Keep wild critters out of your crawl space.
Posted: Wed, 17 Feb 2016 08:00:00 GMT [source]
You can make your fence more secure by digging a small ditch under your fence and positioning these boards partially below the surface of the ground. You’ll notice groundhog activity between spring and fall when they are active during the day, especially in the early morning and evening when they’re busy gathering food. Groundhogs are unique rodents and the largest member of the squirrel family. Ranging from 6 to 12 pounds, groundhogs get around 20 inches long with a 6-inch tail.
If you’re trying to get groundhogs to leave – or want to ensure they don’t chow down on your garden – a spicy spray can do the trick. One easy way to make a spray is to put two teaspoons of cayenne pepper into a spray bottle. Next, add a quart of water and a couple of drops of dish detergent, like Dawn. If you fumigate with a substance with a strong odor, you can use it to get groundhogs to leave an area.
How to Get Rid of Groundhogs Under a Shed (9 Tips)
Groundhogs’ highly developed sense of smell helps them locate burrows that were previously occupied. These herbivores eat grasses, leaves, ferns, fruits, and vegetables. A groundhog can eat more than a pound of vegetation each day despite its small stature. Carrot tops, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, zucchini, squash, and lettuce are some of its favorite foods. Getting rid of groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, that have taken up residence under your shed can be a challenging task. If you’ve exhausted all of the above methods to get rid of the groundhog under your shed, it might be time to call a pest or wildlife control service.
Make sure the bait is placed behind the trigger plate of your live trap but far from the walls of the cage. Wear gloves while adding the bait and handling the trap to avoid transferring your scent. Here are some cheap plants you can add strategically around your home to lure groundhogs away from your prized plantings, shed, and home. Groundhogs can get through a fence by climbing or burrowing — they’re great at both.
Besides damaging plants, groundhogs can damage sheds, foundations, driveways, and retaining walls. And people can easily twist an ankle by stepping into a groundhog hole. Some groundhogs may also move to different areas to avoid predators. They are crafty critters, make sure there isn’t another entrance somewhere else, even far away from the usual places you look. If they all leave the den, and you fence it up, they may continue to find ways to return to it by making other entrances. Over two years I cleaned out a woodchuck hotel under my garage by using a Hav A Heart trap and cantaloupe as bait, they love it.
Raccoons and skunks are both common carriers of rabies and are capable of transmitting the fatal disease to people and pets. Like fumigation, even pouring down ammonia solution down the burrow of the groundhog will drive them out of the burrow. This will also ensure they don’t use that particular burrow anymore and will have to work around and make a new one. However, you need to be highly perceptive with this method mainly because they are quick to make a lot of burrows. Not just vegetables and fruits, groundhogs are also reliant on woodpiles around your garden.
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