Once you have experienced chipmunk infestation, you may realize that these furry rodents are not as cute as you thought they were. Interior, as well as exterior damage of your property, can be done when these little critters are in large numbers.
They dig holes, destroy landscaping and make burrows. Therefore, knowing how to remove them becomes a burning problem for most homeowners.
By means of this article you will be able to learn more about best chipmunk control options and will find out what to do in case of chipmunk infestation.
Chipmunk damage: What to do in case of chipmunk infestation
Chipmunks are really cute animals that are not dangerous. However, if these little buggers invade your home they can settle in and make it their area. Not only they will establish places to eat but also areas to urinate and sleep.
Despite a small size of these little buggers they can be very destructive.
The sooner you handle these issues, the lower will be the cost of the problem.
When it comes to chipmunk infestation, this can lead to a huge problem as these little creatures can do such things as:
- Structural damage caused by burrowing under stairs, patios;
- Eating flowers;
- Digging holes and burrows;
- Breeding and destroying plants and flowers in the process.
Let’s consider how to control these destructive rodents when they have already invaded your house.
How to control chipmunks and what measures to take
There are many steps that can help you to control these harmful rodents.
Effective chipmunk control can be provided if you combine two things:
- Efficient control products.
- Special recommendations and methods.
When it comes to chipmunk control methods, prevention is the best of them. It includes:
- Exclusion.
Remove debris, wood piles and put away the food of your pets after feeding time. Exclusion may keep the number of chipmunks down. 
Trapping.
This is the most practical control method to eliminate chipmunks. There is a great variety of traps for chipmunks from live-capture traps to wire-mesh traps. You can purchase live traps at most pest control companies, hardware stores or order them online. Traps are a humane control alternative.
Chipmunk’s traps should be placed in those areas where these rodents have been sighted. Once the rodent is caught, you can remove it from the trap.
Want to know what the best traps to catch a chipmunk are and how to use them? Click here to read more detailed information on what is the best chipmunk traps.- Repellents.
They will help you to prevent chipmunk infestation. With their help, you can effectively repeal chipmunks from cabins, attics, gardens, and other areas.
These days, you can solve your rodent problem in an easy and humane way with natural repellents. If you are interested what natural repellents to use and what products are the most efficient among them, read this information.
As it was mentioned before effective chipmunk pest control includes not only good control methods but effective products as well.
You can buy such great chipmunk control products as:
- Chipmunk live cage traps,
- electronic chipmunk traps,
- chipmunk repellents and deterrents,
- chipmunk control buckets.
How to kill a chipmunk: What products to use for extermination
If chipmunks cause serious damage to your house making you crazy, you can consider chipmunk extermination methods.
Therefore, knowing the laws of chipmunk protection in your state is a necessity.
Nowadays, many people who feel desperate in finding the best solution for chipmunk’s problem buy a variety of poisons meant for rats. But these poisons are often ineffective for killing chipmunks.
Let’s consider some products and methods of chipmunk eradication.
Snap Traps for Chipmunks
You can purchase Motomco reusable Tomcat Rat Snap Trap.
This will work by capturing chipmunk, snapping down on its head, usually killing it.
The killing bucket method
For this method, you will need such things as:
- a bucket
- a board
- sunflower seeds
- water
Sprinkle the seeds in the bucket of water and on the board. The rodent will be attracted by these seeds and will work its way up the ramp and fall in the bucket.
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Is there an effective poison for chipmunk elimination
Most frustrated homeowners try to find some effective poison that will help them to kill chipmunks. However, there are no poisons specifically made for killing chipmunks. When it comes to rat poisons they are not effective.
Baiting for chipmunks is another popular method that many people want to try. But it is not always effective.
The main reasons for it are:
- rodent bait is not tasty and chipmunks may hoard these bait placements for some later date;
- rodent bait is not formulated for chipmunks and a bed taste may stop these critters from eating it.
The most efficient way of chipmunk’s removal is using traps. This is a humane way that allows you to remove chipmunks without killing them. What’s more, if you purchase live traps, you will be able to use them over and over.
New chipmunks may move in from other territories. With a good live trap, you can capture more of these small rodents. If you need more useful information on how to eliminate chipmunks, you can find all the answers here.
So, as you see, there are different chipmunk control methods and you can try any of them. Just know that each situation has various factors that can affect the method you choose.
Will these products harm birds or keep them from
coming to their feeders?
The bucket method is very effective…
How many did you get?
Over how long a period of time?
I concur I put out a bucket it had five of them in there after 24 hours use the black bucket also had a white bucket out caught nothing in the white bucket don’t know if there’s a difference a location or the color of the bucket
For an update, I put out 3 buckets, after about 24 hours one had 6 dead in it, one had 2 and the other 1. This is a very effective and cheap method…..
We are trying the bucket method tonight…we tried the rat posion…they just ate the peanut butter around it…we spent 100 buck s on 3 cages…didnt catch a single chipmunk..
I tried this and the birds ate all the seeds on the plank.
put them around the house or inside where you have seen them ?
Here is the final answer to the chipmunk problem. Rat poison. When you put out the poison, the rodents can tell it’s bad and can communicate to fellow rodents that it’s bad and don’t eat it. Those that do will die.
Chipmunks will almost always take food to it’s home for it’s family and to store for later. You must get them all at once.
Make a peanut butter cookie and lace it with rat poison.
Two or three rat poison pellets per cookie with lots of peanut butter covering. Make about 50 or 60 cookies for a one time distribution. Place these cookies in areas where you have seen activity. Do this in the evening and don’t let your pets out. Chipmunks will find them, all of them (greedy) and take them home to their borrow and family. They will experience mass casualties before the word gets out not to eat. You will be chipmunk free for at least 2 or 3 months. Note: be careful about your pets.
Be careful if you have other family members or especially children and you make cookies laced with poison. You mentioned pets a couple times but not people.
I use final bloc it’s the strongest rat poison out. How long will it take to kill chipmunks?
Deer come in and every single seed with the bucket method. I bought four rat traps, all four of them sprung every day and the bait is gone, ???????
the sunflower bucket method is VERY effective…got 17 in a 24 hour period.
I tried all the natural repellents and the bucket. Nothing worked. Now I put out cheap rat traps baited with peanut butter. I kill at least one/day. The better the trap, the longer it lasts. I just use the old school kind with a pressure plate under the bait. They step on it, the trap snaps shut and breaks their necks. Put traps wherever you’ve seen one sitting, walking or running. They do NOT learn from each other’s deaths so no need to move them. I keep my dog away by building little teepees out of miscellaneous wood or stashing them where she can’t quite reach. Then I just watch her carefully when she’s near them.
This information is very helpful.
I don’t give a crap about catching them. I have caught many, and more keep coming. You can’t catch enough. We have a hoard of the little b*st*rds around here. I need to kill them en masse. I want a poison I can drop down their holes that they’ll eat.
I agree with you!
The bucket method works great and no poisons to worry about…
The bucket is the best. Got over 30 in less than a week and as many as six at a time. Also use a pellet gun. Don’t like killing them but they come in hordes and do lot of damage.
How much water and seeds go in a bucket
Hi there, I made this trap last week and got 8 chipmunks in a few days. You just need to put enough seeds to cover the water. They obviously float and they spread out when you put them in the water. If I had to guess, it’s probably about a cup of seeds, but it will depend upon the size of your bucket. Good luck!
I used a 5 gallon bucket….. filled it with water leaving approx. 8 inches down from the top. Dumped in enough sunflower seeds to cover the water. Gives it an appearance that it is simply full of seeds. Prop up a ramp with seeds leading to the top and wait and see. It has been very successful for me, although it breaks my heart to do it, however they are really doing so much damage around my foundation and garden.
Did you come up with a poison to take care of the chipmonks?
Me too. I have about 50…everywhere. I want something to pour down the thousands of holes and trails. Did you find anything that works?
Eat them tasty little buggers
once you trap these critters, where do you release them? How do I know how many I have? We replaced stairs and apparently destroyed their home. They are running all over the area around our house.
Use the bucket method, they drown. Bury the carcass or let the wildlife feast on them…
I use live traps and then shoot them with a pellet gun. Over the last 3 years I have killed over 200 of them. I live on a relatively small unwooded lot too, about 12K sq ft. I have no idea how eradicate them all. I have lived in the house for about 10 years now and I had the house built.
200!!!! Great.
I just want to know is there a poison I can buy to get rid of them
No, poisons, are not effective. Read this page fully.
“Is there an effective poison for chipmunk elimination Most frustrated homeowners try to find some effective poison that will help them to kill chipmunks. However, there are no poisons specifically made for killing chipmunks. When it comes to rat poisons they are not effective. Poison does not work when dealing with chipmunks”.
poison is dangerous because birds of prey will eat the dead chipmunk and take it to their young. That’s why barn owls and other birds are endangered.
There is a thing on Amazon you can buy that hooks to your exhaust pipe on your car and then to your hose pipe. put the hose end in the holes and the carbon monoxide kills them.
David, please tell me the name of this device.
I have the same problem with the squirrels eating all of the bait. I had not seen but one or two squirrels all summer, now the word is out. I would like to try the carbon dioxide method. Please let me know the name of the product. I am desperate.
a length of PVC pipe (2′ should do) leading from the tailpipe to the live trap will do. Cover the trap and the end of the pipe with a tarp to hold in the co2, after several minutes of car exhaust the critter is no longer a threat.
no, its not.
I used mouse poison, killed 4 just the other day. They are destroying my yard And now living in my roof n under deck. Done w them
Forget poison. Sunflower seeds are about $1.50, and with one bag, I set up two buckets, and it’s been less than 24 hours. I just put 10 dead chipmunks in garbage bags, and there’s one still swimming.
I agree, I have 3 buckets out and my last count was over 40. I’m even getting babies when the adults are gone. what was once a chipmunk superhighway under my mulberry trees is now a barren desert.
Now I’m having problems with squirrels stealing the sunflower seeds from the buckets. Apparently they can jump in and get out. One if them even tossed out a dead chipmunk, it was laying on the ground next to the bucket. Was in the way of his feast apparently. moving the bucket with food in it seemed to helped, left an empty one in the old location to try to fool the squirrels. So far it worked.
After about 40 ? I started catching small juveniles in my bucket they’re coming out of the den because they’re hungry. Mom and pop are gone!
Oh, my goodness!! I am a push over for those little critters. Coyotes took my cat. He was the best critter catcher ever. Well, started getting chipmunks. Problem is, they were so cute, I started feeding them.My neighbors do the bucket device, and they say, best ever. I just can’t get myself to do it. Boy, did I ever get a real problem started.
I just want to see the new update it is a great way to get the best way
I have used the bucket and it does help kill some off. The squirrels eat sun flower seeds as well but they can get out of the buckets. I have used rat and mouse poison down one chipmunk hole and placed it under my deck and in my shed. Several weeks ago I could see 5 or 6 every morning, we are down in numbers but not done with extermination. The landscape has wood as part of the terracing structure. This will be a constant struggle.
You don’t want to ever use poison as they can just move up the food chain, effectively reducing the predator population. Bucket method is great. 59 so far and 5 via pellet gun. Trying to find out what constitutes an infestation. I’ve read that if enough food and cover are around, you may see as many as 10 per acre. Well, I’m 54 over that already on about 1/2 acre.
Update –
Now at 103. All but 5 from bucket.
I haven’t seem chip monks or mice, my next step is to have my concrete mud jacked to repair damage.
Help!!!!! OUR KITCHEN FLOOR, CERAMIC TILE, IS SINKING AND CAUSING CRACKS IN TILE? ALSO, THEY ARE IN THE FRONT OF HOUSE AND BACK…. PATIO IS SINKING MORE AND MORE EVERY YEAR. WE LIVE ON A SLAB. WHAT NOW WHAT???? IT’S WINTER. DID I WAIT TOO LING?? HELP!!!!!
I would use the bucket method as many as you can, I usually have 4 or 5 out at a time.
Get a pellet gun and sjoot those you see.
This will be a constant battle, I cought about 90 this summer I exoect to catch more in the spring.
As for the damage I guess I would contact a foundation expert, maybe they can use mud jacking to repair the damage.
First, shut off your caps lock key and take a deep breath…
Listen up folks …. I just found the cheapest best remedy. OK so all rodents, chipmunks, squirrels, & even raccoons, it is well known they do not like perfume smells right? Go out and buy yourself a large, $4 can of downy unstoppable’s. Pour some in your hand and throw them out across your garden, under your house or wherever these pesky little mammals have been seen … it has solved my chipmunk issues and in just one day!!!! They got a whiff of my Downey pearls and moved out. Hallelujah!!! the best part, it’s effortless and the good part you don’t have to worry about any offensive odors for yourself ….your yard will smell like fresh laundry! I have not seen even a glance of one pesky little critter after posting my Downy eviction notice. Yea!
I have a pooch that is a Coton de tulear, they were bred by pirates for eliminating rodents on pirate ships back in the 1700s she loves to chase these little rodents and will kill them in a second but I cannot stand to think of my little pooch as a killer and now I no longer have to scold her and worry about this issue… instead of running around the yard and getting filthy (she’s Snow White) she sits on the swing with me as I can once more enjoy the beauty of my gardens. She seems a little bored but that’s OK. I would rather her be bored than pay out expenses for home, patio, garden, etc repairs.
THIS WORKS!
How often do you have to re-apply?
which scent did you use?
What scent did you use? I need to get rid of these critters! How often do you apply to area(s). Does the scent disappear if it rains? Help!!!!!!
I tried the Downey and the chipmunks walked all over it. Did not work at all
I read in the Boston Globe, the city of Boston is using Dry Ice to kill rats. They drop the Dry Ice in the holes and cover the hole, and the rats are dead. I am wondering if this will work for Chipmunks!?
They have eaten my squash plants, flowers, to say nothing of the many, many holes in my yard.
Dry ice is just frozen carbon dioxide (CO2) so as it warms up and becomes a gas it would displace the air in the burrows and they would die. You would have to use a large enough piece (how big ???) to completely fill the burrow or it may not work. I’m not sure this is cost effective considering the cost of dry ice…
Could you just get a big bucket with no water, and catch them that way? Then put a lid on and release them elsewhere? Can they get out of a tall bucket?
Good question, no idea if they coukd jump out. Try it and let us know.
Whrn you release then make sure you are not just passing on your problem to someone else….
I caught one in a live trap cage and put it in a 40 gal. trash can with the purpose of taking the family away from my yard and relocate them together. A buddy stopped by and as I was explaining how I was going to move them, I removed the cover and the damn chipmunk jumped passed my face!! Damn right they can jump!!
How can I get my neighbor to take down their messy bird feeders, which are encouraging the chipmunks?
I went to Home Depot and got Victor PLASTIC Rat Traps. I can set these, I never can set the wooden one, I put a few Sunflower seeds in the well, and have caught ELEVEN in the past 5 days! Easy to dispose of them, also.
I have both neighbor’s on either side with bird feeders, and they both complain about how many chipmunks are running around!~!
I’m going to try the Downy unstoppable method today. I hope the birds don’t eat them. I’ve tried the moth ball method that did not work. They just threw the moth balls out of the holes. I can not deal with dead critters floating in a bucket, that will be my last resort.
Used a white bucket last year with some success (6 – 7 killed). No luck this yr. Tried moving bucket, bait gone, no swimmers. They have destroyed a lot of flowers and shrubs. Might try a black bucket or rat traps. Some neighbors feed them! Grr!
I wanna try the bucket method but what can I do to stop the birds from attacking the seeds? I have a country field full of sparrows in my yard…could care less about killing chipmunk…it might sound bad but it is what it is
I’m surprised birds would go for seeds floating on water in a bucket..I would not bother putting seed on the ramp. The first chipmunk would eat them all anyway and drown in a full stomach..
I am now at 25 killed chipmunks, using the plastic RAT traps!! I have also got 2 birds, collateral damage, I feel like I am making progress! I put Peanut Butter on the trap to hold the sunflower seeds in place.
Squirrels are smarter than chipmunks, they will get the seeds, from the side, not tripping the trap.
I guess I’m lucky, after killing over 90 last year I have not seen even one so far this year (knock on wood). That big orange cat that was hanging around may have helped a bit. ( I have my buckets ready just in case I see one…)
what kind of sunflower seeds work the best for the water bucket method?
I went to my local home center and bought whatever they had for feeding birds. No need to go ‘gourmet’ on this.
Black oil sunflower seeds works the best. Like crack to chipmunks.
I fill the bucket about 2/3 to 3/4 full, sprinkle a handful of sunflower seeds on the ramp and in the water. So far, only 1 eliminated. Bought some reusable rat traps but haven’t set them yet. Curious about the Downey!
Too much water, I fill mine 1/3 full and got over 90 last year. You need to trick them into think the water is not there, also I change the seed and water after a day or two even if I catch nothing. And I air out the buckets especially if there were dead ones in there for most of the day. The water can get nasty with old seed and dead bodies otherwise.
Thanks for the tip, Bob. I’ve only gotten 1 this year so far with my white bucket and sunflower seeds. Something is taking the bait!
Kill them by traps, drowning or shooting them…. as illegal to relocate critters in Madison county and many other counties.
It’s ridiculous how PC people are bullied into being by special interest groups these days. It’s simple, we kill the chipmunk. I’m not a bad person. I don’t believe in suffering of any creature, man or animal. However, when it comes to the peril of my home and it’s structural integrity, the time for non-harmful trapping is done. Poison, bullets, etc. let’s do this.
Poison or carbon monoxide in a chipmunk burrow is NOT a good idea. A rotting chipmunk odor next to a foundation will penetrate into a basement. REALLY BAD SMELL and it lasts for a couple of months! Kill them in abucket, trap them or shoot them!!
I’ve been trapping them in a Have-A-Heart trap and then taking them up the road about 1/2 mile to an old cemetery and release them there. People there never complain so . . .
nobody else wants them , KILL THEM
Recently discovered the l’ll buggers running around my garage. Found a large pile of stones and gravel along one of the walls and, by chance, spotted movement and then a little nose came poking up out of a hole in the asphalt floor right next to the sill plate. The hole was about the size of a DIME! Filled the hole with cold patch and tamped it down with a 2 x 4 and an 8# hammer. Caught 3 more that day in the trap but nothing since then. Naturally, I’ll be watching.
I’ve told that grits will kill chipmunks. They eat them and then the grits expand in their gut and kills them.
another good way is to use the live trap cage, when you catch one,
leave the varmint in the trap and let them die by dehydration
If you have a couple that will work, when you have dozens to kill that would take forever. The Bucket method can kill multiple chipmunks at a time.
I got 8 in one bucket in one day…. I’ve watched 2 just jump right in. My family thinks I’m a monster, but they get in my garage and there are so many holes in the yard. 35 last year with 2 buckets and I’m already at 30 this year, early in the season!
or a 22 short
thank you all for all the good ideas – Right this moment I am going out and buying the can of Downy unstoppable – we do not expect rain for a week – We have a wood pile and noticed that they are hiding in there – boy are we going to have some nice smelling wood this winter –
Will birds eat the downy pellets? I have chipmunks eating the corn I put out for my mallard ducks, and bird feeders along my patio. If I trap them, what can I use to euthanize them? I have no way to relocate them.
The squirrels kept knocking down the ramp to the bucket, so we dug a hole and put the bucket in the ground until the lip of the bucket was aligned with the surface of the ground. We still filled the bucket with water and we sprinkled sunflower seeds around the outside. So far we catch about 5 a day between the two buckets.
I normally might not agree with DANGERDAVE but I didn’t always have a chipmunk problem as bad as now. The reason I didn’t have it was because there used to be a snake that ate the chipmunks. I could hear them screaming as they were being smothered & crushed. There’s no nice way to die. Then one day we found a snake skeleton. Now we have a very bad problem with these varmints and structures are being damaged all over. We have to protect what we built.
DANGERDAVE is friggin hilarious and spot on. Kill the chipmunk! However no one needs to risk mis-using a firearm putting a pellet in your neighbors ass or property. BOB’s method is by far the best. It works for mice too. If you have mice this method can be varied a little bit. My brother in law from Maine told me to get a paper towel roll and let it free-roll over a smaller wooden dowel affixed across the top of the bucket with tape then smear a tiny amount of peanut butter on the bottom middle of the paper towel roll. Mice smell it and then crawl out and when they try to lean over to get peanut butter they immediately fall in and get drowned !!!
If your facing an onslaught of these varmints like I was this year, here is the battle plan for a TOTAL WAR that saved me, and about half my plants from annihilation.
First line of defense: the bucket of doom. Very effective if you place the boards leading from the tops of walls and steps to the bucket since the chipmunks seem to like to use these elevated areas as “highways”. Caught more than 50 this spring with these well placed one way “exit ramps”.
Second line of defense: snap traps. Place these in areas near the plants the enemy likes so very much to dig up. The softer soil also seems to increase the rate of success since chipmunks seem to be really good at avoiding the snap. Caught 11 with these.
Gas attack: Smoke bombs in the burrows. Find the burrows, which are about 1.5 inches wide, and really deep (you can’t see the bottom). These aren’t the extremely obvious 2 inch deep holes they dig in your plants and require some pretty careful looking to find. I’ve found most in the more overgrown sections at the edge of my lawn. Wait for nightfall or a rainy day to guarantee the rodent will be in the burrow, and then light off a smoke bomb. The deep burrow will become a deep grave.
Chemical warfare: poison. While what the article says is very true about the conventional use of rat poison, I have found its possible to eradicate armies of the pests if you mix the poison with peanut butter. Take either tracking powder or powder form traditional rat poison, mix it in with peanut butter (it helps to liquify the peanut butter by heating it) and place dabs of this deadly brew into the tighter areas in bushes or rocks where the rodents scurry. Avoid placing it in the open where innocent wildlife may eat it and make sure to carefully dispose of all unused poisoned peanut butter. You don’t want your kids making a poisoned PB and J. It’s also a good idea to wear gloves and do not ever use water when cleaning up tracking powder mixtures: it will produce toxic gas clouds. This stuff works so quickly the chipmunks will often die out in the open. I’ve found 5 in the middle of my yard that died presumably shortly after eating the very fast acting phosphide based tracking powder. I suspect this the tip of the iceberg.
Sniping: if your a decent shot, keep your pellet rifle by a window overlooking your garden. Whenever you go by and happen to see a chipmunk, open the window and take a shot. I’ve got 14 this way so far this year.
In short, this is total war for the survival of your plants and yard, and for any hope of success against such a persistent enemy you must utilize all resources and tactics at your disposal.
My pharmacist just told me that chipmunks are the worst harborers of lime ticks. Since I just got the second tick bite in two weeks, it is another reason to eliminate these cute critters that I used to just adore.
Lyme Disease is a cycle from white footed mice, who eat acorns and the ticks on the mice go to deer. The only other furry animal that carries Lyme Disease are CHIPMUNKS. Once you get Lyme Disease, it never goes away working into your joints and any part of your bones that might be weak.
I built a little gallows, but getting their little hands tied behind their backs is a problem. Bucket works best for me.
The “chipper dipper” works, but I’m sick of having to get rid of the bodies as I’m not next to woods. I only trap on weekends because my garbage pick up is Mon. Think I’ll try Downy, it smells better than the garlic and red pepper I’ve got all over my flowers.
Please be aware.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns that buckets filled with water or other liquids, especially the large five-gallon size, present a drowning hazard to small children. CPSC knows of at least 67 drowning deaths in buckets during the years 1985-1987, mostly to young children 8 – 12 months old. Information available to the Commission strongly suggests that many, if not most, of these drownings occurred in large (five-gallon) plastic buckets or containers. chores. While large buckets or containers appear to be most hazardous, the CPSC staff warns consumers never to leave any bucket of water unattended where small children may gain access to it.
Why would the children that young be left unattended? I mean, I get your point, but there has to be some parenting.
that ‘bucket approach’ is useless with squirrels around.
U need to put chicken wires/mesh on the bucket’s opening
Shoot the squirrels that go near the Pool of Death! Often I’ll shoot the filthy squirrel and leave it for a day or two to discourage other squirrels from the area. I’ve bagged over 50 chipmunks in about two weeks with one Pool of Death. The remaining chipmunks that seemed to not want to take a relaxing swim were dispatched with a .177 pellet gun….GREAT FUN!
I set out wooden rate traps with peanut butter. I come back and they are sprung with the peanut butter gone. How do they do that? I’m gonna try the bucket next.
Try putting the peanut butter on the underside of the tab, I usually do it early in the morning when it’s cooler, so the peanut butter doesn’t melt off during the hotter times of the day. I usually get 2 a day by 530am before I leave for work, then put the traps away until the next morning. I live in a very PC neighborhood
Is there any truth to the color of the bucket? have tried the bucket method with sunflower seeds at least 5 times and have caught nothing.
We were trying the bucket and seed method and not having much success. When we went to get our oil changed in car the air filter was full of seeds.
I”ll tell you what got rid of mine for about 5 years.
We had a lot under our front porch which has sink hole in it.
THe sink how just keeps coming back.
However, when Terminix came one year and started their new application of liquid around the foundation, they dumped a huge amount under the porch. No chipmunks Gone for a good 5 years, but now after ten years they are back and also in many places where they weren’t before. Yes they are cute but you can’t possible kill them all, so I think I will try the bucket method and just not look when I have to throw the little things out.
I’ve read every comment on how to get rid of these critters that are destroying my lawn. The holes are growing so big that when I was mowing the lawn, I almost twisted my ankle stepping in one of them. I’ve tried the buckets(Orange ones from Home Depot) and I’ve only caught two. I’ve tried the smoke bombs and it didn’t work. I’ve tried rat poison mixed with Peanut Butter and nothing. It’s frustrating to see that so many others are successful with certain methods they’ve tried but when I try these methods, I come up with zero. I have not tried the downy pellets. I will give that a try. I will also continue with setting up the buckets, although the squirrels top the plank over every time. I wish that there was a sure fire method to killing them. I’m even thinking of spending the money to cut down this accorn tree that feeds them regularly. I’m just so tired of spending my hard earned money on so many gimmicks. I’ve tried traps and they just eat what’s inside and the trap didn’t work. So let’s see…….
1. Rat traps
2. Buckets
3. Traps
4. Smokers
5. Fake owl
6.I even put a bird home I’m one of the trees to attract an owl.
I’m 0-6, My season sucks! Like I said earlier, I will listen to the lady with the downy idea and report back. I appreciate everyone that commented because I’m learning on how to rid my property from these pest. I might try getting a car as well. I read that having a predator on the property helps. They move out.
Sorry, I meant CAT
.22 rifle (Walmart SAVAGE arms under $150) with low velocity ammo under 1000Feet Per Second (box of 550 rounds is under $20). Your neighbors wont even here the shot and its still cheaper than other methods.
They can put a man on the moon, but can’t come up with a poison to kill a chipmunk!
which is crazy because they will just about anything.
now I can’t sleep the Chipmunks have invaded my attic they made holes near my foundation in the mulch all summer I hear them scratching and rolling acorns up there please help with a suggestion to get them out of my attic
You may need professional help since they are the attic. They may also be squirrels. They love the cozy insulation up there.
Its probably a squirrel in your Attic. Find where its gaining entry and staple a decent gauged wire mesh over the are. The Squirrel will continue to chew holes in your exterior wall though. My suggestion, get a cheap .22 rifle (Walmart has SAVAGE .22 rifles for under $150), low velocity ammo and just shoot the damn thing.
The PC freaks have scared the poison companies from producing an effective poison for chipmunks and squirrels but there are several that work.
Ive used full strength anti freeze, sink drain crystals in peanut butter, arsenic in PB also works and probably other things that can kill humans.
Traps and stick them in a 30 gallon rain barrel until they drown but that takes a lot of watching and I have better things to do.
Im in Northern NH so the ramp and bucket is a seasonal thing but after 20-30 dead the survivors get smart; same with traps so you have to rotate methods.
A .22 rifle with a scope firing low velocity shorts, neighbors 100 yards away cant hear it. Also takes watching but its a lot more fun.
No kids or pets to get in the way here, Im on 5 acres in a very rural area where everyone has large lots and PC doesnt work in this town.
When I started the war almost 30 years ago I was the only shooter, now there are 6 out of 7 on the full half mile stretch of this dead end road. We compare scores.
Rodents constantly migrate to fresh pickins’ just like welfare chasers and illegal aliens and it takes constant monitoring to eliminate new breeders.
The email address is a throwaway for complainers and the PC
“Rodents constantly migrate to fresh pickins’ just like welfare chasers and illegal aliens” Dammit, you made me spit my coffee all over my keyboard! Well done! I’m married to a USN Vet, you think I’d know better than to read something y’all post while drinking anything.
Just a hint for those trying the CO2 method, when you put the hose down the hole you must close as many of the other holes as possible so the gas does not escape.
Glad to know I’m not the only one with this problem.
You can rent goats to clear undergrowth from lots. Can you rent terriers? Start a business called “Gopher The Gold,” and it’s a little terrier with a camo vest who sets up his basecamp in your yard and rains haofio on those chipmunks for as long as it takes? Our cat is named for Martha Washington so we named the first chipmunk Cornwallis as a joke. Well Cornwallis and his invasion fleet are gonna be laughing from the other side of their faces when we set up the buckets of doom.
I had one chipmunk starting a tunnel home at the edge of my house. I set up the bucket…half full of water with sunflower seeds and a touch of peanut butter. Within 1 hour he was dead. Tip…you only need a few seeds on the plank..I had too many so it took longer to get him. Put 1 seed at the bottom of the plank and maybe 3 near the edge above the water. I had a bunch of seeds in the bucket.
I have never more thoroughly enjoyed reading a comments section as much as I have enjoyed reading this one. You people are truly hilarious. I’m going for the bucket method. Thanks y’all, for the ideas and the laughs.
A professional exterminator said to google “chipmunk exterminating” because he knew of no way to handle them. What a joy I had reading through all the comments! I’m trying the bucket method tonight!
There is a very simple way to dispose of any vermin: bubble gum! Simply cut gum pieces into bite sized pieces for the target rodent and drop it down into their hole, under frequented rocks, or wherever it will find it but birds, pets or nothing else will.
After it is eaten the dry gum swells and – it’s over for the pest. You probably wont even find the carcass.
This has worked perfectly for me innumerable times. The hardest part is cutting up the gum!
WHAT FLAVOR GUM DO YOU USE??? I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING!!!
Spearmint Swirl Mint Chip
Bucket method works great. 12 gone in 3 days…..
Big tom cat died and now I have a chipmunk explosion. One chewed through my Honda Accord plastic gas tank and 3 months later one got my wife’s anti lock brake wiring on the rear tire. That was 2 insurance claims and around $2k damage. They are running all around the place.
I guess it’s bucket time. The Lyme tick info makes them less cute
A .22 rifle and some hollow points seems to work pretty well. Then just stuff them down their hole so no other chipmunk uses it.
I’ve tried the bucket with marginal success. I found the *plastic* Victor rat trap works best. Wood traps are cheaper but don’t work as well. The trick is the large plastic pedal. Fill the middle of the pedal with sunflower seeds. Don’t bother with peanut butter or anything else, just sunflower seeds. Using several traps I collected the whole family (over 26) within a week or so. Now it’s just maintenance. I put a trap out when a critter is spotted and often have success within 5 minutes.
The bucket of doom worked for us! Eight of them went for that ‘relaxing last swim’ in the last 36 hours!
Cute critters but the lyme disease, the lawn destruction, and chewing my car’s air filter and storing nuts in the engine! To say nothing of germs and bad things getting into the car’s inside ventilation. Enough is enough.
Thanks so much for the (often humorous) information here that helped us reclaim our property. !
I’m at my wits end with these little bastards. I’ve tried everything. I also have a racoon who eats the seeds out of the bucket. The racoon also drug my chipmunkinator into the woods. The Chipmunks are under my deck and shed in the back yard. Im 2 seconds away from taking down my deck so my neighbors cat can get to them. I’m afraid to see the damage under there. I’m up all night waiting on the moment my basement crumbles further underground.
I began to just chase away one of them, running after it until the chipmunk entered into a 3 feet long pipe placed on the ground to divert the water from the gutter. I blocked the pipe with a heavy stone and waited. During two days I heard to chipmunk trying to climb through the gutter, but he can’t. I took it the third day, “sleeping” in the middle of the pipe. With this method, I got 3 of them in one week. I put the third one in one of their burrow for a surprise, then filled the hole. The other chipmunks just dug again and evicted it out! They have no respects for the deads! Now the others don’t try to hide themselves in the pipe. They now know me, each time I go out, they run like hell. So I began to fill all the burrows, sometimes inserting heavy stones. They dig again, I fill again. It’s a patience game, they eventually become tired of digging and go to another place further away…
Next to try: polyurethane expanding foam in the burrows…
In my state it is not legal to re-locate wildlife without a permit. So, using a live trap only means that the critters must somehow be dispatched. Drowning or suffocation using a garbage bag are options. Poison is always a concern as they do not discriminate against any critter that consumes it. Cat, dog or chipmunk, it doesn’t care.
My choice is to use a victor rat trap in a box with a rock on top of the box. The box should be big enough as to not inhibit the function of the trap. The hole in the box should be big enough for the chipmunk to enter and small enough that the trap cannot be dragged out. Most of the time the trap will dispatch the chipmunk. But, occasionally you only get him by a leg. You don’t want them leaving the box. Hence the dual-purpose rock. It keeps them from ‘flipping’ the box and if needed gives you something to dispatch the little buggers. Finally, don’t bait the trigger with peanut butter and oatmeal as suggested on other sites. The ants love it and the chipmunks will ignore it. I use feed corn. I glue 4 or 5 kernels to the trigger and place ample amounts around the trap and outside the entrance. The chippies will go into their gathering and storing routine. When they go for the glued-on kernels they are done.
I just got a 4th one in the gutter pipe. It’s very convenient, I chase the chipmunk, it enters into the pipe, and I roll the stone (it’s a 12″ diameter, 2″ thick round concrete stone used in gardens as walking step). I don’t even need a bait.
I have got a 5th one in the pipe. I don’t even had to chase it. I saw it crossing the yard, I went out of the house and it went inside the pipe to hide, emitting a loud “chip” sound. I rolled the stone. That chipmunk won’t steal my redcurrants again. It will be burried in three days, as usual. RIP.
The chipmunk I have got last time was bigger, it managed, difficultly, to climb through the vertical metallic gutter pipe, probably by torsading his body. Unfortunately for him. I have blocked the pipe entrance on the roof, in case of…
I have been outsmarted by a rodent! ! 1. put white vinegar in hole, sealed it, next day, open, then 2. bleach same thing, 2. Ammonia still came back. Then bought poison, put in hole then covered, came back. Bought an Intruder Rodentrap, sits 6in from his hole filled with PB and sunflower seeds, yesterday, he came out and just sat there, almost like he was giving me the finger, just looking at the trap. I don’t know what to try next. They make a trap that sits over the hole, so that when they come up, they are in the trap. I may try that next. 🙁
Any updates on the Downey? I just don’t think I can look at, let alone dispose of a bucket full of chipmunks.
downy unstoppable’s works and lasts for a few days or more (or until washed by the rain), but unless you have only a small garden, it’s too expensive.
Also the “walk a plank trap” on a water bucket doesn’t work at all. The chipmunks eat all the bait along the plank up to the trap but then go back away.
I’ve caught 6 chipmunks in the last 24 hours using planks to three 5-gallon 1/2 filled water bucket covered with seeds. None caught with have-a heart traps:( Did not work with smaller buckets or not covering water with seeds.
I have one, maybe two chipmunks that I believe are in my attic. You can here them scratch or pawing the walls the last two nights. My attic is not accessible so I cannot just go up there and place traps throughout the attic. I had this problem one other time but before I could catch or kill it, it found its way into the furnace ducts and then the furnace where it got trapped in the blower and was fried. It also fried the blower motor on the furnace. That said, I need to put some type of poison up there that they will ingest. I am told that is what an exterminator would do in a inaccessible spot. Just throw the bait/poison around in random areas while standing in the trap door access. Should I simple take some rat poisons and coat them with peanut butter or is there one they will eat out of the box (so to speak)? The traps would be nice if you could move around up there.
I eradicated the chipmunk population around my house last year using the ever popular chipmunk pool, accumulating a body count of 36 which a pair of red tail hawks enjoyed along w/ the occasional squirrels. I, too, use a pellet gun to “encourage” some of these critters into the pool.
BUT, a new generation arrived and they seem to be smarter, so appreciate some of the other solutions. These critters are incredibly destructive – they have burrowed up through my garage floor in three places and, over time, have collapsed the garage floor in several places. I will use ANY means to eradicate them, so keep the suggestions coming!
Some folks express reluctance to kill these” little critters”. Yet, I would bet, these same folks eat 3 meals a day featuring animals both smarter and more capable of suffering in a slaughter house than these clever devils. Don’t be sentimental, kill them if you can–it’s your territory … or theirs. Take your pick.
I’ve had it with these little bastards. Moved into our first home about 2 months ago and already we have an opossum(I think)in the wall and a chipmunk infestation in the yard.
I’m getting a bucket and seeds today.
Also I’m going to soak some sunflower seeds and dried corn kernels in antifreeze and drop it down their tunnels. Ppl can say its cruel but I don’t care. Whatever finally works.
I also read chocolate is toxic for chipmunks so maybe spread a sh*t ton of chocolate chips throughout the yard. My immediate neighbors don’t have any pets. I do however have a bunch of squirrels so maybe I can kill two birds(invasive rodents) with one stone (fatal dose of chocolate). Wish me luck.
Has anyone tried plaster of Paris mixed with corn meal? I know it works on mice and rats. Not sure about the chipmunks.
I’m going try the bucket. Little bastards are everywhere. May I should ten a coyote. Possums are not a threat and do not carry rabies. I’d rather have possums
I know how to exterminate but this year is the first year we’ve been seeing chipmunks in the neighborhood since we moved here in 2001. I guess the population we’ve noticed on the bike patches miles west of us have finally reached our area. My question is, once they are here will I be constantly trapping? If I trap a bunch won’t that also create open territory for new chipmunks to come in and occupy what was occupied before I took the population out? They will make great fertilizer but I’m trapping at least 1/day. Will this, now, ever stop or will I be trapping them daily indefinitely?