Chipmunk Control: What Actually Works

 

Chipmunks aren’t pests they’re planners. Before you label them a nuisance, take a moment to understand the extraordinary life behind those tiny eyes. Chipmunks are territorial architects and seasonal strategists. Every burrow they dig is a blueprint for survival, complete with food chambers, escape tunnels, and nesting pockets. Every seed they stash is a calculated investment in winter.

And when displaced, they don’t just wander they navigate. Chipmunks possess remarkable homing instincts, often attempting to cross roads, rivers, and even lakes to return to their original territory. That’s not stubbornness it’s biological programming. It’s why relocation must be done with precision, compassion, and timing. A careless trap or late-season move isn’t just inconvenient it can be fatal.

To truly coexist with chipmunks, we must shift the narrative. They’re not pests they’re planners worth protecting. Whether you choose deterrence or relocation, do it with respect. Because behind every rustle in the leaves is a creature trying to survive, not sabotage.  

✅ What Works (Ethical & Effective)

• Live Trapping in July Only
  Use a Havahart-style trap baited with peanut butter and apples. Relocate at least 5 miles away in a chipmunk-friendly habitat with water, cover, and natural food sources. July gives them time to rebuild and stock their burrow before winter.
• Yard Deterrence Through Habitat Control
  Chipmunks thrive in clutter. Remove:
• Wood piles
• Ornamental grasses
• Cottage-style flower beds
• Bird seed, pet food, and water bowls left outside
• Respect Their Homing Instincts
  Chipmunks will attempt to cross any body of water to return home. That’s why relocation must be distant, safe, and done only when survival is possible.
• Choose a Suitable Release Site
  Look for:
• Wooded edges or brush piles
• Native ground cover and leaf litter
• Natural water sources like creeks or shaded runoff
• Food availability: acorns, native seeds, berries, or safe human-provided mix 

 What Doesn’t Work (And What Harms)

• Chemical deterrents like ammonia or Vicks Vaporub
  These cause respiratory distress and panic. They’re not harmless they’re cruel. Using them near burrows is a toxin not a deterrent.
• Trapping in September or later
  By fall, chipmunks are already stocking their burrows. Relocation now risks starvation and disorientation.
• Assuming destruction without evidence
  Chipmunks are rarely destructive when they have food and shelter. Feeding them critter mix, acorns, or apple slices keeps them content and out of trouble. 

 Final Thought: Coexistence Is Possible

If you don’t want them around, manage your yard. If you do, enjoy them. They’re cute, curious, and part of a healthy ecosystem. Either way, choose compassion over fear and facts over assumptions.

Plants that Stop Deer from Eating Tulips

I love tulips but so do the deer and since my home is locating in the woods I have deer in my yard daily. We have tried everything to keep the deer away from the tulips but they are determined to eat them because they are rich in nutrients and the liquid in the stem is hydrating.

Deer in the garden, note the lilrope grass is left alone

My husband thought it would be good to compromise with the deer so he filled a bucket of water for them and put out a mineral lick along with corn and sunflower seed mixture in our side yard where there are no tulips. The deer sure did like that but when they were done with their snack they came back into my backyard to look for tulips.

Hide tulips in daffodils 

Repel deer when you hide tulips amongst plants that deter. 

We thought about installing a deer fence around in the backyard because that would certainly stop the deer from coming into our yard but it would also block all animals from drinking from our pond. So we decided to hide the tulips from the deer by planting them in the middle of plants that deer do not like. 

Deer do not eat daffodils we also read that planting your tulips in the center of  lilrope grass is a good idea but would need a thick border of the grass to deter the deer. Other plants that deter deer are bee balm, peppermint, chives, cosmos, oleander, oregano, and rosemary 

A friend said that any low-growing ornamental grass will work as it provides good coverage for the tulips. So this fall I hid the tulips by planting the bulbs in my garden. I planted bulbs in the middle of the daffodil garden and in the ornamental grass garden. I will let you know next spring if the hiding of tulips really works.

Note if you are not a fan of wildlife in your yard then buy a scarecrow motion-activated pressure water animal deterrent. The sting from the water burst makes all wildlife leave your yard. Learn more by reading my article here

Preventing Bug Bites While Gardening

If I was ever going to enjoy the garden again I knew I would have to take steps to prevent the bugs from biting me.  This year the biting bugs; mosquitoes, chiggers, ticks, and fleas have taken the fun out of gardening. Two days ago while doing a hand pull in my hosta garden I was bitten by, several bugs.

I was so itchy that I stopped what I was doing and ran inside to take a hot shower with Yardley of London antibacterial hand soap, flowering English lavender herbal scent.  The hot soapy shower killed the germs and safely removed the roaming chiggers from my skin and lessened itchy mosquito and other bug bites.

Normally I spray myself before going out to the garden with deep woods off but I know that with the wildlife; deer, raccoon, skunk, wild turkey, groundhog, coyote, and bobcat coming into my yard that there are probably other biting bugs lurking.

I decided to address the bugs in my yard and garden by treating my entire yard with a concentrated garlic formula that will safely kill and repel mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, chiggers, and some wildlife from my yard. I found an all-natural product at amazon.com MOSQUITO BARRIER – LIQUID SPRAY REPELLENT -1 GALLON.  I read the reviews and they were favorable plus I liked that it was natural 100% garlic and would not harm my family or my pets.

Granted this organic pest control costs more but I will tell you it is worth it.  There is a garlic smell and it is potent but the smell is what repels and kills the biting bugs and you get used to it.