Missing garden produce and big burrows comprehend in lawn can be polarity that woodchuck are near .
woodchuck , also fuck as woodchuck and whistle pigs , may look cute and cuddly , but they are among the most destructive garden pests . Not only do Marmota monax wreak mayhem in vegetable beds , mowing down entire rows of pea , beans , and carrot , but they also dig unsightly burrow and burrow in forage lawns and struggle up yield trees in lookup of a sweet score . If you mistrust groundhogs are making a snack counter of your vegetable beds and yield trees , this guidebook will show you how to safely get rid of the critters and keep them from do back .
What Are Groundhogs?
Marmota monax are gnawer that belong to the marmot or ground squirrel house . woodchuck are found throughout the easterly and midwestern United States and Canada , mostly living along the margins of woodland and field , where they compass all-inclusive underground burrows with branching tunnels for sleep , eating , and hibernating . In the natural state , woodchuck feed on a assortment of plants and some insects , but in garden , Marmota monax happily raven most veggie , as well as fruit , bulbs , and tree bark .
well large thanvolesandmoles , adult groundhogs weigh between 5 and 13 pounds and usually value around 16 to 22 inch in distance . Covered in fluffy , brownish - Lady Jane Grey fur , woodchuck are often confused withgophers , but their front tooth are less pronounced , and they spend more time out of their burrows than gophers do . Groundhogs are most participating in spring and summer but pass their wintertime underground hole up .
Vicki Jauron , Babylon and Beyond Photography / Getty Images
Credit:Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography / Getty Images
Signs of Groundhog Activity
If you channelise outside in other morning or evening , you may see groundhogs pasture in your vegetable bed or nibbling on your lawn . If you do n’t see the groundhogs themselves , keep a watch for these foretoken that groundhogs are underway :
How to Prevent and Get Rid of Groundhogs
Groundhogs are primarily nongregarious animal that live alone unless they ’re call forth untested , so you may only have a single Marmota monax in your garden . However , just one Marmota monax can wipe out about 1 ½ pounds of vegetation a day , which translates into a good deal of garden damage . move out woodchuck can be tricky , so bar is always good .
1. Remove Food Sources
Groundhogs are more probable to chit-chat gardens with easily accessible sources of nutrient , so rake up strike fruit beneath yield trees and pick green goods as soon as it ’s ripe . Althoughrow coversand grow tunnels are not entirely effective against groundhogs , covering up garden industrial plant with these products can make woodchuck less likely to nibble on your vegetable . If youcompost outdoors , swop to a closed - bin composting system to keep Marmota monax from browse for old intellectual nourishment in your compost chain reactor .
2. Tidy Up Gardens and Lawns
Like other prey brute , groundhogs sense safer in areas with tall grass and overgrown bush . Pruning the lower branches on shrubby flora , weed , mowing , and trimming grass around wood batch and known groundhog tunnel causes these critters to find exposed and encourages them to move elsewhere .
3. Install Fencing
fence your gardentakes employment , but it ’s the upright room to prevent groundhog trouble . pick out sturdy fence made of poultry telegram or 2 - inch hardware material . sink the bottom 1 foot of the fencing beneath the soil , and slant the lowest 6 column inch away from your garden in an L - shape to dissuade excavation . At least 3 to 4 ft of fencing should be above the soil origin , with the top few inches of fencing angle outward at a 45 - degree slant to keep Marmota monax from climb over the top .
4. Try Natural Deterrents
beaver oil , used kitty litter , red pepper powder , human fuzz , pedigree repast , and predator urine spray are all commonly used to repel groundhogs . Some of these product act upon better than others , but pot bedding should never be used in food garden . Natural deterrent products work best when mix with other groundhog repellants , like fencing and comrade plants . spray commonly need to be reapplied on a regular basis and after enceinte rainwater .
Sonic spikes , panic tape , pinwheels , and motion - activated sprinkler systems can also keep groundhogs at bay . commend to move these products to unlike region of your garden from metre to time so groundhog do n’t get used to them .
5. Grow Scented Plants
Because they have sensitive haphazardness , groundhog often ward off sweet plants likegarlic , onions , lavender , thyme , chives , mint , and oregano . Growing these plants around the circumference of your garden can make Marmota monax less inclined to venture further into garden dustup . you may also use these crop ascompanion plantsfor vulnerable vegetable .
6. Use Live Traps
pin down and removing groundhogs should always be a last resort , as Marmota monax do n’t always survive relocation , and trapping is prohibited in some areas . If you need to hit troublesome woodchuck , it ’s secure to put to work with a professional pest ascendancy fellowship . However , if you ’re determined to trap groundhogs on your own , follow local convention and regulating , and never use poison bait , which can harm non - target beast , such as household pets , foxes , and owls .
later summer to devolve is the best time to trap groundhog , as they are less probable to have vernal at this time . Use an fittingly sized live sand trap baited with food crops , such as apples , carrots , lettuce , or cabbage , and post the baited hole near a bonk groundhog burrow . If you do n’t know where your groundhog lives , watch out for the groundhog in the evening and see where it scurries when disturbed . They rarely move more than 100 feet from their household .
After set the cakehole , check the sand trap regularly so the catch groundhog does n’t stay confined for foresightful . After the woodchuck is catch , cross the trap with a towel to reduce tenseness to the creature , and plow the trap withsturdy gloves . Release the groundhog 10 to 20 knot aside from human habitation . Once you ’re certain the groundhog burrow is empty , meet it with stones to forestall other creature from moving in .
