Chipmunks are pesky little rodents that run around your porch, driveway, and all over your yard. But how will you get rid of them? In this post, we researched and found the best possible solutions to help you get rid of them.
You can use many repellents to eliminate chipmunks hanging under your porch or driveway. Use a combination of these repellents for better results.
- Natural Repellents
- Traps
- Regular cleaning
- Enforce fencing or footer
Maintaining your porch will lessen the likelihood of inviting chipmunks. While using repellents to get rid of them, practice a simple clean-up in the yard. We provided more tips in this post.
If you want to learn more about getting rid of chipmunks under your porch or driveway, continue reading!
How To Get Rid Of Chipmunks Under Your Porch Or Driveway
You can get rid of chipmunks in many ways. And as humane as possible. The following are some ways you can explore if you are having trouble with chipmunks on your property.
The Natural Way
You'd be surprised that there are many natural and humane ways to shoo chipmunks away in your area. And surprisingly, you can find these items in your home!
Essential oils like peppermint, cedarwood, cinnamon, eucalyptus, lemon, and clove are excellent repellents. Consider planting daffodils and garlic, as they are also known to be natural repellents.
You can use condiments from the kitchen, such as pepper powder, cayenne, garlic, apple cider vinegar, coffee grounds, eggs, and many more.
A cayenne pepper repellent spray is also effective in keeping chipmunks out of your lawn.
Mix a bit of cayenne pepper and water in a labeled spray bottle and spray around your porch, driveway, or anywhere they nest. This also works with repelling squirrels and rabbits.
Another proven and tested method is if you have a feeder, you can also sprinkle cayenne pepper into the mix. You can also use human hair. Hair has a strong human scent that frightens chipmunks.
Human hair also has properties that make it a good fertilizer.
Using Live Traps
Traps do not need to be deadly. Using live traps that effectively catch chipmunks without harming them is the way to go. Ideally, you should get a size between 10-20 inches long.
Here's what you should do: first, put a little snack inside as bait. You can use seeds, vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. Second, set it up near burrows, plants, or any hiding spot you suspect them to be.
Third, leave it overnight and check in the morning. Ensure to use gloves when handling the cage if there are chipmunks to avoid getting bitten.
Continue using other repellents to keep them away for good.
Check out this live trap on Amazon.
Regularly Clean Your Lawn Area
Chipmunks and other pests love a messy lawn with many food sources. They hide between plants, weeds, piles of wood, and rocks. It would help if you cleaned your lawn or porch area to keep them away.
Start by sweeping out dead leaves, removing weeds, and raking chunks of wood and rocks. You can do this one at a time until it becomes a habit.
This will also get rid of other pests. Remove pots and big rocks close to the area to prevent them from digging under your porch or foundation.
Enforce Fencing Or Footer
Now, if your main issue with chipmunks is the burrowing of foundations, porches, and walls, you might want to install a fence or an L-shaped barrier mesh to prevent them from damaging your house.
An L-shaped barrier or footer is wire fencing around the house. The wire is halfway tucked in the ground to prevent chipmunks and other pests from digging through.
Before proceeding, do a little test by installing a small mesh around the area.
The intent of doing this is to alarm the chipmunks or any animal nesting under your porch or driveway so that they leave the area and you don't end up trapping them or their young.
To cover up the exposed mesh wire, fill it with the gravel or stone you choose.
Covering it with plants will ruin the purpose of wiring it. This is the most effective method to ensure that your porch and foundation are well-protected.
Check out this wire fence on Amazon.
How Can You Tell If There Are Chipmunks Around A Porch Or Driveway?
Before heading on to repellents, first, you must identify chipmunk infestation signs. Chipmunks are sly animals that know how to hide from humans.
But before deciding to get repellants or call wildlife control, here are a few things to look out for to identify a chipmunk infestation:
1. Look For Holes Outside Your House
Chipmunks like digging around the yard, especially when there is lots of vegetation and food. There are two types of holes, small ones and big ones.
Small ones are shallow and usually for foraging during the day while they work. In contrast, big ones are much deeper and more complex to allow for nesting.
If you have a dog around, you might notice them sniffing or digging the holes because they know something is going on too!
2. Search For Footprints
Other than waste, their footprints will be the immediate takeaway. Chipmunk footprints are easy to spot. Their paw prints will be four toes in the front and five in the back.
3. Look For Piles Of Seed Shells
Chipmunks love seeds. And they always leave a trace of shells after harboring them. You have chipmunks at work if you notice this happening in your yard, along with the other clues.
4. Look For Damage
The main reason homeowners want to get rid of these rodents is the damage they cause. Some will tell you that chipmunks do not cause that much property damage, but they do to some extent.
And it's better to avoid these damages by getting rid of them.
Chipmunks will indulge in almost anything around your porch, garden, driveway, and yard. They also dig burrows between your wall and the ground. They eat flowers, plants, and bulbs.
Why Is It Important To Get Rid Of Chipmunks Around Your House?
Some people find them cute and harmless, but chipmunks will slowly destroy your lawn or porch.
You'd want to get rid of them for many reasons. If you happen to have a garden, especially with flowers or vegetation, chipmunks will eat them.
And once they're done eating away your plants, they could repeat this, and it will be hard for you to get rid of them by then.
Burrowing is also a huge problem with chipmunks. It may initially seem harmless since it's just a few tiny holes in your lawn.
But when they get used to owners letting them burrow all they want, to the point that they can dig out portions of your home's foundation.
Another thing is the possibility of spreading diseases. Chipmunks are not the cleanest animals, and they explore just about anywhere they can.
If you have a chipmunk infestation around your house, you risk them getting inside your home and causing damage, such as messing up your food.
They can bring fleas, ticks, and other diseases such as salmonella and Lyme.
What Should You Do With A Chipmunk Inside Your House?
When a chipmunk is wandering inside your house, it's best not to catch them alone. Cornering will only lead to them fighting back, and they may end up biting or scratching you.
However, rodents like chipmunks are rarely carriers of rabies.
When this happens, open all of your exterior windows and doors widely. Attempt to shoo it away so it runs outside. If this doesn't work, call animal control.
You can't let a chipmunk roam around for a long time in your house.
To Wrap Up
Chipmunks get quickly excited over a yard filled with sources of food, which is why they nest under your porch and driveway.
It would help if you started with a simple clean-up around these areas to eliminate them. Only then can you begin with using repellents and traps.
Cleaning up should be a habit, especially if you have a lawn filled with shrubs, flowers, and vegetation. Protect your foundation from damage by using metal barriers that keep chipmunks away.
If your efforts are helpless, call wildlife control as a last resort.