How to keep chipmunks out of my garden in Massachusetts | Chipmunk

How to keep chipmunks out of my garden

Chipmunks prefer seeds and berries, but in the spring, when their preferred foods are in short supply, they will gladly eat flower bulbs and young shoots. To protect your garden from chipmunks:

  • Avoid planting ground cover, flowers, and trees that connect wooded areas with the flower plantings and gardens
  • If you are planting bulbs, use ΒΌ-inch wire mesh hardware cloth to exclude chipmunks from flower beds
    • Cover both seeds and bulbs with the mesh, then cover the mesh with soil
    • Remove the mesh only after the bulbs germinate
    • You can also cover the flower bed with wire mesh large enough for the flowers to grow through
  • Repellents containing capsaicin, Bitrex, thiram, or ammonium soaps of fatty acids may be used on bulbs, seeds and foliage of plants not intended for human consumption. Multiple applications are required.
  • Eliminate cover by remove all nearby brush piles, stumps, and debris.

Laws and regulations to be aware of

While we attempt to provide guidance about state and federal regulations pertaining to specific species and control techniques, we do not provide information about local jurisdictions (city, town, county, etc.) where regulations may be more restrictive, especially as it applies to discharge of firearms, transport of animals or use of trapping equipment. Contact your local city or county government to inquire further. No guarantee is made that information (or lack of information) associated with a species or control technique is completely accurate or current. You should become familiar with federal, state and local laws before beginning any wildlife control activities.

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