Thank you for your question Ms. Terrell. I'm putting together some information for you, and should be able to send you a full reply later today.

Thank you for your patience.

Jim

Thank you for your question. Other than feasting on flower and bulbs, Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus striatus) are generally not a big problem, unless they are present in large numbers.

If they are doing damage to your property, there are steps you can take to control the population. These involve a variety of management methods including, exclusion, shooting, repellents, poisoning and trapping.

Exclusion involving the use of hardware cloth is not practical for large areas, such as your whole yard, for example, but can be effective in protecting a small area like a flower bed.

Shooting can be effective, but, depending on the density of homes and businesses around your home and local city and/or county ordinances, can be hazardous and illegal. Always check with your local law enforcement agency when deciding if shooting is an appropriate management option.

Repellents are also approved by the state for use on specific species. In checking the 2021 NC Agricultural Chemicals Manual, I did not find any repellents approved for use on chipmunks. Mothballs are approved for controlling moths that damage clothing. They are not approved for controlling any type of wildlife. Mothballs are toxic to pets and children.

Poisoning is used for some species of wildlife management. Poisons must be approved by the state in which you are using them, and must be approved for use on the particular species you are trying to control. In checking the 2021 NC Agricultural Chemicals Manual, I did not find any rodenticides approved for use on chipmunks. Poisons, in my opinion, also carry the hazard of being indiscriminate. In other words, when deploying poisons, you always have to guard against other wildlife, domestic animals and children gaining access to the poison.

Trapping is generally the most effective means of controlling chipmunks. You can use live traps, but according to NC wildlife regulations, animals live-trapped must be released on the property on which they are captured. Unless you have a lot of property, releasing them back on your property more or less defeats the purpose of trapping them. Most people use kill traps. There are different models, but a common trap used is the old standby large snap trap. The same size as used for rats. Again, since you don’t want other wildlife, pets or children gaining access to the trap, you should place a five-gallon bucket or wooden box over the trap. You can cut 2-inch holes in the bucket or box at ground level to allow the chipmunks access to the trap.

Here’s a link to the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management’s Damage Prevention and Control Methods for Chipmunks: https://icwdm.org/species/rodents/chipmunks/chipmunk-damage-prevention-and-control-methods/

This organization is made up of experts from the University of Wisconsin, Cornell University, Utah State University and Clemson University. Keep in mind that any recommendations in terms of repellents and poisons are general in nature. They are not necessarily approved for use in all states. Always check with your state pesticide agency before using any pesticide or rodenticide to make sure it is approved for use in your state. This page provides additional information on setting up traps that you may find useful.

If trapping is not your cup of tea, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has a resource called the Wildlife Damage Control Agent Program that trains individuals to deal with nuisance wildlife. These individuals can provide advice in dealing with wildlife problems and can provide trapping services for specific species. They charge for their services. You can locate Wildlife Damage Control Agents in your and adjoining counties on their webpage at:

https://www.ncwildlife.org/Trapping/Wildlife-Control-Agent

Scroll down the page to the “Find a Wildlife Control Agent” icon. Click on the icon and select the county you’re interested in, and this will bring up a list of Wildlife Damage Control Agents in that county. Not all agents handle all species of wildlife, so when you contact them, explain your problem to see if they work with chipmunks. If you decide to hire one of these agents, you should ask for and check references and verify that they have insurance.

Sorry for this lengthy reply to your question, but, unfortunately, for some wildlife issues there is not a quick and easy solution. I hope this information helps, and thank you for contacting Ask Extension.

Jim