Though it may be hard to believe, chipmunks can become little terrors to your garden or lawn.
Research indicates that the main reason chipmunks will bother our bulbs and new plantings is because they detect the human smell and consider it an invasion of their territory.
If you spend many hours each week perfecting your garden only to have chipmunks eat all your handiwork, you certainly want effective means of ridding yourself of these critters.
Below are some non-lethal ideas that have proven effective for me over the years.
1.
Planting garlic, marigolds, and aromatic herbs in your garden will usually deter most animals and insects, including chipmunks.
2.
Another option is to spray the plants chipmunks are bothering most with a garlic spray mix.
This can be easily made by crushing a few cloves of garlic and mixing them with cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce.
3.
Another aromatic option is to mix 1 tbs.
of lemon ammonia with 1 tbs.
dishwashing soap in one gallon of water.
Spray your garden liberally every few days for a couple of weeks.
Not only will the smell prove offensive to the animals, but it will also deter insects.
4.
I have tried bloodmeal to deter rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks.
It worked pretty well but had to be re-applied after a rainfall.
This method may prove impractical for larger gardens.
5.
If you have a pet dog or cat that is allowed to hang around outside during the day, you are likely to see few chipmunks.
Both dogs and cats, especially the males, will "mark" their territory...
and every chipmunk will avoid these areas.
Though a cat might sometimes catch a chipmunk, the real value of leaving your pets in your garden area is that they simply make the chipmunk nervous enough to go somewhere else.
Good luck relocating those chipmunks.