The Do's and Don'ts of Squirrel and Chipmunk Removal

Signs that You Have a Squirrel and Chipmunk Infestation

You can tell when squirrels and chipmunks are near when you’re outdoors due to how many builds they leave behind. Chipmunks build tunnels that are anywhere from two to three inches wide. Chipmunks and squirrels can get into your home, whether it be through your crawlspace, attic, or deck.

These rodents aren’t easy to miss if they’re indoors, as you’ll notice scratching noises. If you hear noises in your home, you might be dealing with a squirrel or chipmunk infestation. 

Squirrel and Chipmunk Removal: The Best Methods

Construct Barriers

Animal experts recommend changing to your backyard area to avoid chipmunk damage to your home. Since chipmunks travel underground, here are some of the recommendations:

1. Create barriers from hardware cloth around your home’s foundation, such as decks, patio areas, or retaining walls, to prevent chipmunks from burrowing into your foundation.
2. Border your home with plant-free gravel.
3. Plant flower bulbs under a layer of hardware cloth. Cover your hardware cloth with soil to allow the plants to grow through the mesh grid.
4. Use a mesh hardware cloth as a protective fence around your garden and flowers.

Repelling Scents

Repelling scents is sometimes tricky to use and find the best scent suitable for the particular rodent. While there aren’t many specific repelling scents for chipmunks, commercial repellents that repel squirrels can also repel chipmunks. Some squirrel repellents that you can find are:

• Homemade repellent – Use one teaspoon of Lysol, three ounces of Epsom salt, and one gallon of water.
• Naphthalene placed around your gardens
• Apply Thiram to your flower bulbs or stems.

In addition, you can also attempt to repel squirrels and chipmunks by using certain oils. Some oils that you can use are peppermint, citrus, cinnamon, garlic, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.

Trapping

One of the most humane ways to trap a chipmunk and squirrel is by trapping and relocating them back to their natural environment. When attempting this method, you should always consult a professional, as some rodents can bring diseases that are harmful to humans.

You should always check your local laws to see how to relocate squirrels and chipmunks in your area. Relocating these rodents is only legal in some areas. For trapping and relocating a squirrel and chipmunk, a professional can:

• Use a trap ten to twenty inches long with wire mesh so the rodents cannot escape.
• Place the trap in high-activity areas such as pathways and burrows. Hiding traps are better than leaving them exposed.
• Place bait near the trap so the rodents can’t retrieve the bait.
• Check the trap frequently and return the rodent to its natural environment according to local laws.

Plant Flowers

As an alternative approach to protecting your flower bulbs using hardware cloth, you can also plant flowers that chipmunks and squirrels don’t like. In addition to peppermint oil, these squirrels don’t like daffodils, allium, marigolds, lavender, and sage.

Shield Your Bird Feeders

Since chipmunks are ground feeders, they will feed off any bird food that spills out of feeders. To help keep chipmunks away from bird feeders, you should:

• Clean up bird seeds regularly
• Choose seeds such as thistle that they aren’t attracted to
• Place your bird feeder anywhere from fifteen to thirty feet from your home
• Perform the same steps to keep squirrels away from your home.

Keep Your Yard Clean

Keeping your yard clean is one of the most essential things you can do when keeping squirrels and chipmunks out of your home. When keeping your hard clean, you should do the following:

• Refrain from keeping food outdoors, such as bird seeds and pet food, unless you’re storing them in a rodent-proof container.
• Remove wood and rocks.
• Keep plants away from your home to keep chipmunks from burrowing into your foundation.
• Keep trees, shrubs, and plants from growing against your home. 

Squirrel and Chipmunk Removal: What Not to Do

If you have a squirrel or chipmunk infestation, you should never attempt to remove squirrels and chipmunks on your own. These rodents can create dangerous and fast-destructing situations, leading to severe damage.

At Master Attic, we can help you remove squirrels and chipmunks from your attic or crawl space area. When using rodent removal services, our professionals will:

• Look for entry points – We’ll locate where the squirrels and chipmunks are entering and decide the best method to seal entry points.
• Rodent removal – We’ll humanely remove the squirrels or chipmunks and return them to their natural habitat.
• Block entry points – Our professionals can block entry points to prevent more squirrels and chipmunks from entering your home.
• Perform remediation – Once our professionals have successfully removed the rodents, we’ll perform attic or crawl space remediation to remove damaged insulation and feces and install new insulation if needed.

Call us today to schedule a free in-home estimate if you need help removing squirrels or chipmunks from your attic or crawl space.