How to Control Ground Hogs

Sometimes called woodchucks, the ground hog is cute but can be destructive to your cucumbers, melons and fruit trees during the summer months. The ground hog is a large rodent that is related to squirrels. It lives in underground burrows that are telltale signs that you have this pest on your property. They are vegetarians and cause damage to flowers and many types of vegetables, as well as agricultural crops, including orchards, where they gnaw on the tree trunks. They also climb trees quite adeptly and can damage trees and shrubs because of their chewing or clawing of the bark. The mounds of dirt that occur at their burrow entrances can damage farm equipment and livestock. Livestock can trip on the holes and injure their legs.

Things You'll Need

• Pinwheels
• Weed whacker or lawnmower
• Chicken wire
• Boards
• Shovel
• Hammer and nails
• Live trap(s)
• Gas cartridges

Instructions

1. Watch for 10 to 12-inch holes in the ground around your property and begin your treatment program to keep ground hogs away immediately after you discover their burrows.

2. Keep tall weeds and grasses cut short; ground hogs are timid creatures and need the cover that such plants provide. By keeping your garden tidier, this will deprive them of the habitat these plants provide to them.

3. Put up motion devices like pinwheels, because the whirring sound will frighten ground hogs and they will not want to live near these devices.

4. If none of the other methods are effective, put up chicken wire fences that you sink into the ground at least one foot. Wire fences will prevent ground hogs from passing into your protected areas.

5. Live traps can also be effective. Bait them with the same fruits or vegetables the ground hogs are eating from your garden.

6. Insert gas cartridges, similar to the ones used for gopher control into their burrows. Control using this method can be successful in rural areas. Check at your local nursery supply store for approved cartridges.

Tips & Warnings

• If you use live traps, check with your local authorities to learn the laws for your area regarding dropping off ground hogs in the wild or at another location far from your home.

• Natural predators of ground hogs include foxes, wolves, hawks, eagles, coyotes, raccoons and dogs. Humans are also their enemies, since it is legal to hunt ground hogs in some states. Be sure to check with your local police department before you head out with a gun.

• Poisons used for other rodents such as rats are not effective against ground hogs.