Chipmunks are destroying our yard and stoop; I have tried trapping and relocating, but there are too many. Any suggestions.

This response was provided by Darryl Coates, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, District Wildlife Biologist.

Good afternoon, Chipmunks can become a problem. Listed below are several techniques. Try more than one of these listed below. Thanks for writing in.

Exclusion:

Use 1/4-inch mesh hardware cloth to exclude chipmunks from flower beds or gardens.

Habitat Modification:

Store food items, such as bird seed, dog food, and cat food in rodent proof containers.

Repellents:

Taste repellents work if applied to seeds, bulbs and vegetation (these products should not be used on plants used for human consumption). Products that contain bitrex, thiram, or ammonium soaps of higher fatty acids work best.

Trapping:

Rat size snap traps or box taps

Depending on how far away you are releasing the animals, they may just come right back. If your property provides the basic necessities: food, water, shelter, and space, it will be hard to keep chipmunks away. Using the exclusion and habitat modification techniques provided by Darryl Coates should help you control the damage. Lethal trapping may be necessary if the population is large. But keep in mind that as long as the habitat is not changed (i.e. vegetation cover and food resources readily available), the property will remain an attractive place for other chipmunks to move into.