I put this message under "Greenhouse", but Judy's was my only response suggesting ultrasonic vibrations -- anyone familiar with chipmonks?
My Rion 40 has been up for three weeks, and is full of shelving and pots. Until today, I have been very happy as the auto vents opened each warm day, and all was well. Today,after some water drained from a pot, up popped a sputtering chipmunk from my pebble edging. There were five holes lined up just inside the house, and one shelf leg had sunk into one, and was no longer level.
Usually I try to work with nature, but what will come of overwintering these varmits? Will more and more holes appear? Advice, please!
VARMITS in my greenhouse!
Oh my, sounds like it could be a problem. I've had mice bury kernels of corn in some of my brug pots in the garage, but the chipmunks have never bothered them outside and hopefully they haven't figured out how to get into the garage. I have had mice in the greenhouse and they can really uproot a lot of little seedlings in no time at all.
I have no clue. Isn't there a forum on varmits?
I found it garden foes. I wonder if they would have some good ideas for you Polly.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/pad/
Chipmonks and mice don't seem to be bothering my gh but this year I seem to be having problems with fire ants. They have gotten into several of my pots. I have put fire ant poison on some and grits on others (afraid poison would hurt the particular plant in these cases). But I get rid of them in one pot and they show up in another pot. Sort of like playing cat and mouse (chase) with them. It is so aggravating. They upturn the dirt in the pot. I doesn't seem to bother the plants but I know for a fact what damage fire ants can do when they whittle in somewhere. I use to grow red potatoes in my veggie gardens but had to stop because I couldn't stop the fire ants that would come each year from my neighbors' pastures. The fire ants would bore holes into the potatoes and this would most the time cause them to rot underground. Boy, they are a nuisance plus they make terrible bites on ya. LOL
At least my little critters don't bite! (At least, not yet!)
Thanks for your help ---
I wish I could help you. But my chipmonks seem to go into hibernation in the woods and don't come up near my gh except in the summer and they don't bother any thing then even. I hate rat traps but that or a rabbit hutch might be the only way you could get rid of your little critter. I wish you much luck.
Get a cat!
Yeah poppysue---that may do the trick---I didn't even think of that. I just take my barn cat for granted--I forgot that she chases alot of critters away for me. LOL
The cat idea is a good one, except with all our in house doggies -- currently 6 plus three 7 week old puppies ( I breed and show) - I might repel DH along with the critters. Our neighborhood roamers seem to prefer birds. There are at least five holes, so there's more than one.lodger in the GH.
The Extension agent said to try moth balls, so I'm going to CVS this a:m to purchase. We have many chipmunks all around the house, patio and gardens -- trapping would be non-stop!
Years ago I used fox urine to rid racoons from my row of corn in the veggie garden -- definitely for outside use only!
I had chipmunks in my HOUSE
There were all kinds of signs
The walnuts for the parrots disappearing
pots with seedlings and germinating seeds uprooted
Pots of seedlings coming up as sunflowers...not brugs
Brug seeds drying on paper plates disappearing
We blamed every creature we own
until we were sitting in the living room and Chuck says
"Look at the chipmunk at the sliding glass door"
I walk up to the door to take a closer look....
and he runs across my living room
of course we chased him to see were he went but never found him
The strange stuff continued.....
pots tipped over
husband having a fit about my plants in the house
Till I started seeing them scoot across the floor when I walked in the house
Set up a haveaheart trap and RELOCATED them ,Far ,Far away
5 all together
And I have a cat in the house and had one outside too
I think they were friends
I have trouble with mice and moles in the GH
Put the cat in there and she made a worse mess using the soil in the pots for kitty litter
still looking for good control for them....
I was told years ago to use moth balls in the barn to keep snakes and mice away. It works with the snakes so it may work on chipmonks too.
What happens to moth balls when they get wet?
I am not a neat waterer.....
I'll let you know the outcome.
Hope I can find 'balls" and not flakes. (Did put flakes one year in tissue packages to tuck into sweaters.)
I had a chipmunk problem one year in my attached greenhouse. They burrowed under the foundation and then up threw the gravel floor. At that time, the weather wasn't freezing yet and they would go back outside. I opted for a low tech method over a trap, located the holes, and stuffed each one with a rag dipped in ammonia. Then backfilled the holes with more gravel. I installed a barrier around he outside perimeter (left over sheet metal coils used to contain running bamboo). The barrier was 18" inches down. It worked, but since then I installed a stone paved floor. No more problems!
Last Monday, before I went away for Thanksgiving, I wrapped five mothballs in each of five cages of rat wire, and stuffed them down the five chipmunk burrows in my greenhouse. Tues a:m I checked them before I left, and they had sunk a bit, so I back filled with some of the sand/pepples the critters had excavated. Upon my return today, except for the slight smell of naptha, all seems quiet and undisturbed, and there are no new holes. We have had a lot of rain, and several places have some wet spots, but the moth balls remain intact in their slightly covered cages.
My Rosamond has some black aphid (?) on some leaves - tomorrow I plan to spray with half alcohol and half water -- does that sound like the right remedy?
For all the Brugs?
Moth balls = poison for dogs/cats and their round shape seems to really attract kittens and puppies, as well as older animals.
I believe in Cheyenne peppers for alot of my pest problems. I usually make a mixture of pepper powder, castor oil and dishwashing soap and mix it with water. It imparts a particularly unpleasant taste into the leaves and roots of the plants to deter damaging pest from destroying what I've spent so long nurturing. Also, some stores sell fox urine for keeping rodents away from properties. You may want to research that avenue.- Bagpypr