Woodchuck Control In The Garden

Since groundhogs climb and also burrow you ll need to build a secure enclosure using six foot wide woven wire fencing.

Woodchuck control in the garden. Groundhogs generally prefer wooded or grassy areas. Lavender try planting some lavender around the garden. A groundhog marmota monax otherwise known as a woodchuck land beaver or whistle pig is a rodent it will mercilessly eat the plants in your garden until there s nothing left and will make holes all over your yard. A good indicator of woodchuck damage in the garden is a few good chomps out of a zucchini or a cucumber.

Woodchucks are strictly plant eaters and like most garden pests feed on a wide variety of species including grasses. To deter groundhogs using castor oil create a mixture of 1 2 cup castor oil and 2 cups of water. Various traps are used to catch groundhogs as well as in rabbit control vole control etc but gardeners are interested mainly in the types considered humane rather than in lethal body grip traps. They can wipe out a veggie garden in an afternoon and devour a planting bed of perennials in no time.

Put the mixture in garden hose sprayer attachment and spray it into areas where you don t want groundhogs to stay. The groundhog shown in the movie groundhog day looks like a cute little creature but in reality there s nothing cute about these animals. Woodchucks are an exceptionally common species here in maine griffin dill integrated pest management professional at the. Their sensitive noses can t handle the pungent smell.

Groundhogs and woodchucks may look cuddly and cute until one moves into your yard and starts eating all of your prized garden plants. Live trapping has the advantage of being permanent without your having to kill the pests. Even the minnesota department of natural resources lists castor oil as one of the most effective ways for groundhog control. Excluding woodchucks from the garden will also keep out deer rabbits raccoons and stray pets.

An adult woodchuck eats 1 to 1 pounds of vegetation daily. The best woodchuck deterrent is a fence. What can be done about woodchucks. How to prevent groundhogs from invading your garden.

Garlic crush some garlic cloves and spread the paste around areas of the garden you want groundhogs to avoid. For gardeners in maine one such threat is the woodchuck. The next day we grumble as he makes a meal of our carefully planted garden or digs up the yard. While it smells lovely to us groundhogs find it offensive and avoid the areas where it is.