There are also commercial repellents available at gardening stores, but some of them are toxic to pets or dangerous to use around children or edible vegetable plants. Shake-Away duplicates nature's design using 100% non-toxic Coyote urine granules. Sure, mothballs’ odor work against some moths and other insects; but the smell and whatever repelling attributes they have are just not strong enough to effectively repel groundhogs. Shake Away Animal Control mimics that warning naturally repelling animals Their main food sources for groundhogs are vegetation, grass, nuts, and small insects, like grubs. Mothballs, by definition and chemical composition, are designated as pesticides. Mothballs work by sublimating, which means changing phase directly from solid to gas without becoming liquid. If your plants are being eaten, try placing a tin pie plate filled with the salts near the plants. Additionally, it’s best to keep the balls in a netted bag or a box instead of placing directly on your clothing to help protect your family from accidental exposure. Though they are sold in solid crystal form, their mode of action is all about the gradual volatility that releases the gas deadly to common household insects. The smells they leave on clothes have become iconic and remind people of their childhood. Some of the greatest myths that are discussed and promoted online are often relating to the type of substances that are commonly found around the home that can be used as animal repellents. Live trapping is a practical way of getting rid of groundhogs without killing them. Drive Them Away with Offensive Scents. This will prevent the groundhog from using that … How To Prepare Your Garden For Planting Vegetables. Sprinkle the pepper around and in the burrows. Mothballs can sometimes work. For most people, their first contact with mothballs is of parents placing some inside boxes of clothes. If you’ve been trying to find ways to keep groundhogs out of your garden, you won’t be short of tips and strategies from well-meaning neighbors. You may need to check with your local animal services department with regards to the regulations in your area, but usually both lethal trapping and using cage traps to catch and remove the groundhogs can both be effective ways to permanently solve your groundhog problem. The holes might not be obvious as groundhogs hide them cleverly by digging under the vegetation; sometimes they even cover the holes with sticks and leaves. When I do see one, I spray their underside with 'lemon juice & dish soap'. Fatalities have been known to occur after significant exposure to mothballs. The idea is that when the fumigants in mothballs react with the air, they give off certain fumes that are irritating to mice and rats. That should be their escape route out of your garden after smelling the litter and thinking a predator is close. How To Get Rid Of Groundhogs Properly If you have pets too, you’ll likely have to deal with similar health issues at the nearest veterinary. Pour it onto their burrows when they are out and this would force them to go elsewhere. Pepper can be chili pepper or red pepper and cayenne pepper. How to Keep Away Groundhogs - Groundhogs are native to North America and are found in the central and northern regions. The home remedies mentioned are non-toxic and can be cheaper. The level of harm it causes varies according to how long one is exposed to them and the concentration. There are certain smells that groundhogs just absolutely detest. CNET. The groundhog leaves the area for sweeter smelling options and no critter is harmed! Use Cayenne pepper, garlic, or lavender – All these have smells that are very offensive to groundhogs. We service over 500 USA locations! How to get rid of groundhogs - my main groundhog removal information page. Operating 24/7/365. * Checking out time. Using Fumigation. You could also place the salt around the plants to prevent the groundhogs from eating them. Get hair clippings from your favorite hair salon and sprinkle them around the places they frequent including in and around the burrows. This is why you need to have a better understanding of whether ammonia or mothballs could actually make groundhogs go away. The steps should help in determining the best way to go about tackling the problem. These and many more issues including the best alternatives to using mothballs as a repellent against groundhogs would be discussed in this article. I have a six foot fence and placed wood about one foot along the bottom of the entire fence and they still dig holes and go under to my side. While mothballs and ammonia are not an effective way to deal with a groundhog problem, there are plenty of commercially produced repellents that claim to be able to drive these animals away. Before you spend a lot of money, always read groundhog repellent reviews. Traps – Consistently trapping and capturing them is a good way to get rid of groundhogs. You can then take the captured rodent far away  and release them into the wilds if you don’t have the stomach to kill them or it’s illegal to do so. In terms of getting rid of groundhogs, No, you cannot repel South Carolina groundhogs using ammonia or mothballs. Pepper plays a very important role to keep the groundhogs or woodchucks away. Repel them. This, essentially, is a very simple solution to a terrible garden pest problem. Trapping and Fencing to Keep Groundhogs Away (Moderately Effective Methods) 1) Live Trap. Apart from being harmful to humans, mothballs are bad news to the environment and garden soil. Pepper to Keep Groundhogs Away. Groundhogs are basically rodents of the family and if you see holes with a large pile of dust then you seriously need some repellents.They are little in size but adult groundhogs range anywhere from 16 to 22 inches in length and weigh anywhere between five and 13 pounds. When you find a burrow entrance on your property, you can pour some mothballs into the entrance. Humans can absorb the harmful chemicals through the skin, inhaling the gases, or even accidentally ingesting bits of the crystals. A mammal may dislike the smell of a mothball. To keep out gophers, groundhogs and rabbits, build the fence 3 feet (1 m.) high with an additional 6 inches (15 cm.) You can use any type of pepper to prevent from groundhogs. Step by step instructions to … Place the clippings in a mesh bag and hold it down with a stake to avoid the wind blowing everything away. Ammonia is also a common remedy but also doesn't work every time. This method works best when you use it in the early spring while the groundhogs are nesting. Other useful noncommercial repellents for gophers include cayenne, cinnamon or hot peppers. While mothballs and ammonia are not an effective way to deal with a groundhog problem, there are plenty of commercially produced repellents that claim to be able to drive these animals away. 3.) Epsom Salt for Cucumbers [Detailed How-To Guide], How to Increase Water Pressure in Garden Hose, Cause eye problems such as cataract or damage to the retina. Groundhogs’ sensitive noses can’t handle the garlic’s pungent smell. Some people try to use regular radio, high pitch ultrasonic sound blasters, and coyote urine as deterrents, among others. underground. Fences – You could use a fence around the garden as a preventive measure. Other plants they hate include rosemary, mint, basil, chives, oregano, thyme, and sage. Gamespot. You need to sprinkle some pepper into the burrow holes and use dirt to hide them. Do mothballs or ammonia help repel groundhogs? In brief, mothballs are not a strong deterrence against groundhogs, and you would be wise to use more effective methods, such as trapping or spraying ammonia. This site provides many groundhog control articles and strategies, if you wish to attempt to solve the problem yourself. Kids do not repel their naps if it’s made to be a favorable point that Mommy or Papa does, also, right by their side. CBS News. Information about how to keep groundhogs away - prevention techniques. Some groundhogs will develop a resistance to the odor and ignore the repellents after a few weeks, as well. Groundhogs are a common backyard pest in Alaska, Canada, and the Eastern United States. Since products differ, you’ll likely have to test a few before settling on the one that does the job for you. This is especially true if you eat any food out of your garden. So if it isn’t advisable to use mothballs to keep groundhogs away from the garden, what are the best options? The combination of the smell and heat that Cayenne pepper produce is enough to chase groundhogs away. Mothballs and ammonia are types of repellents which are sold to people when they are trying to chase away opossums. Rid Groundhogs With Ammonia. Can You Plant A Vegetable Garden On A Slope? And being excellent diggers, they easily create intricate tunnels under the harden or lawn inevitably weakening the ground. Mothballs are made of naphthalene and have a distinctively strong and unpleasant smell. As such, rodents are expected to keep away from environments where mothball fumes are present. They come to my yard and eat the grass and my plants. Groundhog Repellent Home Remedy . Prey animals instinctively leave an area where it detects a predator has been. Admit it. If the oil is poured when they are inside, they’d simply remain there or burrow deeper or further away to other areas of the garden. Then I scoop them with a paper towel, crush them and throw them away. Mothballs act as a nonlethal repellent to gophers, as they dislike the smell. Groundwater supply can be contaminated and the garden plants harmed when they absorb the chemicals. Along with the mothballs and ammonia, these type of products tend to share the same problems, in that the repellent effect is often not enough to drive the groundhogs away from your property. Latest News from. The Theory Of Using These Substances As Repellents Having these smells near their burrows and around the space will send these creatures packing. Why Are Mothballs And Ammonia Ineffective? So it’s clear why people go to extra lengths to make sure the rodents don’t get entrenched. To be clear, no matter how cute they look and what some movies say, groundhogs are a pestilence to gardens. The best way is to seek out the entrance/exit of their burrows on your property. The same instinct to run away from predators works with either cat or dog urine if you can lay your hands on some. Sometimes, the solution could be waiting in your basement or kitchen pantry. The smell of the furs of these pets also works similarly. The groundhogs live there. This means that a simple chemical smell that is affecting one part of their burrow will often just move them to another part of the burrow, or they will simply ignore it altogether. Their burrowing destroys plants and vegetation. As pesticides, the use of mothballs is strictly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). TV.com. Groundhogs hibernate longer in northern latitudes than southern latitudes. How To Get Rid Of Groundhogs Naturally . You would have to replace the salt if rains though. Groundhogs don't like the smell of them. [72] [73] To survive the winter, they are at their maximum weight shortly before entering hibernation. Cat litter and cat/dog urine/fur – Cat is a natural groundhog predator. However, as of now there are no repellents that can chase away opossums in an effective way. Need groundhog removal in your hometown? Liberally sprinkling the salt crystals in and around their burrows will keep them away. ZDNet. Straightaway, the simple answer is no. Pour your cat’s litter in their holes while leaving at least one hole free. And in the case of lavender, simply plant them around the garden. © Copyright 2003-2020 by AAAnimal Control. Groundhog Repellent. In some areas, it is illegal to use traps against them. Groundhogs like to camouflage the entrances and exits to their burrows, so remove potential hiding places by pulling weeds, keeping grass trimmed, picking up sticks, and clearing brush piles. AAAnimal Control is a professional wildlife control company operating in over 500 USA locations. They should never be used except as detailed on the label. 3. But mothballs are harmful to humans especially children when they are used indiscriminately. TVGuide.com. Gas fumigation around your garden is a very easy way to keep groundhogs away from the area. Will Other Repellents Work? chemical seeps into the soil and contaminates the groundwater. Fortunately, you don’t have to look too far to get workable solutions to a groundhog problem. However, moths are not as clever as birds and mammals. Shake-Away Organic Animal Repellent naturally repels lawn & garden animals deer, rabbits, & squirrels. You’ll find many products at your garden center that claim to repel animals. Keep mothballs well-sealed and out of reach, when not in use. Many people assume that because mothballs drive moths away they will also be effective on other types of wildlife. Generally, they contain naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene (or similar compounds) as the active ingredients. Kids love exploring their surroundings and are as likely to put things in their mouths as break stuff out of curiosity. Information about how to catch a groundhog - remove one stuck in the house. They live in burrows 2-5 feet underground, which can extend up to 30 feet horizontally.