How to Trap Chipmunks
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If you see chipmunk tunneling activity under a driveway or a sidewalk, or you see burrow openings next to the foundation of your house you may want to step in and control this activity. Replacing concrete or paying for foundation repairs and water damage can be costly.
Fortunately chipmunks are very easy to trap. It is simply a matter of finding where their dens are located or locating their daily travel routes.
Live traps
Set a live trap directly adjacent to the active den and bait with a mixture of peanut butter and oatmeal. Place a chunk of this mixture in front of the opening of the trap and a piece the size of a quarter inside the trap behind the trip.
Snap traps
For snap type traps (mouse traps), simply place the mixture on the bait holder and set in the same location as a live trap.
Where to place chipmunk traps
Once travel lanes are located, simply place the trap (live or snap) in the travel lane and bait with the peanut butter and oatmeal mixture. The best travel lanes are ones which follow some sort of permanent structure. Excellent travel lane locations to set traps are adjacent to:
- driveways,
- fences,
- building foundations, and
- retaining walls.
For more detailed information on chipmunks and their control, contact the Extension office and request the publication entitled
Chipmunks: Damage Prevention and Control Methods.
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Amy Keigher
Natural Resources Agent
913-715-7000