They Might Be Cute, But Chipmunks Do a Lot of Damage—How to Keep Them Out of Your Yard

Chipmunks may be among the cutest garden wildlife, but they can be as big a nuisance as some of their fellow rodents. And if you’ve lost a garden full of tulip bulbs or tomatoes to them, you’re probably not thinking of them too fondly.

“Chipmunks are just adorable, but they don’t know how to behave very well in the garden,” says Theresa Rooney, a Minnesota master gardener and the author of The Guide to Humane Critter Control: Natural, Nontoxic Pest Solutions to Protect Your Yard and Garden. “It’s really, really hard to deal with them. They can get up and climb trees, dig tremendous tunnels with multiple entrances. They can get under and around things, and they’re so active.”

So how do you keep these cuties from wreaking havoc in your garden? Learn how to spot them and what you can do to secure your garden from these cheeky little invaders.

Signs You Have Chipmunks in Your Yard

Because they’re so speedy and tiny, you may not always see the chipmunks when they’re in your garden. But you’ll often find other evidence that they’re there.

Chewed spots on wood or wiring

“Rodent teeth never stop growing, so they have to chew to prevent them from becoming too long or sharp,” says Roger Dickens, technical service manager for Terminix. “Since chipmunks are small enough, they can sometimes crawl into the hood of your car and chew up the wiring.”

Holes in your garden

You may spot a tiny hole or two—which leads to a larger network of tunnels, often with five or six entrances and exits, Rooney says. Those tunnels may help aerate the soil, but they can also wreak havoc. “Chipmunks build burrows where they raise their young, which can damage a yard, flower beds, or gardens, especially under paver walkways and patios or decorative stone walls,” Dickens says. 

Missing or damaged plants and flowers

Perhaps the most common indication that you’re dealing with chipmunks is the loss of certain types of plants. “They can be a nuisance in your yard or garden, eating fruit, vegetables, birdseed, and chewing tree bark,” Dickens says.

You may even find that they’ll opt for pits and seeds of fruits, rather than the fruit itself. Rooney says she finds the flesh of apricots from her tree intact, but the seeds and pits taken out and eaten.

Why Chipmunks Are Attracted to Your Yard or Garden

Generally, your garden will be enticing if it offers safe places to burrow without the risk of raptors or other predators and easy sources of food and water, Rooney says. In particular, nut trees or other sources of nuts and seeds are a big hit with them, as are fruits and some vegetables.

Humane Ways to Get Rid of Chipmunks From Your Yard or Garden

To get rid of chipmunks humanely, focus on strategies that make your yard really unattractive to these critters. This may take a bit of trial and error since they’re so wily, Rooney says. “If one thing doesn’t work, we didn’t fail—we’re just narrowing down the possibilities of finding the right answer.” It may take a mix of different strategies to keep the chipmunks out of your garden.

Plant things that they don’t like

Some bulbs—such as daffodils, grape hyacinth, and snowdrops—are unpopular or even poisonous to wildlife, so they tend to be left undisturbed by squirrels, chipmunks, and other critters. Rooney also recommends planting very fragrant herbs, ornamental grasses, or geranium, which chipmunks don’t love and can actually mask the smell of more attractive plants to keep chipmunks at bay.

Add spray-on or pellet deterrents

You’ll find an array of different chipmunk deterrents that use potent smells like cayenne pepper, peppermint, garlic, or even predator urine or blood meal that you can spray on or place pellets near your plants. Check the label to see how often you need to reapply—as you may need to respray your garden after rainfall or a heavy watering session.

Be especially careful if you’re using these deterrents near your edible plants. Some sprays and pellets contain chemicals that could be drawn in by the plant roots or end up on the produce itself that could be unhealthy for you to eat.

You may also want to give your home’s foundation a quick squirt of deterrent if you have a very active chipmunk population. While it’s not their first choice of shelter, they may take up residence inside your home, especially during the colder months, Rooney says.

Bring in some backup

Go out and enjoy your garden frequently, and bring your pets, as the noise and activity could keep chipmunks from pillaging your plants. You can also make your garden enticing to raptors and other predators by setting up an owl house or otherwise attracting these animals.

Create some other deterrents

People have had some luck with pie tins on string that create visual and audible chaos for chipmunks, owl statues, or even using motion-detecting sprinklers or water sprayers. (Chipmunks don’t like to get wet.)

Rooney recommends moving these types of deterrents frequently to keep the chipmunks on their toes, as they’ll eventually come to realize that the pie tins aren’t a threat if they’re in the same spot for too long.

Keep your plants undercover

Hardware cloth has a fine enough netting that it’ll keep pretty much every critter from squirrels to chipmunks away from the plants you protect with it, Rooney says. Because chipmunks are expert diggers and climbers, you’ll need to place the hardware cloth so that it keeps them from digging around it or climbing over it.

If you’re setting up a new raised bed, you can lay down hardware cloth first, then add the garden soil on top, so your plant can still establish roots and animals can’t get in from below. You’ll need to set more hardware cloth up above ground, so that it protects the plants themselves and keeps chipmunks from climbing in from above.

For containers, place a saucer or hardware cloth beneath it, as chipmunks can tunnel up through the drain holes, and place hardware cloth on top to avoid them climbing in that way.

When you’re planting fall bulbs like tulips, which chipmunks love, you can wrap them in some steel wool to protect them, or spray the bulbs with a liquid chipmunk deterrent, Rooney says. (Just be sure to let the bulbs dry before you plant them.)

Empty out your bird feeder

If the chipmunks aren’t feasting on your plants and produce, they’re probably absolutely thrilled about the nuts and seeds that are dropping from your bird feeder. And if you aren’t placing your bird feeder where it’s safe from non-flying critters, they may be climbing up to enjoy the goodies straight from the source.

Make a chipmunk haven elsewhere on your property

If you have enough room in your yard, set up an area with sunflower seeds and water that’s far away from the plants that you want to protect, Rooney says. If you keep that well stocked, your fruits and veggies may go unscathed.

Consider calling in a pro

If none of these suggestions work, you may be tempted to DIY some more drastic ideas. “Some people try to take matters into their own hands and remove the chipmunks from their property with bait and traps,” Dickens says. “While this may seem harmless, we recommend using a professional who uses safe, effective, and humane removal techniques that respect local wildlife laws.”

They can help you set up a plan to deter the chipmunks—and help your garden grow and thrive.