chipmunk infestation?

We seem to have a lot of chipmunks running around the outside of our house --and one seemed to be quite familiar with our attached garage today. I'm wondering if we should treat this as a rodent infestation?

Our place has also become Chipmunk Central this year. They are digging tunnels everywhere. I'm afraid they are going to kill my prized rhododendron. I put down Critter Ridder around the shrub and poured lots of the stuff into their tunnels. I don't want to put poison down, so I hope this works.

We have tons of chipmunks. They've never been in the garage, shed, or basement and they've never hurt the tons of plants, shrubs, and trees. YMMV.

Weird. We lived in Maplewood for 10 years, and I don't think I saw one chipmunk there.

Do you all live in Maplewood? I've never seen chipmunks in Maplewood. It's funny but West Orange seems to have a lot.

Yes, we are in Maplewood. In the past we always had a couple of chipmunks. This year they are everywhere.

!9 years in Maplewood - Believe that we never saw a chipmunk before this year when there were tons of them in the early summer (in the driveway, in the woodpile, near the compost, on the deck in the potted herbs...)

There are fewer now, for sure, but the feral cat population might have something to do with that. Still see them occasionally, I think one had a dwelling beneath a slightly overgrown blue fescue in the front garden.

It was quite striking how many chipmunks there were this year given that we had never seen any before.

We've been in Maplewood for over 30 years. Until a year of two ago, we'd never had chipmunks around the garden, but there are some now. I think they are so cute and I enjoy watching them, so I'm not complaining. Just finding it odd that they seem to have shown up suddenly, with no major changes in the immediate neighborhood to explain it.

"Sadly, this is an unintended consequence of the leaf blower ban this summer. As everyone knows, leaf blowers are the bane of every chipmunk. If we ban them permanently, they are sure to run us all out of town!"

I've seen a lot more this year. I'm in West Orange.

galileo said:

Do you all live in Maplewood? I've never seen chipmunks in Maplewood. It's funny but West Orange seems to have a lot.

Just sat on my deck for 15 minutes in South Orange. Three different chipmunks rain under my grill. They are everywhere and quite adorable

I've only seen chipmunks in the reservation and properties in that neck of the woods. They don't seem to stray to the east side of town....or even town.

We lived in Millburn for 39 years and always had chipmunks zipping around the yard and driveway. Now we're in Denville, and chipmunks are even more of a presence. Never had a problem with them, although they do dig lots of holes and tunnels.

Just adding that we live up the hill from the Maplewood Municipal Building and we've had lots of chipmunks. They are very cute.

I'm particularly concerned because a very brief internet search revealed that they could damage the foundation of a house. Not sure how true that is. Thoughts?

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/chipmunks/tips/solving_problems_chipmunks.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

they're known as mini-bears because of how persistent and destructive they are.

Yes, over run by the beasts this year

Google "chipper dipper" as a control method (no, I wouldn't do it...but after they did in my garden, I sure was thinking about it!)

I look at living with chipmunks as part of my choice to live in the suburbs, along with squirrels, deer, fox, rabbits and an occasional coyote. We have a good number of chipmunks in our yard and aside from a few holes we have seen no real damage.

Agree. I've always lived in the burbs. Never worried about the wildlife.

hauscat said:

I look at living with chipmunks as part of my choice to live in the suburbs, along with squirrels, deer, fox, rabbits and an occasional coyote. We have a good number of chipmunks in our yard and aside from a few holes we have seen no real damage.