Oh boy does this work. Hubby calls it the "bucket of death".

I set mine up on July 6th and we knew that we had a big problem with the chipmunks, but we didn't realize how really bad it was till this past weekend.

From July 6th through today, we have gotten 42 chipmunks and I'm still finding new holes dug and damage to many plants.

Since we have started with the bucket and neighbors have asked what it's for, there is a neighborhood of "buckets of death" all over the neighborhood.

Munk update:
I have not seen another munk anywhere.
After my last post on July 06 :we redrum 2 more munks and two more black birds. I started using the left over pool water to load the bucket. My teen says the water smells bad to the munks. I have not bagged a munk or spied one either.
Today, I am doing my paper work in the dining room and I hear singing....chip, chip,chip,chip.
Oh bother. I spotted 2 munks in the yard.
Off to re-fill with hose water and seed.
Megadave you said,"The chipmunks will swim right into the container." Are you kiddin' me? Our munks have deep and long holes with many other escape tunnels connecting. I cannot imagine it working....here. Have a pic of it? I gotta see it!
Littleonefb: You said,"what do we do with all the seeds that are still in the water." I have no problem there as the squirrels bob for them. I load the trap around noon. Catch a munk soon after and the squirrel cleans out the seeds in the am. I start again. You can dump those seeds and the birds eat them, strain them out and dispose of or let them grow into seedlings on your mulch and then weed them out to the trash.
JUST DON'T EAT 'EM!
:p
BTW~ 42!!!! munks? You win!

I got 2 in the firts hour.I made my diving board from some 1x4 approx 14 inchs long with two 4 inch pcs screwed into the middle of the board about one inch apart. SET IT ON THE SIDE OF THE BUCKET WITH SOME SUNFLOWER BAIT AND BESIDE MY DECK WHERE THEY EAT MY TOMATOES AND I WAS IN BUISNESS.......THANKS A LOT.

I'm chiming in here to say that, indeed, The Great Swimming Pool works. I used a fruit & nut birdseed meant for cardinals since that's what we had on hand. Worked amazingly quick- just a few hours.

I wasn't prepared though for seeing the little critter in the bucket. Ew.

The little devils are between the drywall walls in my house !! Any suggestions on how to get them out (without tearing out the drywall!) or methods to "kill them in place" ???

How to fill the deep tunnels and burrows in my retaining walls? I live in a wooded area on a steep hill with many retaining walls. Several retainig walls are three terraces and up to 12 feet high. Between the rocks in many areas, are very deep and large holes. I am told they are chipmunks and mice, and probably a family of woodchucks. I have seen all of these critters when I'm in the yard. I also counted 50-60 holes/burrows in the yard. Some of the terraces are sinking and I fell into a deep hole yesterday. My husband is worried that with some heavy rains the walls in this area may collapse and expose our footings. We have to get rid of the critters, but I'm not sure how to repair the damage and how to fill the extensive tunnel system that exists in the walls and all over our yard. Please help! Any suggestions?
Sinking in Wisconsin.

finally found a way to get rid of chipmunks. they love to crawl up our gutter down spouts ( or wahtever they are called)
take a down spot - 6 feet or more. block off one end. (hammer it together). put in some bird seed. Place it near where the chipmunks feed or nest. eventaually one will crawl in and eat and hide in there.

Pick it up so that the chipmunk falls to the blocked end.

Before you turn it over so the chipmunk falls out, decide where and how and what you want to turn it over into. - depending on how you plan to dispose of the chipmunk.

have caught 8-10 this way.

Sonic devices? Has anyone used a sonic device to get rid of the chipmunks? I have read that they usually have a hole nest of them and so the pool of death seems like it will take a long time and i hate the idea of dealing with their dead bodies.. Plus it seems very time consuming I am wondering if anyone has used these sonic devices? if so do any work? could you recommend a brand?
Please help as the chipmunks have tunneled all over my yard and now we have huge sinkholes everywhere!

WOW! You all have some great ideas here. I have a serious problem with ground squirrels. They have been eating my fig tree roots which doesn't bother me so much since I have a lot of them all over my property and they grow year round here in AZ. Last summer they ate the roots out of just about everything in my garden. I never knew what was actually digging those holes until a few days ago when I saw little Rocky Squirrel popping his head up out of the ground on the outside of the garden fence. He was only about 3 feet away and showed no fear of my cat or me. Before that I was guessing it was a gopher or maybe a mole or something. A few weeks ago it bit my cat on her nose. Now the little guy will peak out of the holes outside of the garden fence where the cat cannot get to him and tease my cat as if saying 'ha ha ha kitty, you'll never get me!� As fast as I fill in the holes in the garden he will dig out a new one. I've never killed an animal before, but now I�ll do whatever is necessary to get that potentially rabid, disease carrying varmints out of here for good. I spent over a $100 on 6 of those sonic spikes to try and chase them out THEY DON�T WORK! Don�t waste your money on them. I have tried filling the holes with water, they just start new holes in other areas a few hours later. I�ve tried tossing mothballs down the holes, didn�t work. Tried dumping used kitty litter in their holes, didn�t work. I don't want to use poison because of my cat and I don�t want to contaminate my garden soil. I'm considering the bucket method with a large trash can ... I just need some input ... will this really get rid of them? Any input is appreciated. Oh yes, your bleeding heart animal rights people � DEAL WITH IT!!! I believe in animal rights to a point, but I still eat quite a variety of tasty animals. Why do you think we have meat-cutting teeth in our mouths? TO EAT MEAT JACKASS!!! And for you vegetarians � don�t you think that carrot is screaming when it�s yanked out of the ground? Isn�t it cruel to decapitate a head of lettuce? Get real, eat an animal, they�re full of nutrition.

Hello I need help with ground squirrel's. They have killed most of my plant's. I like the swimming pool idea
I was wondering if it would work with a trash can next to a retaining wall and fill it with water and sun flower seed's and put a very light board for diving. Do you think it would work for ground squirrel's. It would be when they went after the food they would fall in. Please help. They are driving me crazy. Thank

Our house, located in rural Connecticut, is over run with chipmunks. They especially like playing in the cellar and while I work building a new staircase they run up to me and squawk. They seem to be saying, "What are you doing in my house?!" So, I chase them and try to kill them with 2 by 4s and various carpentry tools. Yes, I used to like chipmunks and enjoyed watching their playful nature and their cute appearance. But now they are invaders that ripped out my insulation, pooped everywhere, built nests in every nook and cranny, scattered nuts and debris everywhere and burrowed holes all over my lawn. Our retaining wall now tilts like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, soon I will have to spend money and weeks rebuilding the wall. Of course I am focused and dedicated to getting rid of ALL of the munks.

First I tried traditional spring loaded rat traps and peanut butter. Well the traps sat outside and inside and only attracted ants, and after a week they started to rust.

Then I tried a Havahart trap # 2025, bought from Home Depot for about $21, baited with all natural organic peanut butter (as glue and aroma attractor) and hearty birdseed mix with corn and sunflower seeds and some other seeds.

While waiting for the munks to find the Havahart trap I found this forum! I read the whole thread like a great novel that I could not put down. And as I read through the thread I was convinced that I needed to build a pool of death. It sounded so simple. So inexpensive, so efficient, and so many people were happy with the effectiveness of their pools of death. I was filled with glee to build my own pool of death tomorrow and hopefully kill my first demon munk.

The rain broke and the next morning was bright and sunny. I walked outside and I was happily surprised to find a munk in the Havahart trap. Yah! I didnt waste my money I got one! I finally caught a chipmunk after 4 days using the Havahart. At this slow rate I might be rid of the munks by next spring. However, the first few days the weather was cold in the 40s and wet with light rain. The munk was caught on a dry and sunny day with the temperature warm in the 70s.

Still I wanted to build a pool of death. Before I took the munk caught in the Havahart trap to be released I wanted to build and setup my pool of death. I now wanted to see which trap worked better. I got a white 5 gallon bucket from the cellar, made the ramp from the ground to the top of the bucket out a six inch wide piece of plywood with the top end cut at 45 degrees to match the surface of the diving board. The diving board was made from a piece of 2 by 6 (5 inches long, top side) with one end cut at 45 degrees. I used to 2 inch screws to attach the two pieces of wood, I predrilled the holes to avoid splitting the wood.

I put the bucket near the top of the retaining wall where the munks like to sit and chirp. I filled the bucket 75 percent with water. I thickly covered the surface of the water with sunflower seeds until there was a dry top layer. The sunflower seeds were bought from Home Depots garden center because I wanted to use the black and white striped type of sunflower seeds. I could only find the plain black sunflower seeds at WalMart, Ocean State Job Lot and a local hardware store. I also sprinkled just a few of the sunflower seeds around the diving board and along the approach board. I put a flat rectangular cinder block to hold down and stabilize the approach ramp where it touched the ground. With that my pool of death was set and ready for the Munks.

Now I was ready to take the Munk in the Havahart trap on a drive to be released in a state forest 20 minutes away; Lucky chipmunk considering the price of gas is now at 4 dollars a gallon. I put the Havahart trap in a large white plastic bag, with the end open for air, before I put the trap in my trunk. Upon arriving at the release site I removed the trap from the white plastic bag. I looked into the plastic bag and saw lots of pee and poop from my passenger, looked more like enough pee and poop for 5 chipmunks than just one. I am so happy I put the trap in a plastic bag for the ride!! I released the munk and it walked away into the bushes.

Once home I checked the progress of my pool of death. All the sunflower seeds that I put on the approach ramp and diving board were gone. However, I saw no floating drowned munk. Oddly most of the sunflower seeds on the top layer now looked wet. So I took a stick and stirred around the bucket to see if a munk sank instead of floated. YES!! I had a sunk dead munk!! In only an hour and a half the pool of death caught my first munk! I do think that a warm sunny day helped, but I am now a firm believer in the effectiveness of the Pool of Death at chipmunk extermination.

Thank you everyone here at this forum. I am SO GREATFUL for your posts!!

I am still using the Havahart and the PoD (Pool of Death). I will post and update after all the chipmunks have been removed or the battle comes to an interesting point.

I have caught 3 munks yesterday and two today..I have only started the bucket plan yesterday and I am very happy with it..I use an old fireplace shovel to scoop the munk out and then I just fling him into the tree patch a few feet away..I am buying a cheap pellet gun to get the squirrels who rob the seeds. Head shots from an open window just several feet from the bucket .I have lived here for about 20years on this property in peace with all the surrounding animals but enough is enough..I also have damage on my lawn and garden. I will wage the war because I don't need them in my house.. I also hear the scratching late at night and they are no longer welcomed..Home land security starts at home!...

Darn Pests eat my peaches when there the size of walnuts. Get the Silver "Rat Zapper" - 4 D batteries, No Fuss, No Mess, just Dead Varmints.

Got 7 munks in 4 days with bucket trap..
I have seen them eat a few seeds off the plank and then jump to the bucket rim and then right into the water with no regard...the squirrels are smarter than that!..
No poison,no blood,no guts...easy..just safe stuff..seeds,peanut butter,water...some have jumped when the plank is placed near the edge and some have jumped when the plank is almost halfway across the bucket...doesn't seem to matter to them...

Caught another 2 today with the same bucket trick..This time it was different..I have two separate buckets for trapping..they were both neglected for 1 day by me not adding any more seeds because the squirrels were reaching into the buckets and stealing the seeds...whatever was left in the buckets were water logged and most were no longer floating..the water was exposed and very obvious...this didn't matter though because the two still went into the buckets..two buckets..two kills..amazing!!..altogether 10 chipmunks that I don't need to worry about anymore to destroy my property in one weks trapping...at this rate,a 20 lb. bag of birdfood sunflower seeds will last over a month..stopped wasting peanut butter too..water/seeds/bucket is all I need

I placed 5 pools of death in strategerically thought out places around the house where I knew monks were prevalent. My record is 12 chips and at leats 15 moles/mice. My cats destroy with extreme prejudice any home intrusion of mice, but, outside, my lanon stone deck is suffering, not to mention my garden. I have never used a ramp. I always place the pool or PoD (yatri's coin) near a low lying shrub or tree for easy access for the little demons. I'd love to be retired and set up a sniper post with a .22 or .17, but I'll stick with the PoD, not to mention my city would just slightly frown upon the discharge of a firearm down range.

My posting of last summer is proof I quickly became a PoD believer, but now I have found a more convenient, reliable method of chipmunk control ... the RAT ZAPPER. With one "zapper" I have eliminated 21 munks in approximately 10 days. It's fast, easy to maintain. I place a mother-load of sunflower seed at the back of the chamber, flip the switch and whammo. One some days I have caught 4 ... it seems as soon as I empty the trap and reset it, there's another one.

Location seems to be very important. Under shrubs and near visable, active holes seems to be most effective. While the bucket works, this is cleaner, more convenient ... no bucket to maintain/seed to replenish.

This bucket believer is now a zapper!

Does the RAT ZAPPER work on mature squirrels?
They are another problem that I want to deal with...

ernie48
YES, as 2 squirrels made their way into the zapper accidently. I have been baiting my zapper for munks and placing it near their burrows. So I can't say with 100% certainty, but I suspect it would work

Here's a passage from a website forum that initially peaked my interest ...
"they work by storing an electric charge in capacitors. The charge is drawn from batteries and when a small rodent like a rat, ground squirrel or chipmunk enters the device and steps on the ground pad a lethal electric charge kills them. The shock has good voltage but is not a hazard to animals over 5 lbs. Like live traps, chipmunks will not get afraid of these devices. They will readily enter them never noticing others that have been killed by the shock. There is no apparent physical damage like that sustained from a snap trap. For chipmunks, bait them with pecan paste or peanut butter and some sunflower seed."

I hope this helps.

Exactly how has everyone configured your PoD? I understand the ramp up to the top of the bucket but am lost as to what size the diving board should be and how you assemble it and how long is the ramp up to the bucket. For something so simple I'm having a heck of a time picturing how the ramp/diving board come together since the ramp is obviously placed at an angle to the bucket.

From what I'm imagining I'll need a mitre saw to make the ramp and plank of death fit together. OR is it enough to just put up the ramp and then rest a board across the bucket, but perpendicular to and touching the ramp to be used as the diving board?

These darned things cost me a FORTUNE last year and are now back and I can't afford professionals again in '08 - especially if the darned things are still finding ways to get back in in spite of hardware cloth, etc.

Thanks for your advice!

Just wanted to chime in - another satisfied Dunk Tank customer here.

I googled "chipmunk in house", found this page, and set up my dunk tank the next morning before I left for work. I put it near the munk's entrance to our house. When I came home, he was at the bottom of the bucket.

No more scratching in the walls! I love home-made solutions that work!

I have a question regarding using D-Con (yes, I'm that desperate): If I leave this stuff in my garden, will the chipmunks bury it in the beds like they seem to do with the sunflower seeds they raid? (I used to joke that I had a chipmunk farmer and thought it was really cute. It's not cute any more!) I'm afraid that they will bury it in the herb & vegetable garden, in turn poisoning MY FAMILY!

I once used D-Con to spike some pumpkin chunks after the munks/squirrels destroyed my kid's jack-o-lantern, even with hot pepper all over it. This was by the front door, however, not anywhere near the backyard garden, and also after I had harvested for the year. It worked great, but I'm worried about putting this stuff so close to where my family gets our food from.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Meantime, I'm heading outside to set up a lovely little "swimming pool."

Check out this useful site for do-it-yourself pest control. It also deals with yard rodents.

The chipmunk pool works and you might not need the diving plank. Found this out by accident when a rubbermaid tub under my deck filled with water after a rain storm. Found several chippers in there last summer. Once I found the first accidental victim I just left it there because it was genius. Didn't even have bait.

When you, um, eliminate the squirrels, don't new squirrels just move in the claim the territory? I wouldn't mind getting rid of the ones in my yard but getting rid of a whole neighborhood's population would be a lot of work regardless of the method.

The theory of feeding them so they police their own territory sounds ok, too. Maybe I'd try that and put a roost for a hawk near the feeding spot.

RE: THE DIVING-BOARD STRATEGY. A couple tweaks to make this method fail-safe. (At least it's working for me now.) First, be sure to COVER the surface of the water with the sunflower seeds--no clever chip will be fooled by just a scattering of seeds. BUT THAT'S THE PROBLEM:: As the dry seeds rest on the water surface, they gradually become saturated and sink to the bottom of the bucket. My solution: Into a cup of dry seeds, pour a tablespoon of cooking oil. Stir well, so that the seeds are completely coated with the oil. Now they are seaworthy, and will float on the surface for long period of time. Be sure to use enough seeds to completely conceal the water.

obviously the people who are using the drowning in the bucket don't have squirrels. I set my bucket up and watch as a squirrel climbed up the ramp and ate the sunflower seeds that were suppose to attract the chipmunks. I am now setting up my bucket under a tree stump that I see the chipmunks running around on. We'll see what happens. The rat traps work but I don't like to take the body off so I throw it away or it disapears. I guess I will go check my bucket to see if anything has fallen in, I will use the oil with my sunflowers. good idea

I'm outraged about killing cute animals!!! This depresses me. When I get depressed I eat. I'm going out tonight and order the "Young Rabbit Special."! Thanks for the advice everyone....

Micah

WAR has been declared.We are over run by the little striped devils.I tried rat traps with little success. I have a neighbor who uses a Haveahart and finishes them off with a pellet gun He go over 60 last season. I bought an electronic trap at the local Tractor Supply ( $35.00) I am learning to use it. Place it on a run they use.Put a soda cap full of peanut butter in the very back. sprinkle some bird seed in front of the trap. They grab the seed then go in the trap and zap. They look like they have been layed out for a funeral. A little led flashes. Turn the trap off and tilt the trap to dump the remains out. I'm learning but I have gotten 6 in 3 days.

Well, I am so over run by chippers I can't take it. They ate about 30 sunflowers, half my garden, and more. I tried the bucket of death...I have 3 in fact in strategic points around the yard. I catch 2-3 at a time near the veggie garden. It's just too gross to dump them out, makes me ill. Wish there was an easier way. Today I heard one scratching and splashing like crazy and couldn't take it, i had to go in the house. I've got my neighbor doing the same thing so I don't have to do all of them myself.

Maybe the zapper is more humane... dunno.

Try - http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/chipmunks.html

They sell a bait that is like crack to chipmunks. They also sell traps. I have caught 23 in the last week.

I too have had a problem with large numbers chipmunks burrowing around my house. At first we got rid of all of our bird feeders but they still came year after year. Even in the winter they don't always hibernate and they tunnel under the snow.

The main problem is that they tunnel under our brick walkway and you find out the hard way when the sections collapse. Usually you can predict when and where that will occur because the holes are obvious next to the walkway and the chipmunks themselves are always quite conspicuous going in and out of the holes. But sometimes you find out the hard way by stepping on a section that collapses. Fun.

When you lift the bricks you can easily see the neatly carved out winding and meandering paths that interconnect various holes surrounding the walkway.

Also, they tunnel right up next to the house against the foundation esp. in the winter to stay warm. If any die there you get to smell it for at least a week. I have dug them up and found the rotting corpses. Real fun. Even more fun if they find a way into the house then die. Yes they do get into houses, not often, and anyone is wrong if they think otherwise, but they do.

I got the Rat Zapper 3 years ago. I use peanut butter in a soda cap in the trap. The first summer(2009) I got 37 of the little buggers. The second summer I got only 5 but I believe it was not working properly past the first week or two. This year I got a new zapper and put it in a location less exposed to the elements and so far I got 12.
And my walkway looks like it will only need one repair this year, fingers crossed.

And this year I have finally begun to notice an increased presence of hawks and owls in our neighborhood. And I spotted a red fox on my front lawn just the other day. Hopefully these guys will contribute significantly to the war and maybe even take over.

Until then I will stick with the Rat Zapper.

I have had 6 ground squirrels dive into the bucket in two days. This is really working - the worst part is when I check the bucket and one is struggling to get out - I have to push it down (with a rake) to finish it off in a hurry. Hate what this is doing to my karma - but they killed my baby desert tortoise and the garden is completely gone except for the tomato plants.

The 5 gallon bucket works great if you bury it to the rim, flush with the ground at the corners of your house, fill it a little over half way with water, throw the sunflower seeds in and enjoy! Forget the plank, bring it down to the chipmunk's level!

I just used the 5 gallon bucket process... it sat for less than 24 hours and nothing seemed to be happening... but then, in less than 2 hours, five chipmunks in one bucket... THANK YOU for posting everyone... your ideas worked great...

Now to watch and make sure I got them all...

Quit killing animals, you bunch of redneck a-holes.

Yup we are over run this year. The buckets are set, one with a balance board instead of a stationary diving board. We'll see how it works. We caught one in the house this same way a few years back when the cat brought one in.

And for all those who vehemently bash those of us who need to cure the overpopulation of Chipmunks, did you know that Chipmunks and other small rodents carry Lyme disease and the ticks that spread it to humans? I personally am tired of getting Lyme disease. Twice in the past five years. Thank you, but my god understands self preservation.

I have read many posts regarding live capture and it is a great idea but not necessarily the best.

I do believe in live and let live attitude to a point.

However, when these little cute destructive creatures start demolishing my home and property then something more than live capture and release or live and let live idea becomes a quest to protect my property and dwellings anyway and by any means necessary.

So, whether it be shooting, poisoning , rat traps or whatever I must do it.

They have literally cost me thousands of dollars in repair costs and continue to devour my property.
They have gotten into closets and chewed holes in brand new expensive quilts boxes of stored food and clothing, etc!

They chew up clothing, insulation, chew holes in walls, tunnel in yard and garden get into vehicles and chew up wiring seats etc!

They have chewed electric wiring in the house sheds and barns creating electrical hazards which are expensive to repair as the circuit needs to be totally rewired.

They are very cute but highly destructive little monsters that need to be destroyed like any other destructive force threatening your home you need to stop them by any means.

Just saying!

I agree. While they are cute little buggars, when they start chewing the wiring in the house and getting in the walls, it's time to go.

In some places poison baits may be illegal because non target animals (pets) and children may have access to them.

Using Mothballs as a deterrent is illegal and mothballs are a carcinogen.

Moving live trapped wild life in most states is illegal unless you are a licensed to do so.

kimmq is kimmsr

I moved 10 rabbits in 1 season. Only thing that stopped me was I caught 2 skunks in a row. My neighbor was kind enough to transport them but that put an end to havaheart.

I got 3 chipmunks with 2 buckets the first afternoon. I did not use a platform. Make sure the water is deep enough or the can keep jumping up to get air.

Trapped at least a dozen this year using rat traps baited with peanut butter studded with sunflower seeds. But recently started hearing noises in our family room - sure enough they are under the raised floor. When I opened the walls I found dirt and rocks these things have brought inside, one cheek-full at a time. FOUR full 20 gallon shop vacs later I have the walls cleaned out...but now I need to open the floor and see what horrors lie below. Hopefully when I start tearing up the floor they will skedaddle so I can seal off all the entrances they have created (found six). Just an incredible amount of damage.

From what I've read the pachysandra alongside my foundation is more or less the perfect chipmunk cover since they can travel around the foundation outside out of view of predators. So that's coming out. And the traps are going up. And hopefully my blood pressure is coming down!

I think Paul McCartney got the phrase correct when he sang "Live and Let Die".

Found this thread in my search for relief. I knew we had a chipmunk problem, but the first day of the Chipper Dipper (Pool of Death/etc.) made from the Homer pail at HD yielded 11 dead chippies. Could not believe it. Today we put out three of them (they're cheap!) and I have no idea how many munks we'll have at the end of the day. But the ground squirrels are back to work (it's Monday and apparently they don't work weekends) and they're sitting splayed on the edge of my buckets eating seeds with abandon. We may need to rethink this one, because they're knocking down my ramps and eating the peanut butter while keeping the munks away, I'm sure. Grrr.

I want to share my experience trying to eliminate chipmunks. I've had limited success with live traps. They were working when i first started using them. Lately I've found the trap on it's side and sprung. Something must have tripped it, and managed to get it to tilt, and then escaped. Rats!!! I also had limited success with the bucket. Started out GREAT, but lately, two huge racoons would come by and destroy the seeds, and any chance of chipmunks using the trap. I just put out a rat trap for the first time, but that got tripped by ??? Maybe the rain? In conclusion, I like the bucket, but how do I discourage racoons? Thanks, Robert

I'd love to hear someone weigh in on this one. We ended up having decreasing luck, too. The big squirrels in our yard found the bucket and perched on the edge eating the seeds. Needless to say, no chipmunks approached. We did get rid of enough that traffic slowed and we haven't seen one in a while. Of course, I'm not naive enough to think they won't return.

A big THANK YOU for the "bucket of death" idea!!!! I have lost a season's worth of strawberries (wouldn't have hurt so much if they hadn't taken just a couple of bites and gone on to the next berry and even ate the green ones); I probably don't need to include the holes there. I thought our drought conditions were hurting a lovely Korean Spice Bush; odd, the other plants are doing well. Since every place else in the bed is open ground, under the bush things are hidden, so I looked and yup, there was a hole. Have been seeing a chipper for a while but never connected it to tree damage. And have been weeding and finding only the outer skins of crocus and hardly any larger ones. And my little fritilaries are down to three. That HURTS! The last straw was hearing noises from the air vents. I live in a mobile home with the skirting insulated. The little buggers are getting in somewhere. When my cats sit at the vents for an hour they are either listening for mice and apparently chipmunks. It wouldn't take them much to get inside here from underneath. I tried snap traps but kept catching birds hungry because of the drought. SO: went out and bought me a bucket and some seed and made me a "bucket of death". And guess what? Caught one first night! I noticed that there were a few spaces in the floating seeds; that's a good indication of a dead chipper. I also checked along the back of my home where the ground meets the concrete slab and behold, a hole under the stairs (in the general direction of said noises). Took a waste basket and did the "bucket" thing again. I used a 2x6" board for the one out front; stuck a few seeds onto the end with PB but those weren't touched. Out back I just put a few seeds on a step. Haven't checked that one yet though. Weather will soon be turning cold and I don't want to share my home with these destructive critters, not to mention their fleas and ticks and diseases.

I forgot to mention that my new neighbor will be feeding the birds (and squirrels and chippers). Wonderful.

My neighbour feeds "birds"........and not intentionally rats ( which have now nested in his shed), chipmunks, squirrels, pigeons,deer. The pigeons roost and poop on my roof,the deer eat my garden,the squirrels got into my roof and nested.....it is now war! I got a havahart trap...loaded it with peanut butter and caught 15 squirrels in 10 days!! Lets just say I do not have a heart any more. When these animals have a constant, nourishing supply of food,they mate more and produce bigger litters. My neighbour thinks there were only 4 squirrels around and thinks they are cute and cheap entertainment! Well his "cheap"entertainment has just disappeared and will continue to do so. I no longer catch and drive many miles away to let them go. I was told that other squirrels will drive them out because they are very territorial. We can now repair the holes in the roof and I will not hesitate to tell my neighbour exactly what is going on. He actually pays a pest control company to trap the rats and take them away. Over feeding the birds has lead to all of this. We only feed the birds in the dead of winter when there are major storms. In spring and summer the birds eat the flower seeds from left over plants and insects found under the leaves. This is my pest control!!

Amen!