There’s a groundhog in my yard!

The marmot is a fearful animal that tends to flee from humans but often finds, around our homes, the two things it seeks and that it has lost due to urbanization:

• A dark, dry, safe place to dig your burrow
• Greenery for food

As long as these two things are present in your yard, you will have groundhogs! It is a misconception that relocating a groundhog will solve the problem if the source of interest (shelter and food) is still present. Another groundhog will simply take its place.

How do I prevent a groundhog from moving into my yard?

Although harmless, some people do not appreciate having groundhogs in their homes because of the holes they dig and the vegetable gardens they destroy. Here are some tips to ensure that your yard does not become a haven for this little animal.

Balcony, shed and other structures:

You need to make sure that all the undersides of your structures are:

1. Completely sealed, inaccessible and impossible to dig into to access them. So you may have to place heavy stones or wire mesh in them.
2. Open, lit and/or noisy: during the night, install a lit flashlight or garlands and ideally a radio to make the place noisy and bright. Unable to sleep there, the marmot will look for another hiding place.

Food :

The woodchuck likes fresh vegetation and eats a wide variety of wild plants, clover and alfalfa, as well as vegetables when it can find them. On rare occasions, it will eat snails, insects or nestlings that it finds by chance. In early spring, it feeds on bark and small branches of shrubs.

To prevent groundhogs from taking an interest in your yard:

• Do not allow them access to compost.
• Protect your vegetable garden with wire mesh or raise your plants in containers.

Repellents:

• Remove the soil she places around her burrow every day. This could give her the impression that a predator is lurking around the entrance, encouraging her to abandon it.
• The marmot does not like the following plants : daffodils, hyacinths, thyme, lavender, chives and all aromatic herbs. So don’t hesitate to plant some to keep them away!
• Spices like black pepper, cayenne pepper, and Tabasco can repel groundhogs naturally and for a long time. For added effectiveness, you can mix all of these spices together to create a natural, highly odorous repellent.
• Place brightly colored objects all around your land, garden and vegetable garden. You can place some of your children’s toys (preferably ones they no longer use) in the four corners of your garden. Take the opportunity to hang aluminum plates there. The beach ball is also a very interesting solution to scare away marmots. Tie the ball to a rope and place it in the center of your garden. At the slightest gust of wind, the colored ball will fly away and act as a scarecrow.
• Install motion detectors with water jets.

Please note: never block the entrance to a burrow, so that no animal becomes trapped underground.

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