How To Prevent Groundhogs From Your Property

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Home owners who are living in an area where they know that pest animals can cause problems will often look at preventative measures that can be taken to stop these pests from getting on to their property. Groundhogs are particularly an issue as they not only steal food, but they can burrow extensive networks of tunnels, which can undermine foundations and even cause the ground to subside. There are steps that you can take to try and keep these animals away, but it is also important to be aware of your property and to act promptly if the animals do still get into your yard or garden.



Fencing Around The Property

Fencing can play an important role in keeping groundhogs away, but because groundhogs are both strong tunnelers and effective climbers, you will need to be careful about the fence you install. The first step is to try and prevent the groundhogs from burrowing underneath, so dig a trench that is between six inches and a foot deep, and embed the fence into the ground to stop the groundhogs from digging underneath. Because they are fairly good climbers, it is also important to put either a barbed wire or an outwards facing angle at the top of the fence, which should also stop the groundhogs from getting over.

Protecting The Food Sources In Your Garden

A good supply of food is very attractive to any animal, but when it comes to the groundhog they will eat any fruit or vegetable, so being careful about the vegetable plots and fruit trees in your garden will be important. Try to use raised vegetable beds that can be protected with a wire mesh to stop the groundhogs from getting at them, while removing fallen fruit early can also reduce the obvious source of food that may be attracting the animal to your property.

Trapping And Removing Groundhogs

The final step that you can use is to trap and remove the groundhogs, and this can be effective whether they are already on your property or they are living on the fringes. Some states may have regulations about relocating groundhogs, so check these, and then you can choose the appropriate option of lethal and cage trapping. These rodents can be pesky and elusive creatures, so make sure that you are persistent and continually evolve your trapping tactics until you catch the animals. For more information about How To Keep Groundhogs Away From Your Property, you may want to read this guide that I wrote: How to get rid of groundhogs - my main groundhog removal information page.