What Attracts Groundhogs?
Groundhogs hibernate during winter, which means they are on a constant
hunt for food with which to gorge themselves during the spring and summer
months. They will typically enter a crop field, farm, meadow, pasture,
or backyard in search of an adequate food supply. An area that doesn’t
meet their food needs will be uninteresting to them. While they sometimes
will resort to eating insects (like snails, grubs, and grasshoppers) and
worms, groundhogs are primarily herbivores.
They prefer to feed on:
- Tree bark
- Twigs
- Fruits such as berries and apples
- Vegetables such as lettuce, carrots, and corn
- Grasses
- Plants such as clover, alfalfa, and dandelions
Because they like to eat fruits, vegetables, and grasses, backyard gardens
and farms are ideal stomping grounds for these rodents.
What Damage Do Groundhogs Cause?
In a very short amount of time, groundhogs can cause a lot of damage to
a yard or landscape.
Groundhogs dig burrows into the ground where they can protect themselves
against predators, hibernate during the winter, and breed. These tunnels
can often extend as far as 5 feet deep into the ground and be as wide
as 65 feet. Naturally, these burrows are the main source of damage caused
by groundhogs. They can destroy the plant, tree, and grass root systems
in the ground, create giant mounds of dirt, and even compromise the integrity
of nearby structures.
Additionally, because groundhogs eat as much as a third of their body weight
in food each day, it is common for plants, shrubs, and fruit and vegetable
gardens to be destroyed by them.
How to Get Rid of Groundhogs
Once they make it onto your property, groundhogs can be very difficult
to get rid of. Homeowners can try building fences or sprinkling black
pepper around the perimeter of their yards, placing soiled cat litter
in groundhog holes, or removing woodpiles from the yard, but bringing
in a professional groundhog control team is always the best solution.
Humanely trapping and removing groundhogs is often the only effective
solution and should always be handled by trained specialists such as those
at Enviro-Tech Pest Services. Our qualified experts know how to locate
groundhogs and remove them from a property without causing more damage
or putting others at risk.
Environmentally Conscious
Same-Day Appointments
Satisfaction Guaranteed
