My Barn Floor Has Been Taken By Groundhogs! Dog Hair,…
John Asked
My barn floor has been taken by groundhogs! Dog hair, as suggested in the March 2010 issue, does not incourage them to leave. Any ideas?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hi, John: Groundhogs (Marmota monax), as you know, can certainly be a nuisance and do significant damage to gardens as well as buildings. Groundhogs have very strong appendages and thick claws specifically for digging burrows. They create extensive burrows that can reach up to 45 feet in length and up to 5 feet in depth. When they decide to burrow under a building, it can modify the foundation and make it no longer structurally sound. These burrows typically have several exit holes from which to escape from predators. Groundhogs are normally solitary animals, although in some cases several animals have been known to live in the same burrow. This makes it tricky in terms of eliminating them from under your barn. It is going to be difficult to deter them since it seems they are pretty cozy in the home they have made under your barn. It would be a lot of work to move and apparently dog hair is not enough motivation. It may be necessary to contact animal control or to try trapping them yourself. Havahart makes a live no-kill trap that allows you to relocate them, but you should check with the Fish and Wildlife department for relocating suggestions. As mentioned in the Kentucky Living article, there are many organic deterrents available both in liquid and granular form to discourage these animals. It sounds like in your case they have already done significant damage and you may have to resort to trapping.
