How can I get them to come out of my soffit? I tried opening the soffit and they won’t jump out. They seem to be young ones (2).
Chipmunks are mostly ground dwellers and typically nest in burrows dug under pine straw, compost piles, mulch or just the dirt in the ground. That being said, they’ll readily forage up downspouts and drain lines which lead to gutters. And once in the gutters, they can chew holes in soffits and start nesting in the homes attic and/or soffits.
To control this type of problem, you should first try to figure out where they’re going up the home. Once you locate the downspout or drain line they’re using, live trapping them is usually the best method of control as explained in our Chipmunk Control article.
Chipmunks: https://bugspray.com/articles98/chipmunks.html
Now if you’re unsure which of the downspouts or drain lines they’re using, simply set out some bird seed around any drains you think they might be using. Monitor the seed over the next few days by checking it 2-3 a day. And the first seed pile you find that appears to have something taking the offering is a sure indicator something is active you’ll be able to trap and where you should start making a set.
As for which trap to use; the LT5518RD would be best but the GREEN LIVE TRAP will work too. Just be sure to add some PECAN PASTE and BIRD SEED when making a set and you’ll get quick results.
Two other things; using any kind of poison in this scenario is risky. There is a good chance one will die in the home leading to odors and flies if try this method. Second, there is no doubt a readily available stash of food up in the soffit left by adults so any young ones up there can survive for awhile. Eventually this will run out and they’ll have to forage down and find your traps.
Now if you attempt to get them “chase” them out, you may only force them deeper in the home making it impossible to know where they move to and or worse yet, causing them to die and rot somewhere inaccessible. That means it’s best to let them be and trap them as described above.
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Live Trap: https://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/cage/live-trap-5-x-5-x-18
Green Live Trap: https://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/cage/live-trap-green-5-x-5-x-16
Pecan Paste: https://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/lure/pecan-paste
Mixed Seed: https://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/lure/mixed-seed
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