Honest to Heavens, I am not making this up! Over the last two years, I invested about $2,000 in an acre (more or less), planting over 1200 (twelve hundred)strawberry plants. This year, I should have harvested roughly 250 gallons of berries. I only got about six quarts, because CHIPMUNKS wiped me out! My neighbor, a vetrinarian, told me the same thing happened to him about ten years ago, on a much smaller scale. Now, a friend who does not want to be identified in any way or form, tells me they have exactly the same problem, although this person sort of lives in the woods; says the family cat killed about ten chipmunks and another 30 or so were killed by gunfire (I think by a shotgun). Still, my friend continues to have the problem.

In any case, my $2,000 investment in strawberry agriculture is literally giving me nightmares, like some Stephen King horror novel, except this is no fiction!

I have very, very little money to spare. My strawberry plants alone (that is, apart from the lack of berries) are in good condition, but the chipmunks may as well be eating up my bank account!

Does anyone have any ideas?

-- Craig Speicher (matstats@hotmail.com), July 02, 2001

Answers

Have you tried talking with your county agricultural extension agent? They usually have a wealth of information on a variety of topics. I hope this helps.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), July 02, 2001.

Would it work to keep a rat terrier dog fenced in the strawberry patch?

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), July 02, 2001.

I second the terrier idea. Or cats. My cats love to hunt small furry things. They even dug up a mole and dragged it home for me to admire.

Two of them used to cooperate in squirrel hunting. They'd trap the poor sucker between them and then take turns eating him (or her). Since one of them died the other one doesn't seem to hunt the squirrels anymore, but grasshoppers, mice, voles, moles, chipmunks, and wood rats - look out!

-- Sojourner (notime4@summer.spam), July 02, 2001.

They are rats, and they multiply like rats.

Oh I know they are cute, and wear a tuxedo, but they are actually rodents and that translates to rats.

The solution that works best for me is a rat trap. Second best a .22 rifle.

-- Ed Copp (OH) (edcopp@yahoo.com), July 02, 2001.

I agree with Gary. Your best bet is to call your county agricultural extension agent.

Where I live, we don't have chipmunks, but we do have 2 species that are very closely related to chipmunks: 13-lined ground squirrels, and prairie dogs.

Both of these are very destructive. The farmers around here gas the tunnels to kill them.

Sounds gruesome, but when your living's at stake...

-- Cathy <>< (trinityhealth@nativestar.net), July 02, 2001.

Craig - You might try spraying with an antitranspirant. It will mask odors and the chipmonks will(hopefully) pass the plants up, giving them enough time to become established. A barrier of screening might do the trick if your plants are already in the ground. Ordinary window screening or fence with mesh 1 to 2 inches would suffice. Put the screening right on top of the plants and secure it. The plants will be flattened a bit but they'll recover in a few days. Leave it on a week or two. And, then, there is always the good old box trap.

-- Melle Jan (janado@msn.com), July 03, 2001.

I've had a similar thing happen to me when we were stationed in 29 Palms, CA. I don't know if they were ground squirels or chipmunks. I had some strawberries with other things in a small garden, but I also had some birds that were trying to eat my berries as well. A plastic owl on a pole was enough for the birds, but a few giant rat traps baited with nuts greatly reduced that problem (almost non-existent). But then, disposal of the bodies was easy since all I needed to do was throw them a few yards away from the garden, and they were gone the next day (I assoomed it was coyotes). And I also had chicken wire fence around the garden which I buried a portion of the bottom. I always new where to put the trap every few days as I'd have a new tunnel. I wanted to put my dog out to protect the garden but she was very distructive to the plants (when they were young).

Hope this helps

animalfarms

-- animalfarms (jawjlewis@netzero.net), July 03, 2001.

Check with your conservation department, fish and game commission or whatever it's called in your state. Missouri has several people whose sole occupation is dealing with animal damage complaints such as yours. They were very helpful when we had a mama skunk raising kits under the back porch and when the foxes were getting too close for chicken comfort.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net`), July 03, 2001.

We also had chimpunk problems. They were getting into the feed. We now have several cats. No problem dont feed them to well and u will be surprised what the catch . I havent had to by nearly the cracked corn i usually . The only problem is that they go after the wild bird to. Oh well cant win them all. Its not like the birds havent been eating all the cherries and blueberries anyway. Good luck!!

-- paul miller (millerclan@alltel.net), July 06, 2001.