How to Fill Ground Squirrel Holes

Ground squirrel holes can damage plants and fruit trees and nuts, these squirrels can also destroy building foundations, fences, and leave systems. Apart from creating nuisance to your landscape, they can cause more injuries.

When it comes to ground squirrel holes the first thing that comes to people’s minds is to just take a shovel and stuff all the dirt back into the hole. Not only is this method ineffective, but the squirrels can also easily dig their way out. Getting rid of squirrels’ holes requires certain things.

There are myriads of methods you can employ in filling squirrel holes. You can use a burrow machine which packs a handful of both sand and water into the hole. Perhaps you lack funds to get this machine, you can opt for sand and cement or fine gravel to block the holes.

What Are Ground Squirrels?

How to Fill Ground Squirrel Holes

Ground squirrels are part of the squirrel family of rodents that lives underground and are usually active during the daytime. These creatures are easily identified by their short legs, strong claws, rounded ears, and moderately long tail. These creatures are known for burrowing and damaging beautiful gardens, buildings, and landscapes, thereby, contributing to the farmer’s problems.

Where Do Ground Squirrel Live?

Ground squirrels love grassland and are usually seen in grain fields, commercial and residential buildings, and meadows. Ground squirrels live in underground burrows where they feed, mate, sleep, raise offspring and use as their food storage. The holes are about 5 to 30 feet long and 2 to 4 feet deep, with several entrances. However, other burrowing creatures live underground.

How Does A Ground Squirrel Hole Look Like

Ground squirrels dig holes to store their food. These tunnels keep a wide variety of foods and serves as a stock in preparation for the winter season. This is to say that these creatures will do everything to protect their den to prevent other animals from getting closer to their stored food.

Identifying a ground squirrel hole is quite easier than other burrowing creatures. These tunnels usually lack soil around them and do not exceed two to four inches. However, these dens are difficult to locate, so if you come across one, you should understand that an underground squirrel infestation is gradually approaching.

What Risks Does A Squirrel Infestation Pose?

Although ground squirrels are not as nasty as other rodents, they can pose many dangers to your family, and your home at large. Below are some dangers posed by ground squirrels.

1. They cause many damage

Ground squirrels are known for digging holes and damaging nice landscapes. Just imagine what many holes can do to your home. It can damage your garden plants and fruits. It can also destroy your building foundations, fences, and even leave systems.

2. Chewed items

Ground squirrels are found chewing objects. From woods, plastic, stored items, and even chew electrical wires. Not only will they damage the objects they’re chewing, but they can also cause a lot of damage as he chewed wires can cause fire outbreaks.

3. Parasites

Most rodents even squirrels are known to transmit plague and different kinds of diseases and illnesses. Their fluffy four secretes many dangers. They carry various fleas which transmit different kinds of lethal diseases.

Method Of Filling Ground Squirrel Holes

Method 1:  Burrow blocker machine

An effective and easy way of filling ground squirrel holes is to use a burrow blocker machine. This machine is designed in a way that makes it easier to fill the hole. The machine supplies a mixture of water and sand into the den, then the water gets absorbed into the soil without the sand. This method fills the squirrel hole from the downside to the top.

Filling up ground squirrel hole is easier with the burrow blocker machine. It is also effective because it completely prevents the squirrels from burrowing and eliminates their homes and their food storage.

Method 2: Using fine gravel

Another effective method to fill up a ground squirrel hole is using fine gravel or very coarse sand. Because these particles are unstable letting the hole refill and preventing the ground squirrels from burrowing. Also, fine gravel absorbs water and doesn’t pose any harm to the roots around it.

Another advantage associated with this method is that it can be topped with a little turf or topsoil to make the filled hole fuse together with its surroundings.

Method 3: Using sand and cement

This method of filling ground squirrel holes is great for your home as it works best around your foundation and other delicate parts of your property. Start by stuffing all except for the last four inches of the hole with dry sand. Then pour some cement inside to form a strong cap, while there is still some space left in the cap, the sand will still give in to good drainage. Leave the last one or two inches for topsoil to allow your ground cover back.

Method 4: Using cat litter

If you have a cat in your home, then this method is for you. Getting rid of a squirrel hole using the cat litter method is very effective. Cat litter can be used in two ways, to fill in the hole and to repel. Using cat litter to fill in ground squirrel holes especially a non-clay type is more environmentally friendly and makes it difficult for the squirrel to uncover the previous tunnel entrance.

Another advantage to this method is that the litter is powdery, which means it’s more likely to cave in, it also tastes horrible. Also, the urine smell will penetrate the den tricking the creatures into believing that a predator just stormed in.

Although this method is effective, there are some downsides to it. You must note that a cat must be present to provide great filler material, also the ammonia present in the litter is harmful to many plants. So if you’re a garden owner, this method is not advisable for you.

More RocWildLife

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Conclusion

Ground squirrels can cause many potential damages to your plants and landscape, also to you and your family in general. They carry a lot of diseases that can pose a great danger to you and your family’s health. With the effective methods of eliminating ground squirrel holes mentioned above, rest assured your homes, gardens, and landscape are safe from the damages caused by ground squirrels. Make sure to follow all the instructions mentioned above to finally say goodbye to these annoying little creatures.

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