They're Back....

One of the signs of spring in Southwest Missouri is the Groundhogs or Woodchucks emerging from their winter dens after months of hibernation. Calls are increasing from homeowners, gardeners and golf courses in Joplin, Carthage, Neosho and surrounding communities about Groundhog damage. Groundhogs are adorable and cute when you are watching them from your kitchen window. The trouble comes when they decide to dig a burrow on your property or snack on your garden plants. Groundhog burrowing can do extensive damage to structures and they can devastate a garden. Groundhogs spend their mornings and evenings feasting on almost two pounds of vegetation each day. Your landscaping will not stand a chance against a groundhog invasion. In just a few hours, they can nibble your plants to the ground.

There are two ways in which Woodchucks or Groundhogs can cause problems to property as a result of their feeding and burrowing habits. As mentioned above, they have a taste for flowers and vegetables and they are constantly gnawing which can cause damage in orchards and nurseries, on farms and in home gardens. Damage to crops such as alfalfa, soybeans, beans, squash, and peas can be extensive. They gnaw and claw fruit trees and ornamental shrubs. Woodchucks have been known to gnaw on underground power cables, which can cause electrical outages. Even rubber hoses in vehicles, such as those used for vacuum and fuel lines, have been found with Groundhog gnaw marks. Their burrowing can pose problems in both rural and urban locations. Cutter blades on farm equipment can be damaged from the mounds of dirt at their burrow entrances, and livestock can be seriously injured if they stumble into Woodchuck holes. Horses and their riders can be injured this way as well. In urban settings, their tunnels can cause driveways and parking lots to cave in and rock walls to collapse. Their burrowing along building foundations can cause damage that undermines the whole structure, resulting in costly repairs.

Groundhogs or Woodchucks are widespread across the United States and are a nuisance wherever they are found. One Minnesota county was so fed up with the damage the groundhogs were causing to property owners, and their over population status, that they came up with a solution to the problem that had been reserved for gophers in the past. This particular county put a bounty on the groundhog’s head…well, actually their feet. County residents were paid $2 for every pair of groundhog feet that were turned into a local agency on one particular day. Hunters spent the entire spring killing off groundhogs and collecting their feet to get ready for the big pay-off from the county. Missouri doesn’t have such a bounty, so you are left with either the DIY route and figuring out how to deal with your nuisance Groundhog yourself or you can call a professional. Resolving Groundhog conflicts can be challenging and frustrating at times, so calling on someone with experience is often the most effective way to find a solution. If you have groundhogs tearing up your yard or garden and munching away at your landscaping, give us a call, our trained technicians will humanely remove troublesome groundhogs from your property fast!

To learn more about Groundhogs visit our resource center here.