Do mothballs or ammonia help repel groundhogs?

The idea to use ammonia or mothballs for a groundhog repellent has been used by many homeowners. However, it is not that simple to get rid of them using such a repellent. Some people even use predator urine and use it as a spray. Does it really work?

Well, the truth is no expert will recommend you to use mothballs or ammonia because it is completely a waste of time. By the time the odor fades, you will no longer have any other defense for your property. This is why you need to have a better understanding of whether ammonia or mothballs could actually make groundhogs go away.

Countless homeowners apply the technique only to quickly realize it is not working. And fortunately you still have many other ways to deal with groundhogs besides using repellents like mothballs.

The nuisance concern should be addressed using what we call a trap! Yes, trapping and removing the animal is the best way to deal with this concern because when you want it to be out of your property, you really want the animal to be completely gone without damaging fences or burrows or even leaving a trace.

Groundhogs feed on vegetables and this is troublesome when you have a garden on your property. You will need to protect your yard so they won’t destroy anything. Mothballs and ammonia will not be very effective in doing this. Poison is not an ideal method either. Groundhogs are not a rat that you can poison and hope to leave it dead. They may contain rabies that could be harmful for you and your pets. When you use this kind of lethal killing method, you only make the area messy and expose yourself to health risks.

If you try to use ammonia or mothballs and find that it is not working, it is necessary to purchase a live trap to remove the groundhogs under your shed or on your property. A live trap is easy to set up and assemble and it is also a humane way to catch groundhogs. It is unappealing to kill the animal, so you may want to let the animal removal service handle the problem. Temporary fencing might also do the trick to help you get rid of groundhogs. Whatever you decide to use for your groundhog problem, make sure that it adheres to your state regulations.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Groundhogs page or email us if you have any other questions about Do mothballs or ammonia help repel groundhogs?