My vegetable garden was just going good when it was destroyed while we were away for a couple of days. Many of the plants in the garden are chewed off or dug up. It doesn’t look like deer damage. We have seen a large woodchuck in our yard on a couple of occasions. Could the woodchuck be responsible for the mess? If so, we don’t know where he’s nesting but we want him gone! K. P., Sandown, NH

Absolutely the woodchuck could be the culprit. Woodchucks (groundhogs) seem to specialize in garden destruction. That’s because they’re strictly vegetarians…and they’re big. An adult woodchuck, weighing in at about 10 pounds can eat 1-2 pounds of plants in your garden each day. Of course, they don’t just eat garden produce but homegrown vegetables are their favorites and you’ve provided a nice buffet for your resident woodchuck. How could he resist? (see How Many Tomatoes Can a Woodchuck Chuck?).

WOODCHUCKS ARE NOT CONSIDERATE GUESTS

Woodchucks aren’t aggressive, they don’t spray like skunks, and they won’t tip over your garbage can like raccoons, but they can cause considerable damage around a home just because of their sheer size (see Damage Caused by Woodchucks). The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Service says that woodchucks “mow down many garden plants, and dig burrows which dry out the roots of trees.”

Woodchucks are the largest members of the squirrel family so they like to gnaw — on tree trunks and sometimes even on deck furniture or siding. Woodchucks often burrow under sheds, porches, decks, or along edges such as stonewalls. Their burrows can be huge, up to 50 feet long and 5 feet deep, with multiple entrances. You don’t want that in your yard!

Check out our blog, Do I Need to Get Rid of That Friendly Woodchuck?, and then give Colonial a call to discuss the situation. We have experts on staff that specialize in humane removal of nuisance wildlife. We’ve been dealing with woodchuck issues for more than 25 years and are fully certified and licensed to do so.