Chipmunks should be excluded from buildings wherever possible. Use hardware cloth with ¼-inch mesh, caulking, or other appropriate materials to close openings where they could gain entry. Hardware cloth may also be used to exclude chipmunks from flowerbeds. Seeds and bulbs can be covered by ¼ inch hardware cloth and the cloth itself should be covered with soil. The cloth should extend at least 1 foot past each margin of the planting. Exclusion is less expensive in the long run than trapping, where high populations of chipmunks exist. In some areas, chipmunks are considered protected animals and it is necessary to obtain a permit prior to killing them.
