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#1
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*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
Last summer, we had a chipmunk population explosion in our country garden
and it seems they decided the coziest place they could find to shack up and tunnel was under our ponds, stream liners, and rock-garden edging. Last fall, everybody but me thought they were cute scurrying around the garden collecting goodies for the winter. Last winter while we were inside out of the snow, they must have decided rubber liner was tasty or good waterproof bedding materiel because they gnawed away the rubber stream edges under two bridges after tunneling under it. The liner must have then collapsed into the tunnels and drained two long sections of stream under the snow pack. That was bad enough, but repairable, after I pulled the bridges and found out where the water went on a warm day in early March after the snow melted and exposed the problem. I also found a third, golf-ball sized, chew hole under a third bridge after I started our other stream system to flush it out-still easily repairable-and quickly turned it off, noting the main pond had floated over the winter and under the snow, probably because of the hole. Anyway, yesterday (Saturday) we went out to patch that hole and start that system for the summer and it was almost two feet low! This is a fourteen by twenty foot, .6 mil roofing rubber-lined pond, installed five years ago, and it's never leaked or been this low before! I looked a few seconds and saw a large (baseball sized) hole in an old wrinkle in the shallow end, right at the water line. On further inspection I saw the same teeth marks around the hole as were along the liner edge under the bridges in the other stream and pond system. The *#^!$%& chipmunks had struck again! On further inspection around the perimeter of the pond, I found two other large areas that not only had holes chewed through them, but then had been gnawed completely away and hauled off, probably to line their nests. These shredded areas were over a square foot each and any surrounding creases in the liner radiating from the centers were also gnawed to shreds. The big problem is, there is rock work covering most of the rest of the liner now above the water line and I have no idea how many more holes are hidden there so we're going to have finish draining the pond and completely pull the liner to either patch or replace it after a thorough inspection. On further inspection on Sunday, I discovered something had been gnawing on the now exposed and drying cattail and other aquatic tubers in the now, half drained pond. I'm guessing our excess chipmunk population got hungry because of the excess snow we had in February, to gnaw through the liner, causing leaks higher up first (and I hope at least the original culprit drowned if it flooded his tunnel). This lowered the water level enough for them to get to some of the cattail and iris tubers along the bank and then they started new tunnels through the liner even deeper, exposing even more food and dry liner after the water drained through the new holes and hopefully flooded their tunnels. So, this is a warning to the group, chipmunks may be cute in the garden, but they can quickly devastate a rubber-lined pond if they figure out how to start gnawing along an edge or a crease to drain it. Now, I have two questions for the group: 1. Do you think chipmunks can do the same thing to Permalon? And: 2. How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village? By our sightings, we're assuming we have over a dozen in an area of about two acres around the house, barns/garages, and gardens. Lethal suggestions are preferable now that the gloves are off, since they've already done several hundred dollars worth of damage (even factory-direct wholesale, that 32'x50' special ordered roll of .06 mil roofing rubber cost over $350.00). We already tried mothballs last summer when the varmints started getting thick and I bought and tried a live-trap that only caught the neighbors cat, showing a cat prowling in our garden hasn't worked. I can't shoot them (yet) because the Significant Other has three girls and is afraid their knowing I was planning on assassinating the cute little forest darlings would be too traumatic for their delicate natures to handle (gag!), and we've also got snakes in the garden that I've finally convinced the S.O. to not make me catch and haul off to the State Park, even if they do eat the occasional toad or frog. The point is, I've tried everything I know of to run the little terrorists off, short of gunfire, and some sort of reasoning to allow that with my PETA sympathizing, S.O. would also be much appreciated. RGB Zone 5 (OH) |
#2
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*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
Roger Bennett wrote:
So, this is a warning to the group, chipmunks may be cute in the garden, but they can quickly devastate a rubber-lined pond if they figure out how to start gnawing along an edge or a crease to drain it. Now, I have two questions for the group: 1. Do you think chipmunks can do the same thing to Permalon? yes, unfortunatly rodents love plastic and rubber And: 2. How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village? By our sightings, we're assuming we have over a dozen in an area of about two acres around the house, barns/garages, and gardens. Lethal suggestions are preferable now that the gloves are off, since they've already done several hundred dollars worth of damage (even factory-direct wholesale, that 32'x50' special ordered roll of .06 mil roofing rubber cost over $350.00). try the ultrasonic sound reppelers or a pellet or paintball gun We already tried mothballs last summer when the varmints started getting thick and I bought and tried a live-trap that only caught the neighbors cat, showing a cat prowling in our garden hasn't worked. I can't shoot them (yet) because the Significant Other has three girls and is afraid their knowing I was planning on assassinating the cute little forest darlings would be too traumatic for their delicate natures to handle (gag!), and we've also got snakes in the garden that I've finally convinced the S.O. to not make me catch and haul off to the State Park, even if they do eat the occasional toad or frog. The point is, I've tried everything I know of to run the little terrorists off, short of gunfire, and some sort of reasoning to allow that with my PETA sympathizing, S.O. would also be much appreciated. RGB Zone 5 (OH) -- http://www.kencofish.com Ken Arnold, 401-781-9642 cell 401-225-0556 Importer/Exporter of Goldfish,Koi,rare Predators Shipping to legal states/countries only! Permalon liners, Oase & Supreme Pondmaster pumps Please Note: No trees or animals were harmed in the sending of this contaminant free message We do concede that a signicant number of electrons may have been inconvenienced. |
#3
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*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
"Roger Bennett" wrote in message
rthlink.net... snip 2. How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village? snip Paintball gun? -or- On a garden show (can't remember which) they suggested the only way that works well consistently is a 50/50 mixture of water and human urine. Sprayed on the ground where the little critters are seen. They smell it, and run...apparently afraid of the big smelly predator. The show said the 50/50 mix would prevent any unkind smells. BV. |
#4
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*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
yes, they will go after permalon
warfarin, like for rats. or, get em in a cage, then either use a pellet gun or drown them in ice cold water. of course, you might think about getting an outdoor cat OR, get a male ferret from a ferret farm. they keep most rodents down and ferrets actually can go down their holes. Ingrid "Roger Bennett" wrote: 1. Do you think chipmunks can do the same thing to Permalon? 2. How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village? |
#5
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*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 11:20:12 -0500, Roger Bennett wrote:
How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village? That I do not know, but I've had two ponds for several years around a large chipmunk population. The only thing I can think of that would have kept them away from my liners is the lime-sand mix I put under as a pad. It's about two-three inches thick and gives the pond bottoms a softer feel, too. Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
#6
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*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
In article pan.2003.04.21.13.31.10.348975.25201@WizardsTower ,
Cybe R. Wizard wrote: On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 11:20:12 -0500, Roger Bennett wrote: How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village? That I do not know, but I've had two ponds for several years around a large chipmunk population. The only thing I can think of that would have kept them away from my liners is the lime-sand mix I put under as a pad. It's about two-three inches thick and gives the pond bottoms a softer feel, too. Why not line the hole with chickenwire or hardware cloth? Put some kind of cushion (earth, cardboard, newspaper, etc.) between the wire and the liner to prevent punctures, and you should have a rodent-proof pond. Kelly |
#7
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*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
Sounds like a plan since I'm going to have to pull the liner anyway.
Question is, will lime wash away after a few years, if a chipmunk bites a small hole that just drips for a year or two to begin with? We've had small numbers of chipmunks foraging in the garden since I moved out here, with, in retrospect, only two other gnawing incidents. Two years ago we thought it was a lightning strike, but I now remember the gnawed, toothmarked edges of the hole. Last year, there were several other smaller holes near the bridges and I noticed they weren't burn't looking like I thought a lightning-strike would be. In retrospect, the first hole looked like something had licked all the iron-oxide off the liner instead of being burnt, so I'm leaning towards believing that was a chipmunk hole too. Still, I can get farming grades of bulk lime and it doesn't react with roofing rubber since rubber is chemically inert.I'll try it. |
#8
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*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
Chipmunks can squirm through chicken-wire. Besides, any galvenized metal
decays when introduced to acidic chipmunk urine. It might be a temporary patch, but there will eventually be another invasion from the woods sort-of next door. Besides, any type of metallic, protective lining would only absorbe any acidic urine to destroy the metallic properties. RGB Zone 5 (OH) |
#9
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*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 14:51:48 -0500, Roger Bennett wrote:
Question is, will lime wash away after a few years, if a chipmunk bites a small hole that just drips for a year or two to begin with? My back pond is a leaker up near the rock edge and has been since day one. I can't seem to find exactly /where/ the leak is, but it leaks down about two inches and stays there. There is nowhere for the water to go except through the lime/sand mix and into the earth. There has been no washout of lime yet, but, if it was above ground, say behind a wall of some sort, I can't be sure that it would not lose someof the pad. As long as your liner is underground it should be no problemo. Cybe R. Wizard -- Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P. Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P. "Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y. Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L |
#10
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*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
if you are going to have to remove the liner, then line the hole with
hardware cloth, then something to cushion the liner, then the liner. that ought to work. mad -- "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity". -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =----- |
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