Groundhog Day
go.ncsu.edu/readext?1051774
en Español / em Português
El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.
Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.
Português
Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.
Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.
English
English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.
Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.
Collapse ▲Article and Photos By Kathy Norcross Watts, Northwest Piedmont Master Naturalist
While the groundhog colony hibernates in tunnels surrounding my garden, I’ve been
preparing for this spring’s non-lethal battle to protect my vegetables.
In 2024, I’d implemented my usual deterrents for deer, including woven fencing, an
extra line of twine to confuse the deer’s depth perception, aluminum pie pans that blow in the wind, and dog fur that I vacuumed from my house. I’d even splurged on a spray boasting that it deterred deer and rabbits. I was unaware of the voracious appetites of the gargantuan groundhogs who live beneath our farm.
Apparently, the groundhogs loved my seedlings—of anything—and they ate my squash, cucumbers, watermelons, and cantaloupe—and zinnias, and sunflowers, all three times I planted last spring and summer. They were not fond of tomatoes, though they’d eat them if they’d already cleaned out my other rows. They’d sit and watch as I watered, ambling away when I sprayed the hose in their direction, knowing full well that after about 30 minutes they could crunch away to their heart’s content.
Deer ate my beans.
The largest member of the squirrel family, the groundhog, or woodchuck, can weigh up to 14 pounds, according to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC).They are diligent diggers, and they can climb trees and swim, too. Apparently, our pile of old beams overgrown with blackberry brambles that faced my garden was an ideal spot for their burrow entrance.
When I placed additional dog hair and used kitty litter at the entrance, they simply watched my garden grow from a corner of the horse pasture, where they had another well-camouflaged entrance that led to their burrow.
To their credit, groundhogs aerate the soil when they dig their burrows, removing an average of 275 pounds of rock and soil, which benefits plants, mixing nutrients and organic matter deeper into the soil. Their network of tunnels include rooms that are sometimes shared by rabbits, opossums, raccoons and skunks who move in with groundhogs for the winter to hibernate, and animals ranging from chipmunks, shrews and voles to otters, weasels, snakes, foxes and coyotes sometimes reclaim abandoned groundhog burrows.
Groundhogs were instrumental in helping researchers create medicines and vaccines to combat hepatitis B. They also helped unearth significant archeological sites in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
National Geographic notes that groundhogs hibernate for about three months, but male groundhogs wake up early in February to check out the locations of available females, then they nap another month until mating season.
Groundhogs can be rehabilitated by licensed wildlife rehabilitators. Despite their many benefits and with a sincere desire to be a good neighbor to the groundhogs, I really would like a cucumber sandwich this summer. NCWRC resources confirmed
that my water-spraying was unlikely to deter groundhogs: “Hazing methods meant to get the groundhog to leave the area entirely nearly always fail because, when harassed, the animal will typically just retreat into its burrow and wait for the danger to pass. If one burrow entrance becomes unusable, the groundhog will typically just dig it back out or build another one elsewhere.”
NCWRC offers a few suggestions on how to manage them:
1. I could install a 3-4-foot-high fence of hardware cloth or chicken wire with a 1-foot
underground footer and at least 1 foot at the top that will wobble when the groundhog grasps it climb over the top. An electric wire outside the first fence provides additional deterrence.
2. I could add a wire mesh barrier over the entrance, but I need to be sure they are not in the burrow or raising young if I do. When they emerge from hibernation in March or
after the young are weaned in August are the best times to pursue this option.
3. It is illegal to trap and relocate groundhogs in North Carolina.
For more information, visit the NC Wildlife Resources Commission website or contact Rebecca Craps at N.C. Cooperative Extension – Forsyth County center at rlcraps@ncsu.edu or 336-703-2858.