Even if all label on mothballs suggests not to use them outside, some folks have the inner curiosity to know whether will mothballs keep groundhogs away or not.
Yes, using a lot of mothballs on the farm will keep groundhogs away. This action will violate the law which not only harms the animals and humans but also pregnant women and kids. That is why it is forbidden to use outside.
This matter cannot be covered in 3 lines, so I think of breaking down how mothballs repellent groundhogs below. Also, I will show you the reasons why they are illegal and their alternatives. Let us Go!
Mothballs Will Keep Groundhogs Away with Its Odor!
To acknowledge if mothballs repellant groundhogs or not, you should know the secret ingredients that needs to be used over time.
All mothballs are made from strong compounds but use Naphthalene (C10H8). In modern times, manufacturers use two powerful elements which are p-Dichlorobenzene (C6H4CI2) and Camphor (C10H16O).
It flows unbearable air all the way that is what smells do groundhogs hate the most. They left the place immediately after orally breathing the smell from afar.
The tiny round balls contain pesticide and deodorant which is why they smell poorly. FYI, the pesticide holds 80% of herbicides also known as weedkillers that produce the worse kind of odor.
It gets worse as the smell of mothball will not work on groundhogs unless you use it more than enough. The reason is the groundhog has a habit of remembering the smell and it can tolerate any weird scent from your home to 15 kilometers.
So, if you can use the mothball on the end border of land or garden and inside the grasses every 4 – 5 feet, it will work but I will not recommend this. Instead, use double gum on the grasses or borders as killing groundhogs with gum does work.
Mothballs Are Illegal as They Can Be Toxic.
According to EPA & NJDEP, using the mothball by following the label is not a problem. But when you cross the line and invent a new way of using this item, it will violate the law. Other than that, here are a few reasons why it is illegal:
- It is super toxic and harmful mostly to kids, humans, and pets. As it affects when they inhale the gas and smell, this can cause health issues by increasing the chances of cancer in animals such as rats, deer, mice, and snakes.
- For humans, the ingredients of mothball will reduce red blood cells in the body. It will increase nausea, vomit, irritation of the eye and nose, and serious headache based on the level of mothball usage.
- If your kid tends to eat anything from the ground, then this will be a genuine issue that can take the life of children. In fact, it can cause hemolytic anemia in 4 to 8 years old kids and newborns. The pregnant women will suffer too.
- Harming or killing do violate animal rights via toxic mothballs.
Note: Killing groundhogs is not illegal and will not violate the law as they are harmful animals for ruining the landscape.
Exactly How to Get Rid of Groundhogs the Legal Way (Without Mothballs)
Since you cannot use the mothballs on the farm, it would be better to rely on solid techniques. Here are a few ways that I find excellent to keep away groundhogs (woodchucks):
You Can Place Plants That Groundhogs Dislike
There is some natural stuff that groundhogs do not like to smell when in the way of destroying the land. These includes:
- Hot Chili Pepper
- Cedar
- Mint Leaves
- Sage Herbs
- Basil Leaves
- Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm)
- Rosemary Herbs
- Thyme Herbs
- Fresh Chives
- Oregano Herbs
- Lavender Flower
By placing these on different spots, they will avoid visiting your farms. Plus, they will not dig under the fence to get inside the land.
Ask Your Dog to Stay in Land (Just kidding)
From the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the groundhogs come out frequently. This is the time when you might need to keep your dog out on the field so that the groundhogs do not come (they fear dogs).
Also Try These:
- Use vinyl, wood, or composite Frenches on the landscape edges that have a small gap so that groundhogs do not enter the land.
- Try the antifreeze technique although experts forbid killing groundhogs with antifreeze. But a few farmers claim it works.
- Regularly cut and keep the grasses small to maintain them properly.
- Make sure there is no nest, cantaloupe, or any fruit which attracts groundhogs.
Wrap Up
After ending, you know that not will mothballs keep groundhogs away, but they are banned to use outside.
I can understand the suffering of groundhogs as they dig the land and make a way to enter the farm to ruin it badly. Using mothball alternatives will be enough to keep out the groundhogs from your land. Or contacting the expert will solve this kind of case.
Hope this piece of content helps you to learn essential topics with a few ways to avoid the groundhog’s attack. See Yaa!
