GROUND
SQUIRREL PROBLEMS
Now
that you've realized you have a ground squirrel problem, they're probably
further along than you think. The destruction and disease they bring
into your yard make them enemy number one!
We have 250 acres
of fertile agricultural land where we grow olive trees and grapes.
The ground squirrels were cute at first. Fuzzy babies and all. That
lasted about 5 or 6 months. We now realize that they're as gross as
rats with fluffy tails! Maybe worse since ground squirrels will eat
other dead squirrels. Nasty! They're not mourning out on the highway,
they're snacking! When we look back at the 25 weekly man-hours wasted
on these things, we wish we'd had this oxygen and propane
Rodent Blaster then! Explode the ground squirrels right out of
their tunnels.
Check out the
Rodent Blaster You Tube Movie
It is pretty funny.
Also
see this link about different products from other company's Propane
Oxygen Rodent
Exploder Blaster Information Page
The first few
years I thought we were getting a handle on the ground squirrel problem.
That was until we added a couple hundred new trees. Apparently they
like the fresh ones even more that our mature trees and vines. The
ground squirrels dig up under the trees, eating the roots. They strip
off the bark of young trees (girdling) which may kill the tree. They
chew branches completely off of the tree.
Obviously the size of the tree dictates how much trauma it will survive.
The ground squirrels dig huge 15-30 foot
long boroughs that contain their winter food, babies, waste, flees,
ticks, disease, etc.
.It's easy to see why we wanted
them gone!
The first line
of defense I tried was ground squirrel
poisoned bait. The oats come in 50-pound bags, and we used 10-14
per season, not cheap. It does work if they eat it, and it is relatively
safe if in the proper bait stations, but squirrels prefer fresh grass,
almonds or grapes. We joke about how they climb over the oats to get
to the trees, but it's not a joke when pets or other wildlife get
into the oats, it's deadly for them as well.
The next line
of defense is the .22 rifle. Fun, but slow, and they catch on pretty
quickly. What's not fun is; smelling the rot and watching them feast
on each other. No kidding.
Next is the "body
trap". These get them coming and going from the active holes.
We used about 40-70 at a time and they worked okay, but you have to
check and empty them daily or you're back to that smelly, not to mention
gooey mess. They're a little risky on your fingers as well, don't
get caught!
We wasted money
on electronic squirrel repellents that supposedly emit noise squirrels
hate. I have seen them shaking their groove thing while eating our
crops. I have also tried liquid repellents like coyote urine, but
country squirrels seem immune, they just aren't that sensitive.
GOPHER PROBLEMS
A Pocket Gopher can kill
dozens of grapevines and 10-15 young trees per year. I probably had
50-75 gophers per acre.
I have tried gopher
traps ( Big pain. You need 2 traps per tunnel, plus you have to hook
a chain to them both or you lose them down the hole! I also wish we'd
known about this propane and oxygen
Rodent Blaster , (picture)
back then! Explode the gophers right out of their tunnels expolder.
Check
out the Rodent
Blaster You Tube Movie . I have one now and love it. Takes about
6-7 hours to make a pass thru the 250 acre property.
I have also tried
poison baits( strychnine and zinc phosphate ). They worked okay, but
are very dangerous to any other animals. Domestic animals will die
if they eat the bait or eat gophers that have ingested the poison
bait.
These gophers
take a lot of time to get under control. They travel at night above
ground and will dig into a new area when they find soft dirt (lawn
and gardens!). You have to get them within a day or two or they borough
too deep and they start damaging plants.
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I do realize that some people find these little rodents cute, and
killing them seems troubling or even barbaric. We were educated by
our county agriculture office, which baits local roads with oats in
an attempt to control them. In addition to their destruction of foundations
of all kinds, they carry fleas, ticks, and in a high enough population,
the bubonic plague. The idea of relocating them is nice, but illegal
due to the spreading of disease. To those who would like me to relocate
these pests , please send me your address and I will deliver them
all to your property : )
Contact
Me
Then you will
understand why they must be killed.