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Propane Oxygen Rodent Exploder Blaster Information Page Ground Squirrels
By far the easiest method of removing the squirrels and their tunnels is one of the propane / oxygen gopher blasters on the market. Make sure to get the remote units ( as the ones that you stand on the hole and blow up the tunnel under your feet is really scary) They are not a cheap option though. If you have enough property they seem like a good investment. Link here to a page about propane / oxygen gopher blaster Unlike pocket gophers, ground squirrels are frequently visible in the field. they spend much of their time out the burrow, sunning, feeding, or socializing. The burrows provide protection and a place to rear young, store food, and rest and sleep. Their burrow system is not as extensive as that of pocket gophers, but it can be as deep as 6 feet. Ground squirrel burrow systems are much larger in diameter than are gopher systems, and their burrow entrances are always unplugged. Belding ground squirrels come out of hibernation and are first visible from mid-January to mid-February. They breed in late February and in March. The breeding season lasts 3 to 6 weeks. Young are born in the spring. About 4 weeks after birth, the young squirrels emerge from the burrow. Females have only one litter per year. They may appear to have more litters because the young squirrels are visible for a long period, but this is not the case. The fact is that older females breed first and then the younger females breed, thus giving the impression of multiple litters. Litter size ranges from 3 to 12 young and averages about 7 young. Females may live 10 years or more and have a life span twice that of males. When they first emerge after hibernation, the squirrels may eat nothing at all, surviving on stored fats, or they may subsist on foliage. They prefer green foliage in early spring and will not eat seed like grain until later in the season. About June 15 to July 1 some of the adult males go into hibernation for the winter. The adult females begin to hibernate later, and then, as fall approaches, the young born that year begin. Although squirrels are not active for much of the year, they are very energetic and nearly double their body weight in a few months.We have worked to get rid of and exterminate our problem ground squirrels, damaging gophers, destructive voles, prairie dogs, ground hogs, chipmunks, rats, badgers and moles out of our property. They kill our trees, grape vines, damage our houses, levees and cause millions of dollars of damage a year. We explain our experience of how to control or eliminate these rodent pests on your property. We have tried to kill these rodents with many types of traps, poisons, bait stations, .22 rifle, and even a propane rodent blaster to explode them in their underground tunnels.
Control Methods Shooting
Fumigants Before using this fumigant, drag the fields to determine which holes are part of active burrow systems. Treat every hole, because distinguishing active burrows by looking at the location of the holes is impossible. Do not treat burrows until aboveground squirrel activity is apparent. The best time for treatment is early in the season, after the squirrels become active but before significant crop growth has occurred. Applying the fumigant before the young are born in the spring is best. Cover holes after treatment. Reopened holes indicate that squirrels were not controlled or that the burrow system was invaded by neighboring squirrels. Revisit treated areas to retreat and open burrow systems. If squirrels remain active burrow systems can be treated after the first cutting. Do not treat holes in the summer or fall; at that time squirrels start going into hibernation and plug off their tunnels--rendering Magnacide ineffective. The fumigant is too costly and time-consuming to be used on older fields with squirrel populations. Keep squirrel populations at manageable levels by concentrating control efforts on young fields or fields with low infestations. Gas cartridges and aluminum phosphide If you use Phostoxin before March, cold soil will reduce its effectiveness. To determine which holes are active, drag the field before using gas cartridges or Phostoxin. Gas cartridges are often preferred over Phostoxin because they help the user determine which holes are part of the same burrow system--smoke escapes from holes in the same system. Seal the hole from which smoke escapes by stomping in it. Determining which holes belong to the same burrow system is difficult when using Phostoxin. Two holes that are next to each other are not necessarily part of the same burrow system, but two holes 25 feet apart may be. Therefore, you must place Phostoxin tablets or pellets in every hole.
Baits Squirrel management requires the integration of several control practices, each employed at the correct time. These practices include deep cultivation in the fall, fumigation with Magnacide, shooting, and anticoagulant baits.
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