Gophers are very active right now and if you are like me, they are only cute for so long until they eat my prized Manfreda roots or my beautiful blooming CA Poppies. What is the most effective method of ridding your garden of these pests?
Well there are several methods available however I have come to the conclusion that trapping is the most effective and probably the most humane as most of the time the trap will produce an instant kill. If using poison, inevitably the poised gopher climbs out of its hole and the neighbor's pet eats it. Poison bombs from big box stores don't always work because usually the gas is too weak to make it through all the tunnels and I really hate putting poisons into my soil and it's a rather cruel way for the gopher to die.
Therefore the best do-it-yourself alternative I've come across is trapping. Trapping is quite easy and there are a number of different traps out there but they all work about the same way. What counts is how and where they are set.
Here is how to set your traps:
First you need two traps, then probe around a fresh soil mound or between mounds with a long screwdriver or landscape knife until you find a main tunnel. Then dig out the top section of soil so that two traps can be placed facing the two opposing directions of the tunnel. Put a little bit of peanut butter in between the two set traps and cover the hole again. Always remember to stake the traps with an irrigation flag or tie the trap with sturdy string to a stake so they are easy to find and retrieve later. The stakes will also hold the traps in place. With this method of trapping you will usually catch a gopher - or two - overnight or in a day or two.
Dead gopher disposal options are to bury it back down the hole where it came from as a warning to future gophers or if you have scavenging animals in your area that might dig it up, throw it in the trash or dig a deep hole and bury it.
If you don't trap a gopher in one hole, try a different location and start the process again but your best bet is to find the freshest mound of soil and trap in that area.
I learned this technique from an organic farmer out in Escondido and found a YouTube video of this process performed by a professional exterminator: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
So far, I've had 100% success in catching gophers.
Good luck! If you have a question about this or any of our blog topics (or would like to see us cover a specific topic), drop us an email or give us a call.
Well there are several methods available however I have come to the conclusion that trapping is the most effective and probably the most humane as most of the time the trap will produce an instant kill. If using poison, inevitably the poised gopher climbs out of its hole and the neighbor's pet eats it. Poison bombs from big box stores don't always work because usually the gas is too weak to make it through all the tunnels and I really hate putting poisons into my soil and it's a rather cruel way for the gopher to die.
Therefore the best do-it-yourself alternative I've come across is trapping. Trapping is quite easy and there are a number of different traps out there but they all work about the same way. What counts is how and where they are set.
Here is how to set your traps:
First you need two traps, then probe around a fresh soil mound or between mounds with a long screwdriver or landscape knife until you find a main tunnel. Then dig out the top section of soil so that two traps can be placed facing the two opposing directions of the tunnel. Put a little bit of peanut butter in between the two set traps and cover the hole again. Always remember to stake the traps with an irrigation flag or tie the trap with sturdy string to a stake so they are easy to find and retrieve later. The stakes will also hold the traps in place. With this method of trapping you will usually catch a gopher - or two - overnight or in a day or two.
Dead gopher disposal options are to bury it back down the hole where it came from as a warning to future gophers or if you have scavenging animals in your area that might dig it up, throw it in the trash or dig a deep hole and bury it.
If you don't trap a gopher in one hole, try a different location and start the process again but your best bet is to find the freshest mound of soil and trap in that area.
I learned this technique from an organic farmer out in Escondido and found a YouTube video of this process performed by a professional exterminator: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
So far, I've had 100% success in catching gophers.
Good luck! If you have a question about this or any of our blog topics (or would like to see us cover a specific topic), drop us an email or give us a call.
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