Sunday, November 26, 2017

Gopher Trap And Control For Your Garden And Yard

By Carl Hughes


Do you remember watching cartoons of gophers in the garden, seeing the tops of plants quiver, vibrate and disappear? Well, if you love playing in the dirt and building your own garden, you know that those cartoons weren't far off the truth. Because basically, that is exactly what really happens. And if you've poured a lot of time, energy, money and nurturing into your garden... Only to wake up one morning and find your garden destroyed... You come to grips with the fact that gophers are no damn good, maybe it is time to set a Gopher Trap.

Now don't start, telling me to live and let live, that they're cute and furry and wonderful and need our love. The fact is, they're destructive and if you let them get a toe-hold around your property, they will destroy root systems on whatever they can get their choppers around.

Problem is not all they "solutions" are going to help. The biggest "solution" scam are the ultrasonic mole eradicators (also sold for moles). I cannot tell you how many times I have gone to a house with a mole hole with in a foot of one of these devices. Bottom line - don't waste your money.

Another home remedy for the novice I see is to drown them with a water hose. Although not impossible, the likelihood of this being successful is very low. Mole's holes are designed for their safety. They plug their holes to keep light, rain, and predators out and they have many runways in different directions. A garden hose will have a tough time getting enough water fast enough to drown a mole, and it still has the option to just pop out of one of its holes to escape the water.

Professional Help: If trapping and poisoning gophers is not effective, consider fumigation by aluminum phosphide. This chemical is unauthorized for regular use by the house owner, and you need to employ a professional for this purpose.

Just a tip: dig your trench in spring when the ground is nice and soft from the winter/spring rains. Now, mole control isn't fool-proof. These little buggers have been known to dig down up to six feet! But for the most part, it should work well for you. I did my garden with the two foot perimeter six years ago, and it hasn't been breached, yet.

Mole Control for Your Yard- This is a whole different scenario than your garden, but is just as easy to do. You don't need an exterminator, fumigators, poisons or chemicals. You can do this yourself. I call it dirt fishin'. You will need two Macabee mole traps (available at your local diy store) and a small hand gardening shovel. The Mactrap is the one I've used for years, and it works flawlessly every time.

When you see fresh mounds of dirt in your yard, that's a sure indicator of a mole. Take your shovel, and gently dig through the mound, and expose the tunnel. If you find an intersection of two tunnels, you'll need a trap in each tunnel, since you don't know which way he'll approach. Set your Mactrap(s) and put it in the hole, prongs in first. Some pest control people advise you to re-cover the hole, but this isn't necessary.




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