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POCKET GOPHERS

The Pocket Gopher is one of the most serious and diffcult to control vertebrate pests that the professional landscaper or pest control operator may encounter.

There are a least 5 species of pocket gophers in the west, with Thomomys bottae having the widest distribution, occurring throughtout this area except in the northernmost extremes.

The Damage from these pest are multifold.

Current Control Methods for Pocket Gophers

Box Traps
Macabee Traps
Cinch Traps
Fumigation
Gas bombs
Fumitoxin (restricted material)
Poison baits
Diphacinone
Strychnine (restricted material)

Things that don't work on Pocket Gophers

Electrical Devices
Whirling Yellow Pansies
Gopher Purge
Mothballs
Ground glass
Banana Peels
Wrigleys spearmint chewing gum
Putting bottles in the tunnels
Using a water hose
Using road flares (can be illegal)
Using gasoline in tunnels, then igniting
(very dangerous)

Many commerical vertebrate pest control companies use a non-mechanical gopher probe with a narrow, more sensitive end to find the tunnel. Once it is located, the tunnel can be opened wider with the opposite end of the probe and bait can be poured into it with a long handled spoon or then injected by mechanical probe.

Happy Hunting!