plundccre

Anyone have any good suggestions for getting rid of gophers/moles? They are eating everything including the roots of my bananas. So far I have tried traps, poison, gas, water, something that gives a bad smell/taste to the soil and chewing gum (recommended by a nursery). So far nothing seems to work well and they are spreading.

momoese

Sulfur bombs.

DoMyOwnPestControl.com: Do It Yourself Pest Control Products, Pest Control Supplies

plundccre

I have been trying the sulfur gas without much luck. Apparently they plug parts of the tunnels and the gas seems to be stopped before reaching them. Either that or there are so many that I get a few but not all and the come back.

momoese

OR......

sunfish

your not gettig any in the traps ?

plundccre

I've really had no luck with any of the methods. I've caught 2 in traps but it is very rare. I've had better luck with them simply falling in my pool at night and getting trapped. I've had to fish a few dead ones out.

momoese

Are you capping the hole after inserting the sulfur bomb?

plundccre

I've been capping the hole and I'll come back a few hours later and see a fresh "plug" where the hole had been.

sunfish

momoese

Wow great video!

plundccre

Maybe I need to try the peanut butter with the traps for better results.

bananimal

Instead of using something they run away from ---- try using bait. Special bait. Earlier I posted about a product sold in Home Depot or Lowes. TOMCAT jelly worms.

It really works. Each time I used it I didn't see tunnels for at least 3 years.

You stick one in each tunnel branch and carefully plug it up without collapsing it.

They grab it and take it back to the nest and share it with the folks for dinner.

sunfish

TomCat Mole Killer? - Integrated Pest Management Forum - GardenWeb

I wonder if you could use real worms and your fishing rod and real ?

tmc2009

I have chipmunks and squirrels and ground hogs. I've had good luck with rat traps and a bb gun. I picked up a bucket from Home Depot thats about two feet tall and 3 feet in diameter. You can fill it up with water 3/4 full and use a shingle or something that floats and put some seeds on it. Place another board up to the rim and put a trail of seed on it. They will jump onto the floating object and fall into the water and drown. Its like a mini swimming pool and they will be easier to fish out. I have an old cement mixing tub that I tip over and put the rat traps under it and slide a small brick under the rim so they can get under it. I think they feel safer when the food is hidden and I've caught chipmunks this year.

ImperialExotics

NICE solution.....

I was going to opt for grenades, but this one won't offend the neighbors.

Magilla Gorilla

Great video Tony! I don't use bait. I use a trap called the black hole. I don't think you will ever totally eradicate gophers. I catch gophers 95% of the time with the black hole.

I also wrap every plant in gopher wire when I plant. It is a royal pain in the ass! Lastly, once I catch a gopher I ram it back into the hole and cover it. I have noticed that I haven't seen repeat gophers in the same area where I left the dead ones. A warning to there friends! Actually, the rotting carcus does help in keeping other gophers away. Use gloves too. If they smell you they tend to stay away from that area.

Good luck!

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Andrew

pitangadiego

Macabee Old Reliable traps are the way to go. They work and you have proof of kill. Start with a mound, and dig up the tunnel for 12-24" till you find the main tunnel. Put a trap in the tunnel in each direction. Cover the end of the hole. 24 hours later you should have an answer. If the trap is tripped, keep digging up tunnel, and reset the trap. Usually one trap is tripped and the other not, so you know which direction to work in. The more tunnel you rip up, the more they have to re-dig. Ripping up the tunnel gets them away from your plants, while you are hunting them down. Ripping up as much tunnel as possible prevents a new gopher from re-using an old tunnel. Set as many traps as you can find tunnels to stick them in. Increases your odds, and lets you know which tunnels are active. Never met a gopher tat didn't die in a trap. Most on the first try, most of the rest on 2nd or 3rd try, and occasionally one is a real smart one, and takes some real work. But they all die.

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TrailGaiter

Thanks for the post...interesting answers. I haven't done anything yet....except set up a "ground squirrel swimming pool" last year...but felt bad about it and stopped.

(5 gallon pail, almost half full of water, seeds covering the top of the water, small board for a diving board, with seeds on that, they "dove" right in and couldn't get out. But our yard has more ground squirrel holes than grass, I swear, and we have over a two acre yard!!! It's absolutely insane. I bought this stuff that's supposed to deter them from digging in beds...it seemed to work, as long as it's reapplied constantly. I bought some poison you put in the holes, but haven't used it. I don't want them to stink up my yard...but curious about those worms someone mentioned....just may give it a shot. We are completely overrun with ground squirrels/gophers.

We also have woodchucks. We have one living under our deck. I definitely don't want THAT big thing dying under there!

sunfish