Pocket Gophers

[Melissa]

My 90 yr old friend has been cohabiting with the pocket gophers for 60 yrs. They will aggrevate one another...them moving her plants around for her and she pouring vinegar into their burrows. They have always been a nuisance but she never wanted to do anything extreme to control them...until now. She purchased a new car a few months ago and they got up into her car and chewed and inserted nuts and have done some damage under the hood. She is none too happy and is ready to pull out the big guns. Does anybody have any suggestions. Thank you for any suggestions you can give me to share with her!
Melissa

 

[Kya D]

Ms Mel I missed ya long time no see.
Gopher traps come to mind
I have heard that road flares put burning down the holes will drive them out (sulphur permiates the soil)
Poison in there hole
Some say putting cayenne pepper will help
Some people hook a hose to their car tail pipe and put the hose in the hole and gas them
Well those are all the things I have heard about getting rid of em

 

[RonsGarden]

Well, that is a tough one!
Sounds like chipmonks, since they are getting up into the car!
I'd put poison bait stations around the property! Place in areas that they are known to frequent. Place bait in a piece of 3" PVC pipe about 12 inches long! The pipe is to keep other creatures from accidentally getting into the poison bait!
Another method is to use rat or mice traps with the spring action that snaps their necks. Use a peanut of sunflower seed in the traps. You will know you got one when she hears the trap snap!
Even peanut butter will work, until they figure out that it is best to avoid the traps... of snap the traps without getting caught...they are smart little beggers!

 

[Melissa]

Hey Kya...I was gone for almost four months...been busy...posted some pictures on facebook...but you don't facebook!!
Ron...she tried poison and they picked it up and moved it but didn't eat it...they are smart little buggers. I think they have lived together far too long and love to aggrevate one another...lol!! She lives a few miles down the road from me and I told her not to scare them down my way!!
Thanks for the suggestions...we will have to give them a try. I am afraid she is going to get out the dynomite...anyone see the movie "Caddyshack"?

 

[Jade]

Hubby was commenting on how cute the chippers are, but I rolled my eyes. He asked me what my favorite rodent is, and I just thought of the answer that I should have given him..."ONE THAT DOESN'T LIVE HERE". Whew, I was going to say a dead one, but changed my mind. They are all fine in someone elses yard.

 

[RonsGarden]

I loved chippies when we used to go camping!
But, I would not like to have to live with them year round!

 

[Randy]

I have them here along with moles and ground squirrels. None of them are a welcome neighbor. I just set out four traps for moles this morning. The traps for gophers are just slightly different, but the work the same way. They are called "Cinch Traps". Gophers don't like anything in their burrow, so they will attempt to puch the trap out. That triggers the trap and the two jaws close around the gopher or mole and kills them. If I have the time, I do some gassing. I have a propane fired weed burner I use. I dig around the gopher hole so I have a flat spot to drop some 'flowers of sulfur', then I use that torch directed by the sulfur and down into their burrow. You can see wisps of smoke come up from cracks in the earth or other gopher holes. I heat the sulfur (it burns) for about a half minure and then cover the hole quickly to keep the fumes in the hole. Most people don't have a torch like that though, so the traps are probably the best way to attack the problem.

 

[Kya D]

Mel good luck getting them under control.

 

[Melissa]

Thanks for the advice and I think I can get one of those propane torches...I have borrowed it before to burn the weeds down my driveway....where do you get "sulphur flowers"? I don't know how Jane will feel about removing the poor gopher from the trap and I certainly don't want to do it. I can't even squish a bug. I wish we could just move them down the road a bit but I bet after living there 60 years they don't want to move anymore than she wants to. Is there anything that they detest that she could put in her barn so they stay out of it...and her car? I think she rather enjoys bickering with them over the plants...she just can't let them destroy her car. Thanks for any advice you can give!

 

[Randy]

I got the bag of sulfur from the farm store and it wasn't very expensive. The bag is about twenty pounds which is probably enough to last a lifetime. I doubt though that the problem with the car is from moles or gophers. They live underground. It is most likely either rats or mice that makes nests in the car.

 

[rosy]

Hey Kya...I was gone for almost four months...been busy...posted some pictures on facebook...but you don't facebook!!
Ron...she tried poison and they picked it up and moved it but didn't eat it...they are smart little buggers. I think they have lived together far too long and love to aggrevate one another...lol!! She lives a few miles down the road from me and I told her not to scare them down my way!!
Thanks for the suggestions...we will have to give them a try. I am afraid she is going to get out the dynomite...anyone see the movie "Caddyshack"?

I love facebook I am on there a lot. I enjoy chatting with old and new friends. Maybe you could add me to be your friend My name is Sharon Neale. My hun found away to get rid of squirrels we had a hairdresser just down and she that squirrels choke on human hair. We took some it works.