Trouble with Gophers?

Gophers are non-social animals (except during breeding season) and have a territory range of 200 to 2200 sq. ft.–so one gopher can cause plenty of damage in a short period of time.

Let’s review a few facts:

  • Gophers do not hibernate and are active year-round
  • They can be active at all hours of the day
  • In irrigated areas a female can have up to 3 litters  per year
  • Females produce 5-6 per litter
  • Gophers reach sexual maturity at about 1 year of age and can live up to 3 years

A very important aspect of their biology is that they’re very territorial and will violently expel any intruder.  So what does this mean to a PMP doing a treatment?   If you bust through their vertical runs where the mounds (or holes) are, you’re essentially breaking down their front door.   The question I ask PMPs is “what would you do if someone broke down your front door”?  It’s fight or flight time! That said, probing gopher runs, treatments or trapping should, in most cases, always be 8-14 inches away from the mound.

What about bait selection?

Block baits are a little more labor-intensive (similar to trapping) on the first application, but require less applications because, as a block, the bait lasts longer in the soil.  The seeds within the block remain palatable for longer periods of time due to the paraffin binding the seed and bait matrix together. So there’s no real worry about seed going bad in dry or moist soils.

To learn more about gophers and block baits for gophers visit https://www.jteaton.com

James Rodriguez

Territory Manager

J.T. Eaton Co., Inc.

Direct (818) 640-4587