Let me say right off the top that I’m an animal lover. I own two
dogs, six goldfish and more pets have gone to
”
animal heaven
”
than I can count. With that said, let it be known that I have
declared war against one animal
– gophers.
Let me say right off the top that I’m an animal lover. I own two dogs, six goldfish and more pets have gone to “animal heaven” than I can count. With that said, let it be known that I have declared war against one animal – gophers.
To classify gophers as “animals” is even a stretch. I prefer to think of gophers as “underground terrorists.” Anyone who has seen a favorite plant virtually disappear before their horrified eyes – leaves, stems, flowers and all – will turn into The Terminator when it comes to these buck-toothed garden pests. Gavilan College in Gilroy recently resodded their football field in large part because of damage from gophers.
Of course, there’s a myriad of garden products to get these underground critters. Everything from poison bait, smoke bombs to old-time remedies, such as already-chewed Juicy Fruit gum and flooding them out with water. There’s also natural deterrents, such as Klippity-Klops, a wooden windmill like device that turns in the wind, as well as the newer ultra-sonic devices that emit sound waves that scare gophers a way.
Yet, any serious “war” against gophers usually results in the use of traps. One of the oldest gopher traps around was developed by Zephyr Macabee, a barber, in nearby Los Gatos in the late 1800s. Amazingly, the McAbee trap is still being made by an ancestor of Macabee in nearby La Selva Beach. The trap, retailing for around $8, is a best seller at hardware stores everywhere.
There are specific tricks to increase your chances of trapping success. For instance, with the McAbee trap, it’s best not to simply place a single trap just inside a gopher hole and expect to meet success. Instead, the gopher’s main tunnel should be found. Use a long, thin metal probe of some sort for this task. A pitch fork is ideal since the blades are thin enough to press easily into the ground. It’ll do the job, too, since most tunnels are just six inches below the surface.
Choose an area between two fresh mounds to do your probing. When the mounds yield to pressure, you’ve found it. Dig down to expose the run and set two traps — one on either side of the main tunnel. Attach each trap to a stake with wire, string or a chain so the gopher won’t take your trap with it. Next, entice the gopher by adding carrots, grain or sweet potatoes. One gardener friend rubs a little mint or rosemary over the traps to disguise any human scent. He brags that he can catch a gopher within 24 hours. Finally, cover the excavation site with a board, filling in the edges with soil to block out all light. If gophers see any light in the tunnel, they’ll immediately fill it with dirt, burying the traps.
If you don’t want to kill gophers, try living with them. You can line the bottom of planting beds or individual planting holes with chicken wire or some other kind of wire mesh. A company in Soquel called Diggers makes Root Guards, ready-made cages. You can also plant in containers. Finally, try getting a hungry cat.
