Ground Squirrel and Prairie Dog Solutions

Everyone is experiencing stress during this COVID-19 Pandemic - even the rodents! No, they aren't freaking out because they have to wear little masks and shelter place. The problem is that we humans are not following our usual routines and they miss us. The ground squirrel's rodent relative and fellow pest, the rat, is on the move during this time of COVID-19. Rodents often rely on human food for survival and with restaurants closed and people staying home, rats and other rodents are challenged with finding new sou rces of food. Their usual dumpster buffets and trash can food carts are empty. It's gotten so bad for with the rats, that the CDC - Center for Disease Control, has issued a warning about aggressive rats seeking out food. For more ravenous rat info, check out the videos below: This video from Inside Edition has their "Rat Patrol" Reporters showing rats out in full force: Like their relative, the rat, ground squirrels haven't been obeying the Shelter ...

Getting rid of ground squirrel infestations can be challenging. From researching the best control methods to purchasing and implementing - there's room for error. 1 - Rodent Misidentification For example, if you put up an owl box thinking it will eliminate ground squirrel or prairie dog problems, you will be disappointed.  Ground Squirrels & Prairie Dogs are diurnal - most active during the day. Gophers are nocturnal - most active at night. Owl boxes are a good solution for gophers and mice because they attract owls and owls hunt at night when the gophers and mice are out. Owl Box Used to Control Gophers & Mice Over-populations 2.   Didn't Follow Instructions It's the middle of a hot summer day and you correctly identified the rodent pests as ground squirrels. You activated a gas cartridge and tossed it in one of their holes, covered it with dirt, and walked away assuming the problem is solved.  Checked back a few hours later... The R...

CONGRATULATIONS Garrett,  from Lemoore, CA! WINNER of a  $250 Bass Pro Gift Card  from the World Ag Expo 2015 Burrow Blocker Booth Drawing. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our Burrow Blocker booth last week at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California! More than 100,000 people attended this year's 3 day event. Mike and I met some of the nicest people. People visited us from Canada, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Utah and of course, California. They all work hard and love their animals. One of their big problems is dealing with g round squirrel or prairie dog infestations. The rodents carry disease, eat their crops, and dig dangerous holes throughout their property. Besides the financial loss, they worry about someone getting hurt, their horses or cattle getting injured, or damage to their equipment and irrigation.  Mike and I are happy that we can provide a solution that gets rid of the burrowing rodents and t...

Squirrel Busters Organic Squirrel Abatement consists of the dynamic duo of Mark and Wyatt Trost. They are a father and son team that won the ground squirrel battle on their own land in Chowchilla, California. Their almonds and grapes are safer and are they are out saving others from those dastardly diggers! Read about Wyatt's ground squirrel experiences: Wyatt Trost checking the sand level in the Burrow Blocker hopper. "When I first heard about the Burrow Blocker machine, squirrels were already a major problem in our field. My dad and I had tried a variety of things from stuffing a flare down the hole to different poisons. I remember the last method we tried before finding the Burrow Blocker. When we found a hole in the ground and we stuck a pellet in it. This pellet had some fancy scientific name that I can never seem to remember. When it came in contact with moisture it would turn into a gas. I found it fascinating, but the gas was just as deadly to us as to the s...

Is it a Plague Infected Ground Squirrel or a Zombie?   Okay, so this isn't a photo of the ground squirrel with the plague.   Wouldn't it be cool if it was?   Scary squirrels might prevent people from trying to pet  or feed them. A zombie-looking ground squirrel would also make identifying those infected with the plague easier. The squirrel could be removed and the area could be quarantined and treated.   When it comes to the plague, the fleas are the real bad guys - the ground squirrels just happen to be the carriers. This week, parts of the Angeles National Forest were shut down and campgrounds closed because a plague infected ground squirrel was discovered. People were forced to change their summer vacation plans so the ground squirrel burrows and area could be dusted for fleas. For more info see the article from the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-p...

Did you know that California Fish and Game Code specifies it is illegal to release ground squirrels elsewhere without a written permit [11, 18, 20]?    Ground Squirrels are considered agricultural pests.   More Facts about Ground Squirrels:   That might be a "ground" squirrel up in that tree. They are excellent climbers. During 1 season, a pair of ground squirrels and their offspring can remove about ¼ acre of wheat or alfalfa. 20 squirrels eat as much as one grazing sheep. 200 squirrels eat as much as a 1,000 pound steer foraging on grazing land. In California, ground squirrels cause $30 to $50 million per year in agricultural and other damage Ground Squirrels are opportunistic feeders: Grains:   alfalfa, wheat, oats, rye, and barley Fruits:   apples apricots, peaches, prunes, oranges, and tomatoes Nuts:   walnuts, pistachios, and almonds. V...

The BURROW BLOCKER is in the latest issue of FARM SHOW!  The article, "Burrow Blocker" Fills Gopher Tunnels with Sand, is an excellent summary of the Burrow Blocker machine and how it was developed by my dad, John, and my brother, Mike.   Those of you familiar with the Burrow Blocker, know that the article title is a little misleading. The Burrow Blocker is used to fill Ground Squirrel holes. Gophers tend to back-fill as they dig and often dig just under the surface. The Burrow Blocker is most effective on the holes of deep digging rodents with well defined tunnels.   What makes it all confusing, is that some people call ground squirrels, gophers. In Canada, the Richardson ground squirrel is often referred to as a gopher. The other problem is that sometimes people just don't know what is digging up their property. All they care about is that it stops! To learn the differences between ground squirrels and gophers, read my popular blog...

Do you know the difference between a Gr ound Squirrel and a Gopher ? If you are battling burrowing rodents on your property, after awhile you might just start channeling Carl Spackler, Bill Murray's character in the movie, Caddyshack. Remember when Sandy McFiddish, the head groundskeeper of the golf course told Carl, in his rich Scottish accent, "Carl, I want you to kill all the golfers on the golf course."? Carl replied, " Correct me if I'm wrong Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers they'll lock me up and throw away the key." Sandy yelled, " Not golfers, you great fool! Gophers, rodents! THE LITTLE BROWN, FURRY THINGS!" Carl replied, "We can do that. We don't even need a reason." Remember that destructive dancing gopher in Caddyshack? (Be patient...it has a long intro.)     Most of the people that visit this blog, do have a reason. They want those destructive diggers to just stop destroying ...

I've got him cornered! Now what? If you are relying on Rocky for your ground squirrel control,  you'd better call Burrow Blocker ! http://www.burrowblocker.com