Ground Squirrel and Prairie Dog Solutions

3 Reasons Why You Have Ground Squirrel Problems Whether you are growing food, raising animals or just enjoying the view - burrowing rodents like ground squirrels, are motivated to move in and take over. The best way to win the ground squirrel battle, is to start by looking at your property from the destructive digger's perspective. 1. Food Do you have chickens? No, don't worry, the ground squirrels aren't eating your chickens! They might go after an egg, but what they really crave is chicken feed. You might as well put up a sign that says, "All You Can Eat Buffet." If you seem to be going through more chicken feed than usual, be sure to watch for squirrels. Below is a chunky California ground squirrel that obviously is a frequent visitor to the chickens' pen. If you don't have chickens, the ground squirrels will also steal food from sheep, goats, horses, llamas and cows. They can even create hay hotels by digging tunnels throughout the haystac...

For such little diggers, ground squirrels can sure cause a great deal of destruction. Often, I receive calls and emails like these from homeowners, groundskeepers and ranchers: "The ground squirrels are undermining my driveway!" "Ground squirrels are digging under the sidewalks!" "Those ground squirrels are destroying my road!" "I'm afraid the ground squirrels will ruin my patio!" I left out the colorful language, but I'm sure you get the idea. Ground squirrel get under people's skin when they start digging under their stuff.  What begins as an unsightly mess with dirt and rocks all over, can rapidly deteriorate to a safety and liability issue. Children and adults can be seriously injured tripping in an unexpected hole. Causing sprained and broken ankles, and even broken legs - ground squirrel holes are an accident waiting to happen. As if safety concerns weren't enough of a reason to get ground squirrel problems under control, it...

"Hey! You're the Squirrel People!"   It's been 5 years since someone first called Mike and I that at a school facilities conference. We weren't quite sure how to react - at least they knew who we were. Mike at the Burrow Blocker booth Now we are used to being the Squirrel People. Mike is the Squirrel Guy that builds our patented Burrow Blocker and directs the Burrow Blocker service team. You'll also see Mike with Pepper, his black lab, in our videos and flyers. Mike & Pepper demonstrating the Burrow Blocker. I am the Squirrel Lady that you'll find at PAPA Seminars , County Ag and AgSafe classes, providing continuing education for pest control licensing. Contact me if you want to learn more about ground squirrels and organic ways to deal with them or if you want to learn how the Burrow Blocker machine can solve your ground squirrel or prairie dog problems. Lisa & Sedona My brother, Mike Tikalsky, and our Dad, John, invente...

What kind of damage do ground squirrels' chewing and digging cause? 1.  Destroy Irrigation Ground Squirrel Water Fountains make for a costly and time consuming day. Whether they are thirsty or just like to to chew, either way ground squirrels wreak havoc on irrigation systems. Water is wasted, erosion occurs and the trees or crops don't get the water they need to grow. Mark Trost with Squirrel Busters, discovered this "water fountain"in an almond orchard he was treating with his Burrow Blocker. Mark provides ground squirrel control service in the Madera, CA area. 2.   Holes...lots of holes. Mention ground squirrel damage and that's the first thing people complain about - holes. It goes far beyond messing up landscaping, which is also a costly problem. Holes are a safety hazard and a liability at parks, farms, and schools.  3.  Erosion/Levy Safety Issues Ground squirrels digging along canals and levies are a disaster wait...

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...

A magnificent sunrise walk with Daisy. Maintaining a lush and beautiful lawn can be a challenge. Some people are annoyed by the gophers criss crossing their yard with tunnels, and killing their grass along the way. Others are frustrated by the ground squirrels digging so many holes, that they've considered creating their own put-put golf course. I can help you find solutions to your burrowing rodent problems. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to deal with this new lawn destroyer. Who is this invader that is causing problems? Dogs. Actually, not every dog, just the female dogs. Apparently, this is such a serious problem in The Lakes community, in Discovery Bay, California, that in a recent newsletter, they advised residents to not let female dogs urinate on the lawns. I've never noticed it with my dogs, but I guess some people find that urine from female dogs, "stains" the lawn. (For the full article, read the Eye on the East Bay secti...

Ground Squirrel Control Never Takes a Holiday   Rocky, the Ground Squirrel Hunter, working in the Burrow Blocker office. Did you notice that ground squirrels are still busy destroying crops, landscaping, and causing other costly problems?  At Burrow Blocker, we have been inundated with calls and emails from people struggling to eradicate the ground squirrels on their property. It's December already! Don't these devouring, diggers ever sleep?   Someone needs to let the California Ground Squirrels know that the nature books and websites say that they hibernate for several months of the year. Some ground squirrels, like the Piute, in Idaho and Wyoming, hibernate for around 8 months. Actually, they often go from summer estivation, straight to hibernation. Why can't it be like that here? On second thought, I've talked to people in Idaho with ground squirrel problems. For only being awake 4 months a year, they create...

Do you have nightmares from spending too much of your time and thoughts dealing your ground squirrel problems? In honor of Halloween, the next time you hear the chirping of a squirrel in the distance, here's a little something to haunt you even more. Surprise! Squirrels aren't the gentle little vegans we like to think they are. Actually, most of this blog's readers don't think of them as gentle because they have witnessed how destructive ground squirrels have been to their crops, landscaping and irrigation hoses. Some of us have also heard that they are known to spread the bubonic plague, but we never imagined them eating... MEAT! Yes - Meat! At first, I heard of squirrels eating worms, which really didn't bother me that much. Then I heard about them munching on mice. That might make the feral cats at my ranch mad, but they'll get over it. Hearing about them eating lizards was a little troublesome, but they pushed me over the edge when I ...

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 ...

Remember hearing about the Bubonic Plague in history class? Well, those destructive ground squirrels that create hazardous holes and cause millions of dollars in damage per year, have also been known to carry and spread the bubonic plague. Wild rodents, such as mice and ground squirrels transmit plague, through the bite of infected fleas. Be aware when you pick up even a dead ground squirrel. If an infected flea bites you, you could end up with enlarged lymph glands near the bite area and quickly get a fever or chills. Get treatment right away, or it could possibly infect your blood and lungs. In July 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported that a ground squirrel captured in the Los Alamos Campground in the Angeles National Forest, tested positive for plague. The campground was closed for 10 days by Los Angeles County Public Health and U.S. Forest Service officials and squirrel burrows in the area were dusted for fleas. According to the Vertebrate Pest Control Handbook – Mammals...

It used to be that when you drove through the gates of our ranch, it looked like we were raising ground squirrels. In fact, one day when my boys were preschool age, my oldest yelled, "Mom! Look at all of those ground squirrels! We need help! We need to call the Power Rangers!” Unfortunately the Power Rangers were not available, so we were forced to try other methods to rid the ranch of the ground squirrels. Next time, I’ll share some of the unique ways we tried to reclaim our ranch from those destructive little critters. No matter what we tried, we were still left with the holes. As you can see from the photo, we not only had to worry about our horses getting injured from stepping into a ground squirrel hole, some holes were so big, we could have lost one of my kids. We used to play a game, who could find the biggest hole. My boys even had the goats join in the fun. My dad and brother, who were continuing to battle the ground squirrels, didn’t find our game as amusing...

Are you a rancher or farmer? Do you golf or play and hike in your local parks? If you spend any time outdoors, chances are you have encountered ground squirrels and their holes. Ground squirrels are an important part of our eco-system. They are only a problem when their natural predators are eliminated and the result is an overpopulation of these rodents. When they take over a pasture, their many holes and burrows are a safety hazard to horses and other animals. They also chew on irrigation hoses, destroy crops and trees, and carry disease. How do you deal with too many ground squirrels? Do you use pesticides and poisons? Do you use hazardous gases and fire? What works for you? Do you care about how the places you visit deal with ground squirrel problems? Over the last few years, I have been studying ground squirrels and how to control their populations. My family has a ranch and we worry about the safety of our animals. Too many ground squirrels create an un...