Since the gophers (ground hogs) had been setting up
living space under all my back yard sheds, I decided to cover up all their
crawl spaces and put extra wide base boards to cover all these areas. It worked for most of the spring and summer
but come July the varmints returned and started their “excavation
projects”. It was like the “BIG DIG –
Boston Tunnels” all over again.
After seeing the first hole, I quickly covered it up again
and filled it with large stones. I was sure the critter couldn’t remove all
those stones. The next morning, I checked and like “Bob the Builder”, the
little varmint had dug out all the stones and piled them neatly on the
side. This must be an educated varmint.
Maybe he is an MIT grad with a degree in “HOLE-OLOGY”.
I then looked up on the WEB for solutions to rid myself
of this scourge. You can see some info at the web site below. http://m.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Gophers
Among some of the solutions to rid oneself of this pest
included: To spray fox urine around the holes, put chicken wire fencing a foot
deep in dirt around the garden, put netting over important plants. Smoke them out with smoke flares. Flood them
out of there network of holes with water from the garden hose. Attach a hose to
car exhaust and stick in hole and fumigate them. Use Mole Pest Poison pellets. Catch them with a
have-a-hart trap and release elsewhere far away. One guy found they were
bothered by light and setup a strobe light system triggered by a light sensor.
Of course he was in a secluded area with no nearby homes. Maybe they like disco
dancing.
The more people I talk with, the more I found they have
similar problems. All my neighbours have gopher problems as the little varmint
runs from one yard to the next ducking under a shed. Even friends living in
other towns and out of state have these pests. There seems to be population
explosion of these little critters. Maybe I need the Pied Piper to play a tune and
lead them all into the deep ocean or off a high cliff. How about on the next
space shuttle to Jupiter.
I often wondered how farmers deal with pests like
this. Locust plaques, dust bowls, cotton
weevil, rabbits, deer, moles, etc…… You
can see some photos of the thousands of farmer pests at the web link below
…… http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=farmers+pests&qpvt=farmers+pests&FORM=IGRE
Each year I look forward to having a garden. However this
year I am so discouraged with the devastation that this creature has caused
with digging holes and eating my vegetables and flowers. He truly is a rodent
that needs to be eradicated. I’m all for living in harmony with nature but
enough is enough.
Taking care of a garden is a lot of hard work. I started my seedlings in March and then transplanted them to trays in a mini greenhouse. I then prepared the outside garden with tiller, covered with weed cloth, assembled a drip irrigation system. I then fertilized, pick some weeds, tied up the vines, repaired the fence, cleaned the filter screens in the water hoses and fixed the leaks in the rain barrels and a million other tasks. I even bought some veggie flats to make up for ones I lost. Dis I do all this to just pick a few veggies? Maybe I should just buy them at the grocery store. However, it has always been about the thrill of seeing those little seeds become actual veggies that I nurtured and had something to do with it. You can see some photos of my trials and error in the garden from start to finish at the web link ….
Be sure to look at the devastated Zucchini and “Morning Glories” before and after photos at the end of the series.
I have made some progress with fighting the “Gopher
Attack” or is it the “Attack of the Thing”.
I have recently put out some Poison Pellets and have caught several
Gophers and a few Possums in traps. “Sayonara” you little beasties. But it’s like Custer’s Last Stand, a losing
battle. With every one that I catch, there are dozens more. Maybe I need a Star Wars Phaser or a Flash Gordon
Ray Gun. Should I call “GHOST BUSTERS”
or “SUPERMAN”? Boo Hoo.
