Lawn & Garden

Be gone, gophers
Rage escalates as gardeners try to eradicate pests

By KATHRYN MCKENZIE NICHOLS Knight Ridder Newspapers

Tuesday, April 16, 2002

You see that cute little critter poking its head up out of your lawn? Chances are it's a gopher. And soon it may start gnawing on your treasured plants and popping out little gophers.

Truer words were never spoken than in the movie "Caddyshack," by demented greenskeeper Carl Spackler: "To kill, you must know your enemy," mused Spackler, played by Bill Murray. "And in this case, my enemy is a varmint."

Thankfully, few of us have resorted to blowing up a golf course to get rid of the creature, as Spackler did in the film's most memorable moment. But many gardeners can sympathize with gopher rage.

Professionals who deal with these plant-pilfering rodents said it is possible to control gophers through two big "ex" words -- extermination and exclusion.

"I've learned a lot of little tricks to get them," said Marco Pennisi, whose wildlife management business in California works on all kinds of troublesome critters.

"Gophers are a piece of cake, once you've got the knack for it," said Pennisi.

Thomas Wittman, who teaches a gopher control class, has been working in the field for more than 25 years.

"People often call me as a last resort," he said of frustrated homeowners, who see valuable plants dragged below the ground before their very eyes.

In his business, Gophers Ltd., Wittman assesses the situation and then recommends non-poisonous solutions, and trains clients to do the job themselves.

"Gopher control always takes long-term vigilance," he said.

The problem with gophers is that they like to eat. From their point of view, yards look like tasty smorgasbords.

Gophers can eat up to three-quarters of their body weight each day, and they're not fussy. Just about any plant will do. A hungry gopher can take out a mature apple tree, said Wittman.

Being rodents, they also reproduce freely, with females giving birth to an average of four to 10 young per litter. At about 3 weeks of age, they're ready to leave mama's burrow and can themselves have babies at only 4 to 5 months old.

Gophers are just one of several animals that cut a swath through people's yards, but they're probably the most destructive.

 you see mounds of dirt that cover holes, that's the work of a gopher. Moles make smaller raised tunnels and don't eat plants. Ground squirrels tunnel, but don't kick up soil to hide the hole.

Both Pennisi and Wittman said trapping is the most effective way of ridding a yard of gophers. Both believe in avoiding poison.

Pennisi said the problem with poison grain -- aside from the fact that it could be eaten by the wrong animal, like your dog -- is that gophers often store such things away, rather than eating it at once.

"So people will poison, poison, poison and the gophers aren't dying," he said.

Pennisi said the best trap, in his experience, is the 4-inch model made by Victor. They're small and easy to place in a gopher tunnel without too much digging.

He said to find the gopher's main tunnel and place two traps in it, one at each end. That way, the gopher almost certainly will trip a wire.

Wittman likes cinch traps, which have a pincher-like "jaw wire" that, when triggered, catches the gopher around the midsection.

For those too squeamish to deal with traps, Wittman said animals that hunt gophers can also be effective.

"I have seen people have luck with cats, especially well-fed ones," he said.

People who are fortunate enough to have natural predators near their property, such as barn owls, also will benefit, although it's not a reliable method.

The other thing anti-gopher gardeners can do is take measures to make the yard less desirable.

People often protect plants' roots with underground barriers to keep the gophers from gnawing on them. Most gardeners use chicken wire, although galvanized hardware cloth is a better choice, experts said. Chicken wire will rust after several years and the gophers will be able to get through.

Whatever the barrier, it needs to extend at least 3 feet below the surface.

Many people don't know that gophers also can get out of their holes and go for a stroll on occasion.

"Gophers are actually nocturnal grazers and come out of their burrows at night to forage or to move to new burrows," said Wittman. "Not many people protect themselves from gophers on the surface."

There are some dubious prevention methods as well. Some people believe that certain plants keep gophers away. Marigolds are credited with this power. Wittman said he hasn't seen good evidence that they work.

Things that vibrate in the ground are also a method open to debate, including the battery-operated sonic deterrents.

"My mom swears by those cheap pinwheels you get in any drugstore," said Wittman, who thinks such things may work for only a short period, if at all.

"Gophers, like any animal or even us, can get used to a lot of annoying noise."

Whatever method is used, it's time to get going on it, Wittman and Pennisi said. Spring is prime time for gophers, when they become more active and start breeding.

Gophers just love to tunnel through soft soil that gardeners have prepared.

Although gophers may be aggravating, Wittman said they are part of the natural environment and as such, should be treated "as respectfully as possible."

"I have had a love-hate relationship with this fascinating mammal for more than 25 years," he said, "and have often been amazed by its cunning, persistence and courage."