Site Specific Pocket Gopher Management Matthew Edmonds Why
- Slides: 21
Site Specific Pocket Gopher Management Matthew Edmonds
Why the need for gopher management?
Gopher Biology • Mounds – 1 Gopher + 1 Year = 200 Mounds – One per tunnel generally – Up to three litters per year • Feed on: Roots, Seeds, Stems, Tubers, Leaves, and Bulbs – Alfalfa, clover, garden crops, Fruit trees, etc.
Benefits • Contribute to the formation and conditioning of soil • Increase soil fertility • Increase water infiltration • Increase soil aeration • Decrease soil compaction
Negatives • Forage – At density of 32 per acre – 20%-50% reduction • Alfalfa • Native grass
Negatives • Dulled or plugged mowing machinery • Mechanical breakdowns • Damages to buried cable, irrigation pipe, and trees
When to manage Gophers? • Identification of Problem • Pose economic significance? • Eating crops or interfering with farming activities? – To what degree? • Density – When is there too many?
Control Methods • Depend on $$$$ • Time • Determination
Control Methods • • Traps Toxicants Repellants Machinery
Traps • Effective with continuous effort • Labor intensive over large areas • Gophinator 6 pack @ $42
Bait • • Use applicator to put pellets into tunnels Poison - Strychnine 1 to 2 lbs. per acre 10 lbs. @ $50
Burrow Builder • • • Makes artificial burrows Drops bait in formed tunnel Recommended for large areas 10 acres per hour using 2 -3 lbs. of bait $1200 -$3000
Repellants • • • Granular form Spread over area One pound per 1000 square feet Makes area unpleasant for gopher 6 lbs. @ $26
Electronics • • Uses sound, vibration, or signals Batteries or Solar 1 @ $20 -$40 Effectiveness?
Plowing • Disturbs soil – prevents major infestation • Negatives – No-till farming – Perennial crops
Fumigation and Explosives • Smoke or gas usually not effective – Gophers seal off tunnel Varmint Getter – 95%Oxygen and 5%Propane – 1 @ $1295 -$1495
Damage Prevention • Exclusion – Typically used in yards and gardens – ¼ to ½ inch hardware clothe – Buried 2 feet into the ground – Expensive and labor intensive
Damage Prevention • Cultural methods and Habitat Modification – Crop Varieties – Crop Rotation – Grain Buffer Strips – Flood Irrigation
Early Detection • Control is: – Easier – Less expensive – Less time consuming
Site Specific Management? • How is this related? • Goal – Increase return on investment by minimizing risk – What is the risk of too many gophers? – Nebraska- $10 million in damage per year
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