Being an urban gardener, I don't have a gopher
problem. But country friends who do, offer the following
suggestions:
1. Encourage snakes. Rattlesnakes and "gopher
snakes" relish the little beasties. Ogphers are a principal food
supply for rattlensnakes. How one obtains the first snake if you don't
already have them, I don't know. I have never had a problem with
rattlesnakes, but dog owners advise that most dogs are pretty stupid when it
comes to snakes, and do can get themselves bitten.
2. Abyssinian cats. For some reason, Abyssinian cats
are supposed to be much better gopher catchers than ordinary housecats.
In California, however, any cat solution must also consider the prospect
that the cats will become coyote fodder. Too bad coyotes do such a
poor job on gophers.
3. Recycle the carbon monoxide that comes from
your engine exhaust. Water the ground thoroughly to eliminate air
cracks; seal as many gopher holes as you can find; run a hose from the exhaust
of your tractor, automobile, chipper, or other gasoline-powered equipment down
one of the holes, and run it for half an hour. Puts any inhabitants to
sleep.
4. Besides putting your garden behind wire, maintain a
well-watered gopher garden, filled with things they love to eat, 200 ft
away. If there is plenty to eat there, they are not likely to try to
force themselves into the real garden. Some sort of population control
would still be necessary, to keep the population from exploding.
Richard Starkeson
San Francisco,
California
