Ugh, gophers

Karen, there has to be other gopher guys around. I just didn't have time to check around and they were eating way too many irises. Let me know if you find someone less expensive, and good luck.
I hope all is well with you too, my friend.

Back in 2006 when we had an exterminator come every other month, they would include gophers with all their nasty spraying for bugs. When I convinced DH that we did not want ALL the bugs dead and maybe the lizards too, the exterminator (Freedom) said it was $200 for just the gopher one time service (with guarantee). That was back when we had income... Oh, and fewer plants and less gopher damage. Louise, do you continue to have them come out monthly? I figure if they killed existing gophers, the neighbor's gophers would come over.

What I've read is that consistent treatment of any kind keeps them away to a large extent. It's like burglars, if you make it uncomfortable or difficult for them, they go elsewhere. ;-)

I had to agree to a 3 month service for 40.00 am month because he wanted 225.00 and I asked him to drop the price. The monthly service would insure that the gophers from the neighbors would also be taken care of in my garden. I know it's costly but I lost way too many irises. That's the only justification I have for paying that! The neighbor to the west of the garden is also treating his yard with the same product I was using but of course he's also losing the battle. So far, no gopher activity in the garden.
Kathleen, I was very consistent with treatment but it was not working. I had to resort to professional help. (No, no a psychiatrist!) I was getting pretty depressed at all the loss and damage.

When you really put the pencil to the pad, it probably is not that expensive. Figure galvanized wire baskets, plant replacement, gas back to the nursery, psychiatric treatments and that does not even take labor into account.

LOL! That is my justification.

You're probably very correct, Quiltygirl. The two daylilies I lost were about $50 each, not counting everything else, like you said ;-)

I'm ticked off at the gophers for killing my artichoke which had four chokes growing on it. Lousy rodents!
Funny story, DH was out on the tractor, working on the fire breaks (yes, it is already drying out here), and the birds were following along behind him to get the choice bugs he just dug up. Then he noticed that he had dug up a gopher. Well Mr. Hawk saw gopher too, and swooped down, DH said he saw that gopher digging like crazy, and when the hawk came down, all that DH saw was gopher butt disappearing and the hawk missed the gopher. Since DH isn't stupid and he hates gophers almost as much as I do, he turned around and went after that gopher again. This time the crow beat the hawk to the gopher and flew off with it. Yippee!
Too bad the gopher has a lot of relatives.
Nice recipe, Alaska Rick. Sounds right tasty. When you are hungry enough, you'll eat gopher, which aren't much different than squirrels or rabbits. LOL!
Aw Sherry, you will be missed. Please stay in touch via email or phone. KC has my info if I forgot to give them to you. KC, please makes sure she gets it, if she doesn't get dmail anymore. Thanks!
WIB!
SW

Oh, I know you were trying, Weegy! I just meant that nothing works forever. The service you just had will probably work for quite a while, but sooner or later they will come back. Good thing your neighbor is trying, too, though - perhaps you will both have luck keeping them away longer.

Lynda, yours are active buggers, aren't they?

Just to put the expense into perspective...I worked for Caltrans for nearly 20 years. I won't go into detail but I have spent many hours in road closures that were the result of gophers/ ground squirrels destroying drainage ditches on slopes, causing them to send mud onto the freeway. That was on overtime! I have watched hundreds of dollars worth of new plantings dissapear over night along side the freeways. I have spent countless hours digging irrigation lines that had been chewed. We also had many injuries due to stepping into gopher holes. The final straw was when a condo asc.
, was threatening to sue us because "our gophers" were going under the 10' concrete ditch and eating their landscaping!
Now that I am retired (thank the gods), I only have to deal with the power outage, average once a year, in our older mobil home park, where the electrical lines aren't in conduit. The little beasts usually chew through it under a home. We like to keep the electricians in business...

...oh yes, not to mention that the gophers ate through a couple of my drip lines. Forgot about that one.
OC, it's always the states fault! That's it, I'll sue the city, after all the gophers are coming from 'their' park!!

Just a thought. Are there any snakes that like to eat gophers - preferably going after very young gophers while they are still "at home"? If so would it be worth trying to introduce a few snakes to at least control the gophers?

Yes, gopher snakes! We've only seen one on our property in six years and it had a full belly! Wish we could find a source for them.

Yes, KC, they ARE buggers, to put it mildly.

I have seen one snake this year, did not look like that photo, maybe a common garden snake. Have not SEEN a rattler here on this property for several years. DD (at 14 yo) and her friend killed the last one. The neighbor next door has the wild life preserve behind him and he gets at least a couple each year. They have 4 kids 9 and under. One of his dogs in the kennel did battle with one last year and was bitten several times, but had no problems. It would be great to have some snakes go after these guys. Or birds!

I've seen several snakes this year, alaska_rick. I do exactly what you suggest when I find a gopher snake on the farm. I carry it home and put it down the most aggravating gopher hole. I haven't seen any gopher snakes, but I did see a rosy boa, and my friend saw a red racer. No gopher snakes yet.
Jonathan brought over his new pet. I'll have to download the photos to show you this snake. She's like 8 1/2 feet long, but such a sweetie. She is so big that DH was worried she'd get out and eat my cats. (I thought he hated my cats?) She had to spend the night in a cat carrier. She didn't seem to mind. She normally eats rabbits though, and she's too big to go down a gopher hole.
WIB!
SW

FYI - If anyone is interested in kicking some gophers butts.......


Gopher Control Workshop in Santa Cruz

You won't be learning how to eradicate gophers from Bill Murray (pictured), but you can take instruction from the master: Thomas Wittman of Gophers Limited.



He's giving a kick-gopher-ass workshop on June 12, 2010 at the Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange. The class is from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The Grange is located at 1900 17th Avenue in Santa Cruz.

This "event" is going to be great as Thomas will be teaching trapping in the large garden and orchard on the Grange grounds after he shows you a fabulous PowerPoint presentation in the lecture hall.

But wait, there's more! Brent Green, owner of Edible Landscapes and inventor of Nophers gopher baskets and Katia and Alex of Nature's Elements Landscape and Design will give short presentations. To pre-register and be sure to get in the door, go to GophersLimited.com.

http://www.growbetterveggies.com/

Sure wish I lived closer.

I might invest in those traps - I've had no luck at all with the "black hole" traps.

We should load up a van and go up to the class...

Got a nice gopher snake hanging around the house. He's about 5 feet long and looks like he isn't afraid of people. I saw him on the porch Sat. morning. (Fido was barking his head off and he NEVER does that inside) Then I saw him in the veggie garden yesterday. hopefully he'll stick around.

Las Vegas last week high of 67. Today high of 95. My poor garden is really confused. But I will take the heat if the wind goes away. Love you all and have a great Memorial Day and week. Your step sister in Las Vegas. LOL.