Gophers are rodents which burrows tunnels where their collected food are stored and used to shelter themselves against predators and weather. They eat vegetables that are juicy such as carrots, radishes and lettuce which makes them agricultural pests. Gardens can be destroyed when your plants, crops and flowerbeds are killed.
They would eventually leave your garden but eliminating them faster or just preventing them from coming is important in protecting your plants. That is the reason people look for best gopher trap in helping them eliminate the problem. Here are some steps in trapping one that you can follow instead of hiring professionals for this task.
Find a mound that is fresh since others could be vacant and using your energy on them could be a waste. Walk around your property and determine which one has new activity though locating them is harder after a rain. This is usually those that have wet dirt, pushed over grass or one that was just not there before so make note on where these are.
Determine the locations of the tunnels underneath them by observing patterns on their surface or digging the mound. They cannot be easily found because these opening are covered up so preferably dig a larger hole instead. The openings could be more than one per mound normally because the mounds are not their end or beginning for their network of tunnels.
Wear gloves when digging to protect yourself against the sharp teeth of gophers if ever you encounter them and to avoid touching unwanted objects barehanded. Clear the tunnels wide open once they have been located including reaching out inside it and removing anything in it. Fill your dug hole back until its level with the tunnel.
Place the trap on the possible crawling path of the gopher when traveling through their tunnel though larger openings are a bit tricky. Secure it on place by using safety line that is attached to the stake so they would not run away even when trapped. Use something not chewable for them for your safety line like chain or heavy wire.
Cover the hole with cardboard, plastic or board so that no light would warn the rodent of something being off. They have poor vision but could detect light so when they see one somewhere that has supposedly none then they will avoid it. Then wait for them getting trapped after all these things are done and check twice or thrice a day.
Sometimes traps fail and your hole is filled again specially when the trap is placed on the incorrect opening. Carefully dig it out again to avoid hitting your snares that will either trip it or destroy it so they can be used again immediately. Be sure that every other openings are found this time then set one for each of them if ever possible.
The gophers usually die after a while of being trapped so bury them on the mound you dug after finding them. Vegetation can once again thrive in that spot. There are more techniques for trapping them and this is just one among the many.
They would eventually leave your garden but eliminating them faster or just preventing them from coming is important in protecting your plants. That is the reason people look for best gopher trap in helping them eliminate the problem. Here are some steps in trapping one that you can follow instead of hiring professionals for this task.
Find a mound that is fresh since others could be vacant and using your energy on them could be a waste. Walk around your property and determine which one has new activity though locating them is harder after a rain. This is usually those that have wet dirt, pushed over grass or one that was just not there before so make note on where these are.
Determine the locations of the tunnels underneath them by observing patterns on their surface or digging the mound. They cannot be easily found because these opening are covered up so preferably dig a larger hole instead. The openings could be more than one per mound normally because the mounds are not their end or beginning for their network of tunnels.
Wear gloves when digging to protect yourself against the sharp teeth of gophers if ever you encounter them and to avoid touching unwanted objects barehanded. Clear the tunnels wide open once they have been located including reaching out inside it and removing anything in it. Fill your dug hole back until its level with the tunnel.
Place the trap on the possible crawling path of the gopher when traveling through their tunnel though larger openings are a bit tricky. Secure it on place by using safety line that is attached to the stake so they would not run away even when trapped. Use something not chewable for them for your safety line like chain or heavy wire.
Cover the hole with cardboard, plastic or board so that no light would warn the rodent of something being off. They have poor vision but could detect light so when they see one somewhere that has supposedly none then they will avoid it. Then wait for them getting trapped after all these things are done and check twice or thrice a day.
Sometimes traps fail and your hole is filled again specially when the trap is placed on the incorrect opening. Carefully dig it out again to avoid hitting your snares that will either trip it or destroy it so they can be used again immediately. Be sure that every other openings are found this time then set one for each of them if ever possible.
The gophers usually die after a while of being trapped so bury them on the mound you dug after finding them. Vegetation can once again thrive in that spot. There are more techniques for trapping them and this is just one among the many.
About the Author:
Get a summary of the factors to consider when picking a trap and more information about the best gopher trap at http://www.traplineproducts.com/trapinstructions.html now.
