Gophers are rodents that burrows tunnels to store the food they collected and as their shelter against weather and predators. They eat vegetables which are juicy like lettuce, carrots and radishes that results in them to be considered agricultural pests. Gardens could be destroyed also when they kill the flowerbeds, plants and crops.
They would leave your garden eventually but getting rid of them faster or even preventing their coming over is important to protect your plants. This is why people are looking for the best gopher trap to help in getting rid of them. Here are several steps you can follow in trapping one by yourself instead of asking for professional help.
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 using plastic, board or cardboard so no light would get through and warn the rodent that something is amiss. They have bad vision though could detect light and when they notice one where there should be none then they would avoid it. Wait for them to get trapped after these things are done and regularly check them twice or thrice in a day.
Sometimes your traps fail and the hole is filled back in again specially when you put the trap on the wrong opening. Dig it out again but be careful to avoid tripping your snare or destroying it so you can use it again immediately. Make sure you found every other openings this time and set one on each of them if possible.
And when your traps are successful, they usually have dead gophers in them so you could bury them on that same hole you dug. This area could now then be used to plant vegetation. Some other trapping techniques are available and this is just an example.
They would leave your garden eventually but getting rid of them faster or even preventing their coming over is important to protect your plants. This is why people are looking for the best gopher trap to help in getting rid of them. Here are several steps you can follow in trapping one by yourself instead of asking for professional help.
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 using plastic, board or cardboard so no light would get through and warn the rodent that something is amiss. They have bad vision though could detect light and when they notice one where there should be none then they would avoid it. Wait for them to get trapped after these things are done and regularly check them twice or thrice in a day.
Sometimes your traps fail and the hole is filled back in again specially when you put the trap on the wrong opening. Dig it out again but be careful to avoid tripping your snare or destroying it so you can use it again immediately. Make sure you found every other openings this time and set one on each of them if possible.
And when your traps are successful, they usually have dead gophers in them so you could bury them on that same hole you dug. This area could now then be used to plant vegetation. Some other trapping techniques are available and this is just an example.
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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.