Reflections on Current (1992) Pocket Gopher Control in California

Rodenticide options for pocket gopher control are more limited now than anytime in the last 40 years. Strychnine remains the most economical and efficacious of the rodenticides available for use in production agriculture and forestry. The anticoagulant rodenticides, diphacinone and chlorophacinone, provide the best alternative to strychnine where the latter is thought inappropriate (e.g., school grounds, parks, etc.). The development of a behavioral type resistance to strychnine baits is currently jeopardizing control on certain ranches. Perishable baits (e.g., cubed raw carrots) are no longer an option because technical or concentrated strychnine is no longer registered for such uses. The development of the gopher burrow builder revolutionized pocket gopher control and has led to widespread extensive and concentrated gopher management which has been successful beyond expectations. Sources of gopher machines, reservoir-type baiting probes, and traps are provided along with a discussion of their uses. Fumigants and other gopher management methods are mentioned briefly. Proc. 15th Vertebrate Pest Conf. (J. E. Borrecco & R. E. Marsh, Editors) Published at University of Calif., Davis. 1992