GROUND SQUIRREL CONTROL

   This article is about GROUND SQUIRRELS.
There are many species which are ground
squirrels including the Thirteen Lined,
the Belding's, the California, the Rock,
the Franklin, the Richardson, the Columbian,
the Washington and the Townsend. This article
will provide some basic biology about each 
of these species, explain why they can become
a pest in and around the home and then detail
several control options and methods including
the latest technology available. Keep in mind
the purpose of this article is not to present
in depth information regarding biology. However,
the methods of controlling these animals is
extensive and chances are that if you are
having a problem with any type of ground squirrel
you will be able to find a solution mentioned
within the text of this article.

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   Though most people think of squirrels as animals which
live in trees, there are several species throughout the
United States which reside in the ground. These are not
woodchucks, gophers or prairie dogs. These are close
relatives of the grey and flying squirrels which
populate much of the country. Ground squirrels have
chosen to dig their homes and though they can still
climb trees quite well, they don't live there. Ground
squirrels can become a problem in the yard and around
the home when their burrows lead to flooding.  Their
presence brings fleas and other insects or even worse, 
the transmission of disease. Ground squirrels will
readily eat our gardens fruit and vegetables as well
as our nuts and flowers. If left alone, they will
quickly populate to levels which can cause mass
destruction in little time. They will even move into
our homes if given the chance. This article will
detail some of the more common species and then explain
how you can control local populations.
   The California ground squirrel is limited in it's
range to mostly the west coast from the state of 
Washington down to Mexico. They like flat grasslands
as opposed to forests but will live close to trees
if they have to. They don't need much water and will
readily feed upon any green vegetation including
flowers, fruits and plants. They will also eat nuts
and seeds. They live in burrows they dig and will
occupy these burrows year after year. They have
litters which have 7-10 young once a year. They live
3-5 years on average.
   The Belding's ground squirrel has a much more
limited range extending throughout 5-6 states
including California, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho.
They too avoid forests preferring meadowlands
close to farms growing wheat and alfalfa.  Though
they will feed on seeds and nuts, they will tend
to stick with green leafy plants and
fruits when they can find ample supplies. The
Belding also loves flowers. They will produce
litters of 6-8 on average once a year and will
live slightly longer than the California squirrel.
   The Rock squirrel has a huge range extending
from part of California through Arizona into
Texas, Colorado and Nevada as well as Utah. As
their name implies, they like to reside in rocky
areas. This has enabled them to adjust well to
roadside rock walls, fences and manmade ditches.
Though they too will eat plants as a staple,
Rock squirrels love nuts, seed and fruit and
will readily feed on them when available. They
average 3-5 young per litter per year and will
live 4-6 years on average.
   The Thirteen Lined ground squirrel is probably
the mis-identified ground squirrel often mistaken
for chipmunk and gophers. It resides throughout
most of the great plain states all the way from
Texas to Pennsylvania to Canada. These ground
squirrels will eat just about anything including
insects, mice, earthworms, small birds, other
Thirteen Lined squirrels, seeds, nuts, vegetables,
fruit and flowers. They will produce over 10 young
per litter once a year and will live a few years
on average.
   The Franklin ground squirrel resides in several
of the mid western states from the middle of
the country up to Canada. They will eat a lot of
insects and small animals when available but
rely mostly on plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables.
They will change to seeds and nuts later in the 
year when available. Their litters can have 1-10
young and they only live a few years.
   The Townsend has a range much like that of the
Belding and relies on plants, fruits, vegetables
and seeds for food. They have litters and life
expectancies like the Franklin squirrel as well.
   The Richardson, Columbian and Washington ground
squirrels all reside in the northwest part of the
country and like the Townsend, rely more on flowers,
plant stems, fruit and seed for diet. They will
eat nuts and grains when available and have one
litter a year with as little as 2 or as many as
15 young. They only live a few years on average
but because they can reproduce quickly a few
can turn to 30-40 in a year.
   All the above ground squirrels look different
and may reside in different regions of the United
States, but they also have many similarities. These
similarities include digging and eating - both of
which can cause a lot of damage in or around the
home. Ground squirrels which start to live on
your property will first have to dig burrows to
nest. Though they will take advantage of old
abandoned burrows, they are good diggers and will
quickly construct a network of tunnels which
will become the life support for their colonies.
These tunnels will undermine cement slabs and 
foundations as well as present hazards to people
and animals. Ground squirrel activity will inevitably
bring with it insects like fleas along with several
diseases and virus all of which present a hazard
to people. Ground squirrels will eat just about any
ornamental flower or plant and since they love
fruits and vegetables, most gardens will become
a favorite feeding station once found. Since they
like to live close to where they eat, once they
start feeding in your yard they will start to
colonize. This colonization may eventually lead
to some getting in the home. It is for this reason
that you should try to keep them off your property
and once you find activity, take necessary action
to remove all animals. The author will now list
methods and products that can be used to repel
ground squirrels from your yard to prevent
local infestations. If you already have activity,
there will be control options listed including
poisoning, live trapping and kill trapping.
   If you reside in a region which has ground
squirrel activity, you must make note of surrounding
land. Look for pockets of ground squirrels and
see if any are present. If you know of people in
the neighborhood who have had problems with these
animals, make mental notes of where and when
these problems were active. If neighbors immediately
adjacent to your property have active ground squirrels
or if your land adjoins fields where ground squirrels 
are present, you should start implementing some of
the repellent treatments to make sure none move onto
your land. Such repellents work well for this application.
Ground squirrels will readily ignore treated areas
and move around them to seek harborage and food elsewhere.
There are many products that can be installed for
preventive measures including liquids, granules and
ultra sound devices. COYOTE URINE can be used quite
effectively to keep unwanted ground squirrel activity
off your property. The scent of this urine alarms them
since coyote readily feed on any ground squirrel. Use
it along property lines, fence rows and pathways.
Make placements of 1-2 ounces every 10-20 feet or
as needed. Though rain will break down the scent,
ground squirrels are sensitive to this odor and
will notice even trace amounts. Most applications
will last 1 month but if you are in a wet rainy
region or period, install some LIQUID/GRANULE GUARDS. These
are plastic holding reservoirs which can hold a quart
of urine and protect it from the rain and sun. This
protection will enable your placements to last
at least twice as long before retreatments will be
needed. They blend in nicely with the landscape and
will pay for themselves over time. The use of Urine
down exiting burrows or dens is not suggested unless
you are sure the animals have been removed. Applying
some to a burrow network where active animals still
live will not keep them away. Only after you have
successfully removed the ones which live there
should borrow treatment be applied. At that time
the urine odor will keep away new animals from
moving in to take advantage of the vacated home.
   Another material which works well at keeping
ground squirrels away is BAT/SQUIRREL AWAY REPELLENT.
This product releases an odor ground squirrels
don't like. Apply it by sprinkling it out along
property lines, fence rows or pathways coming
from a field or land onto your property. By applying
this material you will be able to help cut down on
animals moving into your gardens or other nest
locations. Like the urine, applications will last
1-2 months under normal conditions. However, you
can install some of the LIQUID/GRANULE GUARDS to
protect your applications from the rain and sun.
These guards will enable your applications to last
2-3 months.
   If you have a lot of loose nuts or other food
attractants in your turf which is attracting unwanted
squirrel activity, removing as much of it as possible 
will help reduce nesting. We know this will help because
ground squirrels like to nest as close to food as
possible. Furthermore, certain soil types are more likely
to be dug out for nesting and burrowing. If you have
such soil on your property, it is more conducive to 
nesting ground squirrels and they will tend to gravitate
to such soil wherever it can be found. If you have
a lot of food attractants around - too much to
conceiveably clean up - and you have soil which the
local ground squirrels like to use for nests, consider
broadcasting some WHOLE CONTROL over all such areas.
Whole Control is a bad tasting agent generally
used for moles, voles and armadillos. It won't hurt
the plants, turf or soil but it does taste bad and
tends to keep animals from feeding on or digging
in anything which has been sprayed with this product.
Simply water it in over the soil they find attractive
and spray it over the nuts or plants they are targeting
as food and you will force them to forage elsewhere.
Keep in mind that treatments will only last 1-2 weeks
and works best when used before animals are nesting
in the areas being treated. If they are already 
established, you may have to resort to some of the
stronger control methods listed below.
   If you have some plants around your property
which have been eaten by foraging ground squirrels,
you can stop them from eating any plant by spraying
it with some ROPEL LIQUID. This is another bad tasting
liquid which is designed to be applied to plants and
any inanimate object you want to protect from being
eaten or chewed. It is used to stop just about 
any animal from chewing any object but it was
first created to stop them from targeting flowers
and shrubs. Simply apply a light mist to any and
all parts ground squirrels like to eat. It won't
hurt the plant and it does not have an odor but
once applied, the plant will be safe from being
eaten. This product is much stronger then Whole
Control and designed for treating smaller areas
or specific plants. Whole Control is better suited
for when you need to treat large areas.
   Once last option you may try is the use of an
ULTRA SOUND DEVICE. This technology has been
available for some time but our experience is
that it really only works well when certain 
conditions are present. Don't use it to remove
existing animals - it probably won't work. We 
get very limited results for such applications.
However, we do get good results when they are 
installed along property lines and other locations
through which ground squirrels can enter properties.
Install units pointing in the direction from
where they will emerge and once activated, the 
sound is irritating enough to the animals to keep
them away. This is particularly helpful at keeping
unwanted animals off your property but again, it
probably won't do much if you target animals which
are already living where you direct the sound. Since
they can simply escape down their burrow to
avoid the sound they probably won't move away.
   If you already have some burrowing and taking
up residence in your property, you will have to
start an aggressive ground squirrel control program
to knock them out. This can be done by either poisoning
them, live trapping them or kill trapping them.
Poisoning ground squirrels can be done with a couple
of different products. A common tool used for this
purpose is the GAS STICK. These are small cylinders
which are comprised of concentrated sulfur and use
a fuse to be lighted. Gas Sticks are used to poison
targeted ground squirrels by essentially poisoning 
them through fumigation. To be effective, several
things must work in your favor. First, the targeted
animal must be present in the burrow. This can usually
be confirmed by observing it run down it's den as
you approach. It is suggested that you make sure
targeted nesting squirrels are in fact present in
the burrow since using Gas Sticks only work when
targeted animals are present. Once you are sure targeted
animals have moved down their dens, make an effort
to locate all entrance/holes and use rocks to these
entrances. Leave one hole open through which you will
apply the Gas Stick and make sure it is one of the
main holes used. Keep one more rock which will be used
to seal this last hole once the Gas Stick has been
applied. Next, light the Gas Stick, place it down
the den and close the den up with that last rock
you have ready. If the holes are sealed correctly,
the Gas Stick will release sulfur gas which will
move about the tunnel network reaching all areas
where nesting ground squirrels will be living. The
gas will take about 3-5 minutes to completely release
and animals which are breathing the fumes will quickly
and painlessly pass away. If done correctly, results
are immediate. It is important to understand that
there is no residual left behind from treatments;
once the gas is gone so too is any chance of killing
targeted ground squirrels. This is why knowing they are
present in the den is crucial for success. Most dens
will take 1-2 sticks; larger ones will require 3-4 all
applied at one time.
   Baiting is another way to kill off targeted ground
squirrels but the standard Zinc Phosphide baits don't
work all that well. This is true for several reasons.
First, Zinc Baits use seeds as attractants and it is
hard to get a seed which is universally accepted in
different regions. Furthermore, Zinc tastes terrible
and bait using it as the active ingredient just isn't
that appealing to ground squirrels. Most placements 
are simply left alone and don't have any impact since
they are just not eaten. Another bait which has proven 
to be quite effective is LIQUATOX. This is a liquid 
poison that is added to any food stuff targeted ground 
squirrels like to eat. This could be some type of
fruit, seed or plant. If you have a hard time
getting a good read on what they are eating, get either
our LOGANBERRY PASTE or our PECAN PASTE. These are
two attractants used for trapping many different animals.
It is a highly concentrated paste which has a strong
odor ground squirrels cannot resist as well. Just add
one bag of the Liquatox to one large jar of either
paste inside a small sandwich bag. Next, mix the contents
of the bag together and then divide it into 4
smaller amounts in 4 separate baggies. These baggies 
can then have their tops tied tight to keep
the bait fresh and clean. Now drop them down targeted
dens and borrows where you have ground squirrel
activity. They will quickly find your offering, eat
it's contents and die within a few days. Try to
choose the bait which best mimics local food
supplies. If you have more fruits or know your
targeted animals are eating fruits, use the
Loganberry. If you have more nuts in the area
or know your targeted animals are eating nuts,
use the Pecan. If you are completely unsure which
flavor to use, get the Loganberry.
   If you don't want to poison targeted ground
squirrels, you might consider trapping. Trapping
can be done with either live traps or kill
traps. There are several live traps available 
which will serve you well. The smallest one to
use is the LT3310 and really is only suggested
to use on animals which are less than 10 ounces.
The Thirteen Lined ground squirrel can be
effectively trapped with this model but most
other species will grow to be too large and you will
be much better served with either the LT5518 or
the LT5518RD. These are slightly larger and use a 
1/2 inch by 1 inch mess wire which is sure to hold
even the Thirteen Lined squirrel but large enough
to catch the largest Rock or California specimen
you might have. Trapping ground squirrels is easy.
Simply place your trap alongside activity or burrows.
Bait it with either the LOGANBERRY PASTE or our
PECAN PASTE and make sure to check it at least
once every 24 hours. You will readily catch them
and once trapped you can either relocate them
or destroy them accordingly. If relocating, be
sure to take them at least 5 miles away since
they will return several miles if given the
chance. Use one trap for every 5-10 animals.
Using less traps could make the task seem never
ending if you have 10 or more animals so be
sure to put enough to work. It is much more
efficient to relocate 2-3 animals at one time
than to drive 5 or more miles for one ground
squirrel every few days! Work effectively and
remove as many as you can at one time.
   If you don't want to live trap your targeted
animals and have no guilt about using a kill
trap, there are two styles available which will
work well. The first is a BODYGRIP trap which 
is placed directly over their entrance/exit holes.
As the animal sticks it's head out it will get
crushed which instantly kills it. Death is both
painless and quick. These traps come in two sizes
and don't need to be baited. They simply need to
be placed over ground squirrel holes and staked.
It is important to stake them because predatory
animals that feed on dead squirrels will drag your
trap away if it is not secured. Bodygrip traps are
easy to use and will work well. It is best to set
as many as you can over all holes insuring animals
will not avoid being trapped. Expect to trap most
out quickly and then to have one or two which
become a little harder to get. They might get 
trap wise which will force you to poison or
gas them but when you have populations which are
excessive, Bodygrip traps can be very effective
very quickly.
   Another kill trap which can be utilized effectively
is the ELECTROCUTION DEVICE. These devices are
small plastic chambers which have a high conducting
metal pad inside on the floor. As targeted animals
enter, they will unknowingly ground themselves which
causes a strong surge of electricity to flow through
their bodies which causes a quick and painless death.
These devices are excellent for use on ground squirrels
and should be baited with either our Loganberry or
Pecan paste for best results. Like live trapping, sets
need to be made just outside their dens on the ground.
Here is a RAT ZAPPER REVIEW from a very happy 
customer that got quick results using our Zapper!
The only limitation of this device is that it does not
work well under soaking conditions. When using it
outside, you have to place it under some type of 
overhang to shield it from rain. The best way to make
sets out in the open is by placing a flat patio cement
block out close to the den. Next, place the Electric
Device on the block. This will keep it off the ground
insuring it won't flood out. To keep it completely
dry, place some type of cover over it like a garbage
pail cover. This cover will be more than large enough
to protect the Device as well as help keep it positioned
well. Be sure to have at least three bricks or other
objects placed around the Device on which the garbage
pail cover will rest. This will keep it off the ground
so that targeted animals will be able to get underneath
and find the Device. Interestingly, ground squirrels
seem to find these sets quickly when our strong smelling
lure is used but they also seem to like the protective
feeling of the garbage pail cover since it provides
a false sense of security they like. However, once inside,
they generally never get to leave.
   Now that you have successfully eliminated the ground
squirrels which were living in your yard and garden, do
everything you can to make sure more don't come. This
can be accomplished by first destroying any old burrows
and dens you have on or close to your land. Remember,
abandoned dens will assuredly attract new residents
eager to take advantage of vacated homes. Breaking
them apart by digging down 2-3 feet will generally
help to prevent this from happening but adding some
Coyote Urine listed above will undoubtedly get any
ground squirrel to think twice about living there. The
scent of coyote urine in the mound can only mean one
thing and in most cases, roaming squirrels will not
move into any den with that odor. As stated above, you
should never apply the urine to dens which have active
populations but you can use it once you remove the
current inhabitants. 

   Ground squirrels can become a problem rodent in and
around the home. It is best to use some repellents to
keep them off the property altogether. Once they
are established, you will have to trap or poison
them to remove unwanted animals. And once you get rid
of them, be sure to take care and don't let them
move back into your turf if you want to protect
your garden and plants!
   
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