Jul 21, 2011 – Something Seems Squirrly
QUESTION:
Are ground squirrels considered to be rodents? I have squirrels burrowing on a football field. What is recommended for their eradication? Thanks
ANSWER:
Yes, ground squirrels and all other squirrels are rodents, along with chipmunks, prairie dogs, marmots, and even beaver and muskrats. One difference in all of these is that ground squirrels generally are afforded no legal protections when it comes to controlling them, and you can usually control them at any time and in any manner according to wildlife regulations. However, please do check with your local department of agriculture or wildlife agency to be certain on this, as different states may have differing points of view with respect to animals.
My personal favorite for ground squirrels has always been fumigation with aluminum phosphide – Fumitoxin. However, this use took a serious hit a couple of years ago after a terrible incident and horrid mis-use of the product outside a home in Utah. Two children were killed because the product was used completely off-label, and immediately our uses of the product were scaled back. However, if Fumitoxin is used PROPERLY it offers fantastic control of ground squirrels and some great benefits over other control options, such as baiting or trapping. Properly done you could expect 100% control of ground squirrels with the first application and within 24 hours. The rodents tend to die in their burrows, not above ground where people may see them and object. Any parasites (fleas, ticks) on the rodents are also killed, reducing the chances of those parasites migrating to and feeding on people. The active ingredient dissipates and is 100% gone within a few days, leaving zero opportunity for secondary poisoning of other animals and leaving no toxicant on site.
Fumitoxin can no longer be used around residential settings, but it still can be used on athletic fields as long as it is 100 feet away from structures that may be occupied by people or animals, including in any burrows that may tunnel within that 100 foot range. Since ground squirrel burrows generally do not meander the way gopher burrows do this is more manageable for an athletic field. We need to keep in mind too that the presence of burrowing rodents on an athletic field poses a serious health issue for people using that field. Someone running along could step into a burrow and snap an ankle, and this becomes a liability issue for the school or other management of that property. Whatever control technique you use you also should present this fact to the managment, and suggest that all burrows be collapsed and properly filled with soil to eliminate hollow areas below the surface.
Other than fumigation your most obvious options are trapping and baiting, and both of these have their limitations. If this is a large population of the squirrels trapping can be very time consuming, expensive, and pose the problem of disposing of the trapped animals, whether you release them alive or euthanize them. You also must tend the traps regularly to ensure trapped animals are not in harms way while in the traps. Baiting relies on the squirrels accepting the bait, and this can be dicey. You properly should either put the bait directly into their burrows, which often is unacceptable to ground squirrels, or in above-ground tamper resistant stations, which is a very obvious technique that just begs for someone to come and mess with the stations. Control can be spotty, and you also need to consider the possibility of rodents with bait in their bellies being eaten by predatory birds or animals.
With all of this also keep in mind School Pesticide use laws in your state, just in case this football field is on a school property. Nearly all states have laws on this, and this then would also involve notification, posting, limitations on the products you can use, etc.
Pest QuestionsJuly 21, 2011
No Comment
