In my previous post I bemoaned the invasion of unidentified rodents in our garden. On my sister's advice, I contacted the local extension office to see if someone there could identify the pests and give me some advice about getting rid of them. Unfortunately, they did not identify it, nor did the master gardeners to whom they forwarded my email. All they sent were some non-helpful links I had already seen.
So I emailed our local horticulture expert. I knew she was out of town for the summer, and might not be in range of an internet connection, but she replied promptly. She said it was NOT a vole, mole, mouse, rat, gopher, marmot, or prairie dog. She was quite sure we are invaded by some species of ground squirrel. She made some suggestions, and sent me a very useful link about ground squirrel control. Not only is the article helpful, but the comments are also quite educational.
Following suggestions from her and from the article, I continued to place Juicy Fruit gum in their burrows on a daily basis. I set out six 5-gallon buckets with water in them, sprinkled sunflower seeds on top, and set up a board for a ramp to the top of the bucket. I was able to borrow a live animal trap from Fish and Game. I bought several colorful pinwheels and set them out in the garden, hoping the motion would upset the rodents. I also bought a different kind of sonic rodent repellent devices to put in the garden.
The only critter to drown in the water traps was a tree squirrel, which was not an intended victim. The live animal trap has been sprung twice but remained empty. The deer enjoyed the buckets of water and the sunflower seeds floating on top.
Nevertheless, we aren't seeing as many of those ground squirrels running around. I did find one corpse out in the yard, so maybe it finally ate enough gum to destroy its digestive system. We have no way of knowing whether there are more bodies in the burrows.
I do hope any remaining critters will leave the green beans alone! They are just now starting to blossom, as are the green peppers. There are little tomatoes starting to form, and the corn is beginning to tassel. I have been picking raspberries every few days. I have harvested one zucchini and one yellow straightneck squash. If the varmints will just leave everthing alone now, I might get enough produce to warrant all the work I have put into the garden, plus the expense of extra water.
Here's hoping!