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Varmitgetter.com. Gopher facts and statistics . Rodent Control-Pocket Gophers. Understanding Behavior and Control Strategies on Alfalfa. Gopher Facts… Economic Damage. Nebraska reports decreased yields of 17% on irrigated alfalfa and 35% on dryland alfalfa. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Varmitgetter.com
Gopher facts and statistics
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Rodent Control-Pocket Gophers
Understanding Behavior and Control Strategies on Alfalfa
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Gopher Facts… Economic Damage
• Nebraska reports decreased yields of 17% on irrigated alfalfa and 35% on dryland alfalfa.
• Gopher tunnels funnel off irrigation water and cause soil erosion.
• Gophers are bad news on alfalfa!
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Gopher Facts… Economic Damage
• Gophers reduce productivity of alfalfa fields and native grasslands from 20-50%.
• If 10% of a field is infested, forage productivity will be reduced from 2-5%
• Gopher mounds dull and plug sickle bars when harvesting
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Gopher Facts- Biology
• Gophers do not hibernate and are active year round. (not so with squirrels)
• Gophers are fossorial in nature living most of their life underground.
• Gophers are grumpy solitary animals living alone with densities as high as 16-20 per acre.
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Gopher Facts- Biology
• Gophers reach maturity in one year and live an average of 3 years.
• Litters occur 1-3 times per year with 5-6 pups per litter.
• Irrigated acres = more litters.
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Gopher Facts-Feeding Behavior
• Gopher are herbivorous- plants, shrubs, trees.
• Utilize sense of smell to locate food.
• Love “roots” and fleshy portions of plants they find when digging.
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Gopher Facts-Feeding Behavior
• Infrequently found above ground feeding close to burrow opening….”feed holes”
• GOPHERS WILL GNAW DRIP IRRIGATION LINES BELOW OR ABOVE GROUND !
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Gopher Facts- Burrow System
• Consist of a main tunnel 4”-18” below soil surface with any number of lateral tunnels extending from the main.
• Lateral tunnels end with a soil mound or soil plug…typically fan shaped.
• A tunnel system may contain upwards of 200 linear yards of tunnel – ( 2 football fields !)
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Gopher Facts- Burrow System
• A Gopher typically constructs one to three new mounds per day.
• One gopher will bring as much as 2 ¼ tons of soil to the surface EACH YEAR.
• Spring and Fall are periods of greatest mound building.
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MAIN TUNNEL BURROWING
LATERAL TUNNEL BURROWING
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CAN ENCOMPASS SEVERAL ACRES
GOPHER BURROW SYSTEM
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Doesn’t Work or MarginalElectrical Devices
Water Hose
Road Flairs
Gopher Purge
Gasoline
Chewing Gum, Water Bottle. Ground Glass, Banana Peel. Sticking Dead Gopher Back in Hole
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The right way (main runway)
The wrong way:
Access tunnel Embedded in runway floor
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