The best way to get ahead of burgeoning gopher populations in southwestern Saskatchewan is to hit them hard and early.
Cameron Wilk, acting provincial manager of field services with Saskatchewan Agriculture, said producers need to begin control measures when the snow starts to melt and the hungry hoards emerge to search for food.
Baited food works best then, before the gophers have access to other feed choices, he said.
Ideally, targeting the reproducing females is most effective, although tricky.
“With baiting, you can’t really distinguish between them.”
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Wilk said 56 rural municipalities have been hard hit by gophers, formally known as Richardson’s ground squirrels.
About 3.5 million acres are affected, with populations ranging from 700 to 4,000 rodents per quarter section. He said Saskatchewan Crop Insurance has paid out $1 million in claims to ground squirrel losses.
Wilk cited the case of a 300 acre field of chickpeas lost to hungry gophers.
“That’s about $70 to $100 an acre in seed costs,” he said.
Gophers pockmark pastures, as do the badgers that hunt them, leading to injuries to livestock and damage to field equipment.
Wilk blames the high populations on continuous cropping practices, increased amounts of rangeland and prolonged dry conditions.
“Animals living in the ground love drier conditions,” he said.
Natural controls include introducing more predators into these areas by placing food on power poles to attract species that prey on gophers.
Chemical controls, which offer a 30 to 50 percent efficacy rate, are needed as soon as the critters emerge from their winter bedrooms.
The Pest Management Regulatory Authority granted an emergency registration for dry and freshly mixed high moisture strychnine, under certain conditions and only in seriously affected zones.
The dry baits remain viable longer, while others must be used right after mixing.
A foam injected into the burrow to suffocate gophers underground is available, although it works better on smaller sports grounds than large farm fields.
A fumigant containing aluminum phosphide is also available but must be used with extreme caution by licensed operators only.
More information on gopher control is available from the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 866-457-2377.
