Gophers on your property can cause untold amounts of damage to your yard, crops, trees, and flower beds. Their mounds are unsightly evidence you’re not in control – they are.
4.6
Over 90 years of experience
Nationwide service area
Free retreatments if pests return
4.7
Treats 20 types of pests
Offers instant online quotes
30-day money-back guarantee
How To Choose The Best Poison For Gophers?
The first thing a good gopher poison should have is an attractant. If they’re not attracted or drawn to it, it won’t matter how good it is. They have to eat it for it to work.
But your bait has to compete with the natural food they’re already finding. Remember, they wouldn’t be in your yard if they weren’t finding something to eat.
Read Also: How to pick the best bait for gopher removal?
You’ll have to be patient after you put the bait out. If it has a sufficiently good attractant on it, eventually they’ll find it and eat it. “Eventually” is why using poison is slower than trapping.
The second thing you’ll want to consider when purchasing bait is how much is needed to kill each gopher. The “hotter” the product, the less it will take to kill them, which means the less of it you’ll have to use at any one time. This translates into saving money.
And finally, how fast does it work? Most poisons will kill the gopher within 24-hours of ingestion, sometimes less. A slow, drawn-out death will alert any other gophers in the area to the fact something is going on.
They’ll become very suspicious of anything new or unusual, including the bait you’re putting out. If they start avoiding it, the game is up, so make sure the poison you choose works fast.
How To Properly Use Gopher Poisons?
Gopher poison works best when placed in gopher tunnels so the amount of physical effort is identical to setting traps, although without the worry of a trap snapping your fingers!
Most of today’s poisons are non-toxic to the touch, so you don’t even have to wear gloves when handling them. The Colorado State University Extension office has some very good advice on how and where to place the poison once you’ve got it.
Once the poison is in place, it can remain active for weeks. This creates a 24/7 protective barrier around your property. Gophers moving into new territory are doing so because they ran out of food. Consequently, they’ll eat anything they encounter, including any leftover poison, which is of course good for you!
Is Gopher Poison Safe Around Pets And Children?
According to the researchers at Oregon State University, baits for moles and gophers often contain zinc phosphide.
Children and small pets are especially sensitive to zinc phosphide poisoning. If they ingest any of it, induce vomiting and get them to a doctor right away. The doctor will probably want to follow up with activated charcoal.
Did You Know
When a mammal such as a gopher (or your dog) eats the poison, their stomach acid reacts with it to create phosphine gas. This gas is highly toxic to rodents, moles, dogs, cats, general livestock, and yes, people.
Because it is so dangerous for pets and children, keep the container safely out of reach. A lockable drawer or cupboard is best. Only put out the minimum amount needed to kill the gophers so there’s none left over for them to get into. You can also consider other alternatives for gopher removal.
If your dog likes to dig, you may have to put him on a leash until the gophers are dead.
Instruct your children on the dangers associated with the gopher poison, then keep them away from the yard where it’s being used. As long as these kinds of common-sense precautions are taken, the bait shouldn’t be a problem for you.
Top 4 Best Gopher Poisons
Here are the 4 gopher poisons we reviewed.
- The Giant Destroyer Gopher Poison
- Answer Gopher Poison
- Go-Die Gopher Bait
- Ramik Green Fish Flavored Bait
The Giant Destroyer
To begin with we have the Giant Destroyer.
This gas bomb fills the gopher hole with gas for up to two minutes before it goes out. Light the fuse, shove it down into the tunnel, then cover the opening with dirt or whatever else you like to trap the gas, and the gopher, inside. The gas will still be operative long after the two minutes are done so make it as airtight as you can.
Although this product is technically a poison – gas, in this case – it’s not a bait. This is a plus because you get to decide when you want to kill the gophers instead of waiting for them to eat a bait before they die. This makes it safer for pets and children than a normal bait too.
You’ll probably have to use more than the package recommends due to the vagaries of the soil which might let some gas leak out, but you won’t have to clean messy traps or dispose of dead animals.
Answer Gopher Poison
The active ingredient in this block bait, Diphacinone, is an anticoagulant which causes internal bleeding when ingested.
It is highly toxic to humans and other mammals by inhalation, dermal absorption, and ingestion. This means you need to wear gloves when handling it and be careful not to inhale the fumes. Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, is called for in this case.
This bait kills the gophers very quickly once they eat it, usually in less than 10-hours. It’s equally dangerous for pets and children, use care when handling it and dispensing it. After placing it in the gopher tunnels, put a heavy weight over it to prevent your dog from digging it up. If that’s not possible, put your dog on a leash so they can’t reach the baited area(s).
This poison also a strong secondary effect. If your dog eats a gopher killed by this bait, your dog could become extremely ill, but it may not be strong enough to kill them. When in doubt, take them to the vet.
Go-Die Gopher Bait
This gopher bait from Monterey combines a tasty attractant with a powerful active ingredient. The result is an effective combination for getting rid of gophers in your yard.
Go-Die Gopher Bait is easy to use. Just sprinkle about one tablespoon at the gopher’s entrance, then cover over with dirt. It’s weather-resistant and lasts up to 14 days without reapplication.
The key to the success of this bait is its appeal to gophers. They love the taste of it, and it shows in how effective it is for both gophers and moles.
Ramik Green Fish Flavored Bait
The hardest part about trying to bait any rodent is getting them to eat it. That’s no longer the case with this fish-flavored rodenticide from Neogen.
Just place one tablespoon of Ramik Bait about 6-12 inches into the gopher hole. Then cover it up with dirt. There’s no applicator needed.
Ramik Green is a grain-based bait with an attractive fish flavor that gophers love, and it’s formulated to withstand most weather conditions.
If you’re looking for professional pest control help, use the tool below to get estimates from local professionals:
