Monday
Dec202010

Gopher Control Companies

I get asked alot, how do you take care of gophers? Gophers are in my lawn and they leave these horrible dirt mounds, what can you do to stop them. Well luckily they've asked the right person, the gopher guy. Gopher control experts are hard to find. Sure you can call your local pest control company or the termite man, but they don't know the secrets to taking care of those pesky gophers. At Gopher Patrol Ive learned the secrets to not only stopping gophers dead in their tracks but how to keep them out of your lawns, flower gardens and landscaped areas. Now to be honest the only effective way to treat for them is as they appear, but its needs to be effective. By maintaining ongoing control we can target them before they reach too far into your property and cause too much damage. See, like with all my other fellow gopher control experts i keep my customers my customers. Ill be the same guy who comes out to your home every month. that means i become familiar with your property. I know where the hot spots are, i know where you are most concerned with gophers and make sure to always pay special attention to the areas that need that special attention. If i see that you are having an outbreak i schedule myself a follow-up visit just to stay on top of it. Ongoing monthly gopher control is the best way to keep those gophers out of your flowers and gardens. 

So get rid of that ant guy and call me up - The Gopher Guy! ill make sure to stop that gopher infestation before it destroys every plant you have. Give me a call or schedule an appointment and ill have a qualified tech call you back to discuss your gopher problem and what we can do to help.

Thursday
Dec162010

Rats in the attic..

Cold weather and rain brings the rodent into the attic in search of shelter. Unfortunately they can enter your attic, or basement uninvited. How big of an opening do they need? A hole the size of a quarter is all they need, and we're not talking about mice, we're talking about RATS! And whats even worse is that these rats could be ready to have new baby rats! If left unchecked your rodent problem can go from nonexistent to out of control in just a matter or weeks. Luckily for you Gopher Patrol is San Diego Counties premier rodent control company. We also serve Orange County, Los Angeles and San Bernardino County. We specialize in rodent trapping, exclusion and attic clean-outs.

Additionally, rats are destructive, chewing, gnawing, and generally destroying anything they can get their little teeth into. Adding insult to injury, many homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover damage done by vermin, so the expense of not only the clean up but of replacing valuable items and repairing such damage is out of your pocket. Rats can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage in a relatively short period of time. Rat control is also mandatory by law in some areas of the country.

Rats can tunnel through insulation, chew through wires and water pipes, and their urine and feces can cause a disgusting odor to permeate your house. Once they find their way in, they can fit through a hole the size of a quarter, and they open the door to other vermin such as raccoon and squirrels. The sound of rats scurrying in the attic or squeaking in the walls is not only annoying but unnerving.

Without rat control, one rat can turn into a dangerous infestation which can not only destroy property and compromise the health of the residents, but may prevent you from selling your home and affect the property value. Some infestations are so bad the render the home uninhabitable. The average gestation time of a rat is only 22 days, and rats can come into heat year-round. The average litter is 7-10 babies, so at that rate, you can be overrun before you even know you have a problem.

If you suspect the “Rat Pack” has invaded your home, the best thing to do is call a rat control expert. The droppings can be a health hazard, and leaving just one rat behind can start the cycle all over again. 

Thursday
Sep232010

Making a (Ro)dent in Pest Problems

When it comes to pest control, it's not always about nuisances of the six-legged kind. There are plenty of furry four-legged critters than can cause havoc with your lawn or garden and cause need for rodent control.

To the casual observer, there's not much difference between rats and mice. But the one thing they both have in common is their ability to be disruptive and harmful to any environment they happen upon. Rats and mice aren't too picky when it comes to what they eat and can get into everything from grains and cereals left in bags or cardboard boxes to birdseed and other types of pet food. Even worse, both can carry nasty bacteria and diseases.

While we love to think of squirrels happily munching on nuts, leaves and berries, they are omnivores and won't hesitate to dig up insects or even small mice. This can wreak havoc on fields, farms and gardens as the rodents will dig up plants, seeds and more to get to whatever they're looking to devour for dinner.

In many instances, the squirrel's prosperity has a lot to do with the (oftentimes unintentional) generosity of humans – something that is quite in abundance around Southern California. Instead of searching out a tree to nest in, squirrels may make themselves at home in a your attic – setting up leaves and fluff and getting comfortable out of the reach of predators. Likewise, pet food left out in the open, unattended garbage cans or birdseed left in reachable spots offer an easy food source. Doing your best to limit access points to your attic and removing any easy to reach foodstuffs can help prevent squirrels from becoming pests.

Gophers may be solitary creatures, but it doesn't take a lot of gophers to do a lot of damage. Just one gopher tunnel can stretch for over 150 yards and studies have shown that a single gopher can move over a ton of soil in a single year. Yikes! That's a lot of unwanted harvesting in your garden. They're also pretty fond of your vegetables. Since they spend most of their time underground, they feed from the bottom – chewing on roots and pulling plants and vegetables down from underneath the soil. With cheeks made for storing large amounts of food, they can carry quite a few vegetarian munchies back to their homes.

Most gardeners and homeowners have a love-hate relationship with moles. Sure, they gobble up worms, insects and a whole lot of other unwanted critters from lawns and gardens. But their burrowing can cause unsightly mounds of dirt and other types of damage in the soil. Moles will leave volcano-shaped hills that can sometimes reach up to two feet tall.

Keep in mind that it can be easy to mistake molehills with gopher mounds. It's not quite making mountains out of molehills, but when it comes to figuring out which pest is pestering you, it is important since treatment methods differ between the two.

Always remember that control and prevention is usually the best rodent control. But in the event that you have to take them on head-to-head you can always check out the pest control company in Southern California that can help you out.

Tuesday
Sep212010

All You Need To Know About Moles and Rodent Control

The activity of moles tends to reek havoc among homeowners, due to its inherent destructive nature on lawns.  Moles dig intricate tunnels in which they live, hunt, and move around in. These tunnels form ridges which can turns lawns upside down.  They kill plants, cause the yard in which they are built to become spongy and unstable, and build large mole hills where their tunnel exits above ground.  These small creatures are hard to get rid of once they have taken up residence in a yard.  The main control methods are through lethal traps, as live traps are ineffective rodent control for moles.

Moles are small subterranean creatures that only weigh about 3 ounces and 6 inches long when full grown.  They have a life span of 2 to 3 years.  The three main types of moles that are common pests are the Eastern Mole, Townsend's Mole and the Star-Nosed Mole.  All mole's have a diet that consists of mostly earthworms, another subterranean creature.  Gardner's with rich soils full of earthworms will naturally attract moles, as these areas make great hunting grounds.  Mole's digging, however, can uproot and kill plants, as well as make the garden look lumpy an odd.  When this happens, the unhappy yard owner must seek out rodent control.

Once established, a mole is hard to deter.  The most effective way of dealing with these pests is with a poison called Talpirid. While traps are highly effective, they take a certain finesse in order to set and trap effectively. Taliprid on the other hand has been shown to be very effective at eliminating moles.

Castor oil has also been used as a mole deterrent.  There are many commercial formulas available on the market.  Mole repellents are used to treat the ground.  Yard owners must keep the area where the repellent is applied regularly watered so that is permeates the soil.  One treatment is sometimes not enough, so it may be necessary to reapply several times.  Use cation when using mole repellents if you have young children or small pets, as a chemical that can kill a mole is sure to cause harm to other small living creatures.

If a mole colony is not dealt with, it can eventually over run your yard.  Moles breed  in January and produce between 2 to 4 young each, so mole colonies have the potential to grow quite large. Treating a mole colony before they reproduce will mean there are less moles to deal with.  Check with a rodent control professional in your area if you think you have a mole problem.  They can help to determine the most effective rodent control solution for you specific problem.

Thursday
Sep162010

4 Ways To Eliminate Gophers

Are you looking for reliable ways to eliminate gophers from your premises? Are you tired to trying everything possible but still unable to eliminate gophers? Some of those ineffective methods include fumigation, flooding and burning. These methods are proven to be highly ineffective. If you have not been successful using these methods do not get disheartened because the good news is that there are better methods for getting rid of gophers from your premises.

Start with the easiest method, create a boundary for your property using the right material. You can use chicken wire as this has proven to be successful. Many people try this method but some of them find it less effective because they do not dig deep enough to discourage the gophers from digging into your garden or property. The deeper you create your fencing the more effective. You will have to dig a minimum of two feet.

Another effective method is to make use of Oleander Plant. By marking the perimeter of your garden or premises with Oleander plant you can keep the gophers from digging into your garden. The combination of chicken wire fencing and Oleander plant along the perimeter has proven to be highly successful.

The third method to eliminate gophers involves getting a new pet on your property. If you have pets like cats, dogs, etc, they will guard the property for you. These pets are very boundary conscious and they will keep the gophers off your property. Presence of dogs and cats will discourage the gophers as they always stay away from these types of dangers.

Lastly, if you do not have the time for the above methods or don’t want the hassles that go along with implementing some of these methods, you can simply call a company like Gopher Patrol. They will take care of all your concerns and worries about gophers through their professional gopher control services.