Exterminating pocket gophers

Cheetah Industries, Paso Robles, California, USA 93446 (805) 227-0624 M-F, 9AM-5PM, PST

www.cheetahrodentcontrol.com deborah@cheetahrodentcontrol.com

About Gophers -

Lead a solitary life and only share their burrows during mating season.
Gophers spend 99% of their time underground.
The main tunnels are about 8 to 12 inches below ground.
Tunnel system is typically 200 to 500 linear feet.
Always closed tunnel system. Only open when excavating dirt.
Digging into tunnel system will alert the gopher to your presence. They will run away and plug their tunnel, thus keeping fumigants from reaching them.

Cheetah Guide for Eradicating Pocket Gophers

The Cheetah machine kills gophers by capturing carbon monoxide (CO) produced by a self-contained 2-cycle gas engine, blowing the CO into tunnels asphyxiating the gophers. We have tested the Cheetah extensively for the best technique to kill gophers and have developed a method that will produce the highest kill rate with the least amount of labor.

Lateral Tunnels -

When new tunnels are needed the gopher will dig a lateral tunnel from their main tunnel to the surface to excavate soil.
Laterals are 12 to 18 inches and will be open to the surface for only an hour or less.
After completing excavation gophers will plug the lateral for at least 8 inches of its length.
Gophers want their burrow system completely closed.

Probe for Lateral Tunnel -

The first thing to do is to locate a lateral tunnel.
Sometimes finding the opening to a closed lateral tunnel that is located beneath a mound of soil can be daunting but after a little practice most laterals can be found quickly by gently probing the soil in quadrants with a long screwdriver.
Laterals will slope down 45 degrees and will take a few 30 degree turns before entering the main tunnel.
The plugged lateral tunnel soil will be loosely packed when compared to soil surrounding the lateral.

Dig out Lateral Tunnel -

When the lateral is found, dig out the soil by using a small hand shovel.
Follow the few twists and turns of the lateral until you reach the end of the plugged tunnel leading to the main tunnel.
After clearing soil from the lateral tunnel dig no further so as not to expose the main tunnel.

Fumigating Main Tunnel -

Insert the flexible exhaust tube into the lateral tunnel and cover with a few inches of soil.
Start engine then pull the throttle trigger approximately ¼ inch.
Rotate the cruise lever back until it stops, release the throttle.
While the Cheetah machine is filling the gopher tunnel with carbon monoxide, locate the next lateral tunnel you will be fumigating and open it up for treatment.
After 4 minutes, idle the engine and remove the flex exhaust tube. Fill the lateral tunnel with soil.
The first fumigation point is now complete.
Proceed to the next fumigation point. Repeat this process three more times along the gopher burrow tunnel system as noted in the photo.
The tunnel system needs to be treated a minimum of four laterals, with spacing running 25 to 50 feet apart. See photo below.

Digging into a gopher tunnel system alerts the gopher to your presence. He will run away and plug his tunnel, thus keeping carbon monoxide from reaching him. The best technique to kill a gopher is to fill the burrow with CO at multiple access points along their tunnel system surrounding the gopher with deadly CO.

To be a successful gopher hunter one has to be persistent and diligent. Many times a gopher has old established tunnels, so finding fresh mounds above ground can be a challenge. The time needed to treat a lateral tunnel is 4 minutes and we recommend treating at least 4 laterals per tunnel system. Total time to treat a tunnel system averages 20 minutes.

The Cheetah Rodent Control Machine has an efficacy rate of over 70% for the first application. Extensive field experience by our customers has demonstrated a kill rate in excess of 90% over a season's use. Treating more than one gopher lateral tunnel entrance increases the kill rate. Using just one or two attack points will produce low kill rates and is not recommended.

Plugged lateral tunnel

Main tunnel