Why We No Longer Offer Ground Squirrel Control
February 10, 2025
Due to a recent update to a California bill we are unfortunately no longer offering our ground squirrel control program.
We used to offer an annual baiting service for these pesky critters but the bait we used is now prohibited for use throughout the entire state. In this post we are going to go over alternative methods and why we won’t be offering them.
Trapping
Our program also included emergency trapping when needed. So why aren’t we offering a trapping only option?
Our ground squirrel traps can only catch one squirrel at a time. Since ground squirrels live in larger colonies this is simply not an effective way to gain control. We would have to set a large number of traps and constantly check on them. These traps are also large enough for other animals like skunks or cats to fit in so you risk catching them instead of a squirrel.
Live trapping is another option but these traps also only hold a few squirrels. They would have to be checked almost daily which is not something we would be able to keep up with. Then there would be the issue of where to relocate the ground squirrels after trapping them.
Smoke Bombs
You can buy these from most hardware stores or online and they are meant to be placed directly within the ground squirrel burrows. This can be a good option for short term control. Unfortunately it can be difficult to get these into the deeper tunnels so they don’t always get to the entire population.
Fumigation
With the ban most pest control companies are turning to fumigation to handle ground squirrels. This can be an effective treatment but it has a small window during which it is most effective. The soil needs to be fairly saturated for the gas to work properly so it’s not a service that can be effective all year round. Similarly to smoke bombs there are limits to how far the gas can reach so it can be hard to take care of all of the squirrels present.
