Subterrianean Varmits!

[Skian]

Need some help here.
The gophers, voles, moles or the giant worms from Tremors are eating our peas and bush beans.
We are losing 1-3 plants a night/day.
I made some mini shark cages for the new re-plants.
Does anyone have a good way to serve eviction notices and get these
criminals out of our garden?
Any ideas to keep them out?
Thanks for any input.
Skian

[applestar]

I think the first step is to ID the culprits. Advice for the giant worms from Tremors -- Or Dune for that matter-- will be different than for voles... or gophers from Caddy Shack.

[cynthia_h]

Or rabbits, or snails/slugs.

So ID is required. Check after dark, with flashlight in hand, trowel at the ready to combat snails/slugs and send them to Ultimate Justice if necessary.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Skian]

No slugs, snails or rabbits.
Ok, maybe not the giant worms either.
The peas and beans are getting sucked down into the ground.
Nothing left but the exit hole and the empty space.
Lately, our cat has left us a couple gopher heads for a morning gift.
But yet it continues.

[The Helpful Gardener]

I smell voles...

HG

[timberjet]

Last summer I was finishing up A painting job in A subdivision around here and heard noises coming from the neighbors sounding like underground blasting. You could actually feel it through the ground. So on my lunch break I walked over to see what was going on. He was standing out by his pond with A hose going into the ground attached to an air compressor and an acetylene tank. I asked him what he was up to and he just looks at me with this maniacal grin, then he pushes A button on the hose and Booom! The ground literally rippled in all directions, it was really kind of cool. So he was pumping pockets of acetylene down the gopher holes and then igniting them and voila. If you live in A rural area you might be able to rent one of these. Your neighbors will either get A big kick out of it or call homeland security. Either way your underground varmit problem would be toast.

[The Helpful Gardener]

HG

[sciencegal]

I once heard that you can kill gophers by putting a stick of Juicy Fruit gum in their hole. Evidently they like it but the gum will block their intestinal tract killing them. I've never tried it but I'm curious if anyone else has heard of this or if it works.

[The Helpful Gardener]

My friend Lisa swears by it for voles, but says the Fruity Bubblicious works better...

HG

[Skian]

Well, I went with Juicy Fruit.
We'll wait and see how it mixes with peas and bean.
Thanks for the tip.

[mansgirl]

I'd call Kevin Bacon and/or Reba, depeding on your taste.