It’s the year of extra cheeky ground squirrels. A couple of weeks ago one taunted out cat through the sliding glass door of the patio. Suki wanted out badly, but there was no way I was going to open that door. (Honestly, I thought the squirrel might kick her butt.) This hilarious display is indicative of the pressure level by the ground squirrels this year, but we’re not the only ones. I have many friends figuring out how to handle these bold little buggers this season.

Starting early

While many parts of the country look to the groundhog as a sign of spring, we keep our eyes on the ground squirrels. For us, Richardson ground squirrels are the resident variety (versus the Columbian ground squirrel found in the higher elevations), and the males emerge at the end of January, first part of February. As problematic as they can be during the gardening season, I must admit, it’s good to see them.

The eagles feel the same way. The surrounding fields are feeding grounds for bald eagles who are tired of picking off ducks from the river. The same holds true for the red-tailed hawks that reside in nearby trees. It’s a veritable early season buffet.

Of course, by March and April the girls are out, and it’s not long afterwards that the next generation spreads beyond their home boundaries. This is why we had the little one on the patio. It needed to find a space of its own. The problem is, it doesn’t need to be near the garden.

Stemming the flood

It’s hard to imagine the population numbers if there were no checks. My husband set out traps to prevent them from digging up our drain field. This is no joke. They actually burrow into the gravel in the area. The challenge is, once ground squirrels are eliminated, more move into the area. Without collapsing the tunnels it’s not long until the next batch takes up residence.

Setting up a bait station is a popular means of eliminating ground squirrels, but there are problems associated with it. It’s expensive for larger areas, plus there is no way to make it truly children or pet safe. Even though some of these stations have guards to eliminate spillage, the squirrels drag out the pellets.

Smoke bombs, which are a combination of carbon, sodium nitrate and sulphur, are another option to keep ahead of the bold squirrels. When lit and placed in the holes, it produces a poisonous gas that kills the them as long as exits are covered. It’s no surprise that this isn’t a one time deal, but they do work fairly well and there is no risk of secondary poisoning. Just be sure to check the label for any safety specifications. And keep in mind that these can start fires.

A friend of mine uses live traps.  Not one to harm an animal, she sets out the live traps and takes them elsewhere. Thankfully, ground squirrels are not picky. They eat everything from pieces of broccoli, two peanut butter or walnuts.

A cartoon inspired trap

I don’t know if I ever shared the story of my son, John, building a drop trap like the ones we see on Looney Tunes. It was the basic premise of a box propped up with a stick. I recommended that he tie a piece of broccoli onto the string that was subsequently tied to the stick. This was the trigger. When we came home that evening, the box was down. I truthfully thought that the wind did it. But I encouraged him to run over and see what was in his trap. We were both thoroughly surprised, actually probably all three of us, when he lifted the box and a ground squirrel dashed out! It was very cool that this type of trap worked, but now he needed to figure out what to do if he caught one.

There’s never a dull moment when it comes to dealing with these extra cheeky ground squirrels. You need to find what works the best for you and discover tolerance level between ground squirrels and your favorite vegetables or flowers.