Ground squirrel burrow destruction: Control implications

Rapid reinvasion of low-density sites by dispersing ground squirrels often results in short-term benefits from otherwise effective population control methods. Existing vacant burrow systems appear to play an important role in facilitating the local population recovery. The potential of destroying the ground squirrel burrow entrances to reduce site reinvasion, following population removal, was tested. Under the conditions of the tests, deep ripping resulted in >85% reduction in burrow reinvasion by California and Belding ground squirrels. Studies are still in progress to evaluate the consistency of the results and include long-term effects and cost information. The inclusion of this technique into the management of crops rather than the management of one pest species alone is discussed