Voles Gophers Ground Squirrels Badgers

Our Process

Burrow Busters specializes in subterranean rodent eradication using an environmentally safe, verified organic approach to rid your property of any unwanted underground pests. We handle any size property from small residential gardens to large acreages. Time and again we provide service to homeowners in and out of the city limits, as well as vineyard owners, golf course superintendents, landscape contractors and maintenance companies, ranchers and farmers. Any property owner/manager who wants to protect their land from damage caused by gophers, ground squirrels, moles, voles and badgers to name a few of our targets.

Locating and identifying all existing holes or mounds and the tunnel systems adjacent takes a considerable amount of time, depending on infestation levels. Most often the areas we treat contain numerous obvious new mounds and holes, as well as older signs of activity. Any infestation contains an intricate system of burrows and adjoining tunnels, homes to one or more families of targeted pests.

After an on site inspection to identify not only the pests, but the extent of likely damage caused, Burrow Busters operators will locate the freshest tunnel systems utilizing iron probes and small shovels. This operation is the most time consuming, and the most difficult. After gaining access to a burrow, a series of underground blasts are performed to eliminate the targeted pest(s). These blasts are created by a precisely measured combination of oxygen and propane delivered into the tunnel structure and then ignited by the operator. The blast and resulting concussion does two very important functions. The first is that it instantly kills the targeted pests, and secondly, in most cases, collapses the existing tunnel structure preventing immediate reinfestation. Our experience has shown that we do attain a 90% effective kill rate on the first application.

It is impossible to totally eliminate any rodent problem due to migration, movement due to disturbance (nearby excavation), and prolific breeding habits. As noted earlier, the initial treatment of any property is the most time consuming and expensive, but we have found that follow up visits are short and to the point when dealing with any rogue rodents. We suggest that you consider a regular maintenance program on a budget that fits your budget and needs. This can be semi-annual, tri-annual or quarterly. This is considered a pro active approach to control damaging underground rodents on your property.

Property and livestock concerns that you need to be aware of are listed here. For specifics, please contact us.

• Our equipment limitations require we have access to within 125' of any infested area. Any gates need to be at least 6' wide if the area is fenced. (if we cannot gain access from adjoining properties)
• If the scheduled property has not been recently irrigated, we advise watering to a depth of 1"-2" prior to treatment. This not only reduces the fire hazard (all of our equipment have fire extinguishers aboard) but more importantly, binds the soil for much greater positive results in tunnel excavation and blasting.
• Although our eradication system does not disturb any underground wiring or piping, it is a good idea to let the inspectors/operators know where any underground utilities may be. In particular, buried fiber optic cabling.
• We recommend that any domestic pets be contained indoors during blasting as our own dogs and cats don't care for the noise if left outside.
• Most livestock have shown little or no reaction to the blasts after a couple of initial blasts, however, you know your stock better than we do.
• If we are treating any type of pasture, cropland or open field area, it is very helpful and cost effective if the landowner drag some sort of implement (harrow, rake, etc.) over the existing mounds a few days prior to our arrival. This allows us to quickly locate the freshest activity and results in cost savings for the property owner.
• Due to the inherent noise associated with our controlled blasts (resembles rifle and shotgun firing), it is suggested that you not only notify your neighbors, but also the local enforcement office that blasting will be occurring when the work is scheduled.
• Most often times during the treatment of infested property, there is resultant damage to surrounding turf, ground cover, flower beds, planted areas, etc. This is normal considering that we are doing subterranean blasting. Burrow Busters operators use the utmost in care and common sense when treating any property, but there will be disturbances to the infested area that will need repair upon completion. The damage may be a slight depression or an open trench above the affected tunnel structure. Much of the exploded turf can be repaired in much the same way as a divot on a golf course. This is at the landowner's expense and not the responsibility of our staff.