[Arid_gardener] RE: strychnine

Thu Jan 10 12:17:55 MST 2008

Great info from Tyler!

Marlene, we have had gopher invasions in our demo garden at the Maricopa
County Cooperative Extension a couple of times over the years, and (believe
it or not) Juicy Fruit Gum seems to get rid of them. Simply unwrap a stick
of Juicy Fruit and stick it as far down the hole as you can reach (don't
touch it, use tongs or a fork). It seems that gophers really like the taste,
and it messes up their digestive system and kills them. I have heard that
only Juicy Fruit does the trick, and that it can take a couple of weeks.
Look at it this way: if it doesn't work on your gopher infestation, you
wasted less than a buck and did not hurt the environment.

Hope this helps!

Carolyn Hills
Maricopa County Master Gardener volunteer

-----Original Message-----
From: arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu
[mailto:arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu] On Behalf Of Tyler Storey
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 11:22 PM
To: marlene at kenyonzoo.com
Cc: arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu
Subject: RE: [Arid_gardener] strychnine

Hi Marcia,
Strychnine, as you've discovered, is nasty stuff.  Do be aware that
strychnine can be introduced to the body through inhalation, swallowing, or
through absorption, and there is no know antidote to strychnine poisoning.
Strychnine can be broken down in the soil through microbial action, but in
inactive soils it can become rather strongly adsorbed by the soil particles
and persist.  If you are still seeing dead birds then you may have a real
problem.  For more information on your pest control applicator, you can try
contacting the Arizona Structural Pest Control Commission through their web
site: http://www.sb.state.az.us/
They may also be able to provide you with more specific information on
strychnine and its behavior in the environment.  Another resource for more
information on the poison would be the Arizona Poison and Drug Information
Center: 800-222-1222.  It's part of the UofA College of Pharmacy and they
are there to answer questions such as this.
I hope this helps,
Tyler

tyler at tylerstorey.com
http://tylerstorey.com
602-738-2978
-----Original Message-----
From: arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu
[mailto:arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu] On Behalf Of
marlene at kenyonzoo.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 2:03 PM
To: arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu
Subject: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page

Marlene
85310
marlene at kenyonzoo.com

To try to get rid of some gophers in my yard, my pest control contractor put
strychnine deep down in the holes. The gophers continued to dig in those
holes and make new ones. I have seen 2-4 dead birds a day and my 3 pound dog
was poisoned twice (probably from eating the dead birds) and almost died.
This has been going on for about a month now and I finally saw a dead gopher
3 days ago. I'm still seeing dead birds and am afraid to bring the dogs back
to my house.

Do you know how I can get rid of the poison from my yard? It rained a lot
right after it was put down, then rained again a couple days ago, plus I've
been watering the heck out of it (only solution given by pest control
company). Most of the holes come up in grass, a few in the rock area around
my pool. 

Also, my pest control guy didn't know what he was putting down on my yard
(had an old package of gopher bait with the writing scratched off) and has
done nothing to try to fix this problem. Is there a licensing board for pest
control companies? I want to check and see if he has the porper lisencing
for this type of work.

Thanks!!
Marlene

_______________________________________________
Arid_gardener mailing list
Arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu
http://CALS.arizona.edu/mailman2/listinfo/arid_gardener
All contents copyright 2007. Arizona Board of Regents/University of Arizona