Please tell me what the difference is between ground squirrels and gophers. I never see the critters that are in my garden but there are about 40 holes scattered throughout my beds, not necessarily a mound but a good clean hole. I have tried to drown them which I discovered is nothing but a waste of water because I could see the water running down through some of the holes, 2/3rds of an acre away. Pretty impressive tunnel system, I have to say. BUT, they must go but I want to be sure to deal with the right critter. Is there any difference? Thanks, Kat

Sunnie, what kind of avocado is it? Mine are Hass, and they have been ready to eat since November. By August they are rancid. Have you picked any to let them ripen? Hass don't ripen on the tree, you have to pick them. If you live in a neighborhood that has possums you will just get new ones if you get rid of the old ones. A large dog is the best defense against too much grazing by possums. Fortunately, they usually don't eat as much as raccoons or squirrels. We have tree and ground squirrels, and the ground squirrels are winning. I put so much water down their tunnels that my California Redwoods are actually green this summer. We have expensive poison stations, traps, cats, and dogs. Our neighbor even got a rat terrier! They have destroyed the lawn, the terraced part of the yard-- it's a nightmare. If I had any guts I'd pour gasoline down the tunnel and blow the whole neighborhood up. Just kidding. Don't call Homeland Security yet. Hey stanofh- I'll bet gophers taste a lot like guinea pig. Renee

RAT ZAPPER CONTINUES TO WORK Like many on this thread I too felt guilty about eliminating chipmunks ... but have become increasingly frustrated and desperate when the population exploded and over ran our property and garden areas. Destructive, brazen and invasive is ALL an understatement when I see what these cute little critters have become. Granted the "pool of death" (the bucket) does work, but I found, at least for me, a cleaner, more convenient way to eliminate the munks ... the RatZapper ... no bucket to maintain/seed to replenish. I bought my first "zapper" back in May and eliminated 21 munks in approximately 10 days. Since then I bought 2 more and now there are almost 50 critters that no longer make their home in the area around my foundation, sidewalks and retaining walls. I place a little pile of sunflower seed at the back of the chamber and flip the switch. And location seems to be important. Under shrubs and near visible, active holes seems to be most effective. While I feel I need to eliminate them I want to do it as humanely as possible, and since it is illegal to relocate them in the state of CT, the Hav-A-Heart trap presents the dilemma of having to "off them" yourself and watch them die. An animal control professional I spoke to (off the record) indicated that "electrocution" is the fastest, most humane and cleanest way to do what has to be done. Interestingly, an Ohio State University critter/pest management site I visited indicated that 10 chipmunks or more per acre is considered an infestation population. I have caught almost five times that number in two areas, so I assume I am dealing with nature being way out of balance, at least as far as the chipmunk population. If you're getting more and more desperate, try the Zapper, it has worked for me.

I don't plant them that deeply, and I know I should. I usually put them 6, maybe 8" deep. I usually lose a couple of the bulbs that the squirrels not only dig up, but break apart and scatter around. (Little brats!) I lose the majority of my lilies after they come up, when they are mayber 2-3" tall. The vermin simply gnaw the stalks in half and leave them lying there. But this year -- they're safe! I have two inexpensive soil test kits; I'm going to run them on the mulched bed and a neighboring bed that didn't get the coffee mulch, to see how much of a difference there is. But the roses, autumn lilac, tradescantia, chamomile and foxgloves that were coffee mulched came up great this spring, so I don't think there was a negative effect. I'm definitely keeping this in mind next spring -- I might actually get all the lilies I want! (Or can afford....)