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Gophers have been and continue to be a real problem for producers in southern Saskatchewan, even more so in the southwest.

Provincial Insect and Pest Management Specialist Scott Hartley says the Richardson Ground Squirrel continues to be problem, especially in the drier areas of the province, "There's been some reports of a bit of a reduction this year, no doubt some because of control measures but also because it was a cooler, wetter spring, but certainly it remains a big problem for many of the producers in the southwest."

Hartley says more farmers are now setting up bait stations to control gopher populations, "Bait stations provides an option to be able to put the bait out and only have to refill it occasionally.  So, you don't have to hit every single hole, it allows the gopher to come to the bait station itself."

Of course, farmers should always be careful when handling pest control products, "Rodenticides that are used to kill ground squirrels can have a bad effect on any other animals that are feeding on them to."

Hartley adds farmers should remove any bait stations by the end of July, as there is far less gopher activity in the latter half of the summer.