"Burrow Blocker" Fills Gopher Tunnels With Sand
If you’ve got a problem with ground squirrels, gophers or other tunnel rodents, John and Mike Tikalsky have a solution. In 2011, this father and son duo invented a device they call the Burrow Blocker. It doesn’t use chemicals or explosives so it won’t endanger humans or other animals. A Burrow Blocker fills ground squirrel tunnels with a slurry of sand and water, burying the troublesome animals and their food supply at the same time.
The Tikalskys came up with the clever machine because ground squirrels were wreaking havoc on their horse pasture, creating a dangerous series of holes. John says he didn’t want to trap, poison or shoot the pesky rodents. Trapping was totally ineffective, as was chewing gum, dog hair, coyote urine and other “home” remedies. As he and his son pondered the problem one evening, they thought about pumping a slurry of sand and water into the holes. The water would seep into the ground and the sand would fill the holes, tunnels and burrows, eliminating the runs that could easily become territory for future pests.
John and Mike built a pump system that mixes water with sand and pumps it into the holes. The sand is stored in a gravity flow tank that holds about 1,000 lbs. Water is stored in a 450-gal. tank. The pump mixes sand and water and can fill a typical burrow in only a couple minutes.
After success with the prototype Burrow Blocker on their own ranch, the Tikalskys decided to market the product. Within a few months, they learned that sports fields and orchards had a similar need for ground squirrel control.
In Lakeport County, a ranch with walnuts and grapevines was being overrun with ground squirrels. “They were eating roots under the trees, green nuts in the trees and chewing the bark on grapevines,” says Lakeport Farms owner Peter Breen. “We were being overtaken by those pests and had tried everything we could think of before we found the Burrow Blocker.” They tested the machine, bought it on the spot and within a few weeks had eliminated 95 percent of the burrows.
The Burrow Blocker, which has a patent pending, is also used in military housing facilities, airports, schools, shopping centers and housing developments. Mike says the Burrow Blocker is a good money-making opportunity for a company that wants to use the machine to offer a pest control service. It costs just under $17,000, and an additional slurry tank adds $880 to the price. The company is developing a larger model that will be available sometime in 2013.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Burrow Blocker, c/o Amerigreen Technology, Inc., P.O. Box 1540, Discovery Bay, Calif. 94505 (ph 925 634-9204; info@burrowblocker.com; www.burrowblocker.com).
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Burrow Blocker Fills Gopher Tunnels With Sand MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Pest Animals If you’ve got a problem with ground squirrels gophers or other tunnel rodents John and Mike Tikalsky have a solution In 2011 this father and son duo invented a device they call the Burrow Blocker It doesn’t use chemicals or explosives so it won’t endanger humans or other animals A Burrow Blocker fills ground squirrel tunnels with a slurry of sand and water burying the troublesome animals and their food supply at the same time The Tikalskys came up with the clever machine because ground squirrels were wreaking havoc on their horse pasture creating a dangerous series of holes John says he didn’t want to trap poison or shoot the pesky rodents Trapping was totally ineffective as was chewing gum dog hair coyote urine and other “home” remedies As he and his son pondered the problem one evening they thought about pumping a slurry of sand and water into the holes The water would seep into the ground and the sand would fill the holes tunnels and burrows eliminating the runs that could easily become territory for future pests John and Mike built a pump system that mixes water with sand and pumps it into the holes The sand is stored in a gravity flow tank that holds about 1 000 lbs Water is stored in a 450-gal tank The pump mixes sand and water and can fill a typical burrow in only a couple minutes After success with the prototype Burrow Blocker on their own ranch the Tikalskys decided to market the product Within a few months they learned that sports fields and orchards had a similar need for ground squirrel control In Lakeport County a ranch with walnuts and grapevines was being overrun with ground squirrels “They were eating roots under the trees green nuts in the trees and chewing the bark on grapevines ” says Lakeport Farms owner Peter Breen “We were being overtaken by those pests and had tried everything we could think of before we found the Burrow Blocker ” They tested the machine bought it on the spot and within a few weeks had eliminated 95 percent of the burrows The Burrow Blocker which has a patent pending is also used in military housing facilities airports schools shopping centers and housing developments Mike says the Burrow Blocker is a good money-making opportunity for a company that wants to use the machine to offer a pest control service It costs just under $17 000 and an additional slurry tank adds $880 to the price The company is developing a larger model that will be available sometime in 2013 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Burrow Blocker c/o Amerigreen Technology Inc P O Box 1540 Discovery Bay Calif 94505 ph 925 634-9204; info@burrowblocker com; www burrowblocker com
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