A California company has come up with another new idea for getting rid of gophers and other underground rodents.

Occidental Nuisance Wildlife Control Co. recently introduced a system that makes use of a cordless, rechargeable hand held blower and 6-in. long cartridges of carbon monoxide. The blower forces carbon monoxide rapidly into underground tunnels before the animal has time to react.

"It works fast -- in only three to five minutes the animal is dead. And the blower weighs only 4 to 5 lbs. so it's easy to handle," says John Rogers.

An 8-in. long metal tube serves as a combustion chamber. You place the tube up against the opening to the main run and pack soil around its front edge to seal in the carbon monoxide fumes. Light the cartridge and slide it into the chamber. Then position the blower behind the chamber without actually touching it.

"The combination of the high speed blower and high volume of carbon monoxide is enough to kill almost any animal," says Rogers. "It costs less than 80 cents to kill each gopher. The blower is a high quality piece of equipment that will last for years."

According to Rogers, the problem with carbon monoxide cartridges is that the gas moves slowly through the tunnel and doesn't always penetrate the deepest recesses of the tunnels. Also, if the soil is dry much of the gas gets absorbed by the soil without ever reaching the animal," says Rogers.

The kit consists of the blower, battery, battery charger, combustion chamber and 12 cartridges. "If you use up all 12 cartridges and still aren't satisfied, we'll be glad to give you a full refund," says Rogers.