By Dick Fagerlund For the Journal
THE BUGMAN: Q: Any good way to get rid of gophers? — B.S., Los Lunas
A: I have always said there isn't a sure fire way, but I got a letter from a reader that is worth sharing. I haven't tried it, but it is something to think about:
"I've tried a method that seems to work very well.
"Wherever I saw a gopher mound or hole, I mixed a several gallon solution of fish emulsion (2 tablespoons to each gallon) and poured it down the hole. You have to use the stinky fish emulsion not the deodorized version. I did this for several months every time they showed up. They seem to hate the smell and left. My garden had been devastated by them for several years and now I am harvesting garlic, carrots, artichokes and other vegetables that had formerly been eaten by the gophers."
Q: I read that the government was going to re-allow chlordane via a pilot program, because termites and super-termites had returned with a vengeance since it was banned. It has always bugged me (sorry) to have seen the stuff outlawed almost entirely due to abuse by professionals who adhered to the philosophy: If a little is good, a lot is really good. The stuff is effective in many forms, and safe if used as directed.
If I remember correctly, termite damage is about $3 billion a year. My personal favorite product was Wydane. A diluted dabbing around the necks and armpits kept our dogs tick free. That was a big plus, even before Lyme disease was identified. Do you know the status of chlordane and the reported pilot program? — J.S., Placitas
A: This isn't a silly question. One congressman from Texas, Tom Delay, who was an exterminator before the citizens of Texas elected him to Congress, has said he wants to bring back DDT.
God forbid! I knew Delay when he was an exterminator in Texas. We do not need chlordane or DDT anymore. Termidor is a very effective termiticide and can adequately deal with subterranean termites. There is super glue and superheroes, but there are no super-termites.
Q: I am considering buying one of those electronic pest control devices that allegedly chase bugs and rodents from the walls and out of a home by emitting ultrasonic waves that alter normal electronic fields around a home's wiring. It says the device does not bother dogs or cats. If it doesn't affect them, why would it bother rodents and bugs?
Before I invest any money in this device I want your opinion as to whether they actually work. ... We are not currently infested with critters, and we have an exterminator come out whenever we see more insects inside than we would like. — L.R., Albuquerque
A: Save your money and get an empty box instead. You can hit the bugs and mice with the box and it will be more effective than those electronic gadgets.
I have had people call me and tell me they use them and never see pests. I maintain that they probably wouldn't see any pests anyway. Even the federal Environmental Protection Agency will tell you they are worthless, and it isn't very often I agree with a government agency about anything.
Dick Fagerlund is a board certified entomologist. If you have any questions for the Bugman, you can e-mail him at fagerlun@unm.edu or mail him at P.O. Box 1173, Corrales, NM 87048. His book, "Ask the Bugman," based on his nationally distributed column is available at most bookstores or on his Web site (for a signed copy) at www.askthebugman.com.
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