In a short time, BurrowRx has made a name for itself as an effective tool for helping pest control professionals eradicate a wide range of burrowing rodent infestations. Now, one Northern California PMP says it’s time for the pros around the country who use the device to compare notes on how to achieve the best results.
A year ago, Zach Smith, owner of Smith’s Gopher Trapping Services in San Jose, Calif., started a Facebook forum exclusively for PMPs to share their experiences with BurrowRx. The forum, named “The BurrowRx Fumigation Group” has nearly 100 users today.
“I think it’s important that we all share tips and tricks as we learn so we can help each other get good results,” he said.
Investing in BurrowRx
Smith has been in the gopher and squirrel trapping business for more than a decade. About two years ago, he began using the BurrowRx for California ground squirrel infestations. He now owns 10 devices. Each one is used daily, and he’s also found the devices are effective for eradicating burrowing moles and gophers as well.
On any given day, Smith’s company may service small accounts as well as large ones, such as schools or parks, where infestations could range from 20 to 200 burrowing rodents. With large populations, even after his teams eradicate the burrows, neighboring populations from adjacent properties may migrate to the remediated burrow, re-open it, and start a new infestation.
Working in areas with high concentrations of large infestations means the BurrowRx – known primarily as a tool that can completely eradicate a burrow after one use – may often be used multiple times over the course of several months on one large account. This puts more wear and tear on the machines and creates the need for technicians to be armed with the best techniques as well as thorough knowledge of the device.
Early on, Smith reached out to BurrowRx customer service for advice. After reviewing his situation, the BurrowRx team suggested back to back treatments for a large account.
“Their information was very helpful. It helped us get the results we were looking for,” he said.
Connecting with other PMPs
Through other PMPs in the forum, Smith learned the BurrowRx also worked well for moles and voles. He hasn’t used the machine for voles yet, but will likely do so in the future. He has also learned that listening closely to the device may offer clues to how deep or long a burrow might potentially be.
Smith, along with others in the forum, have found the BurrowRx to be a cost-effective option when compared to competing products that use carbon monoxide to eradicate burrowing rodent systems; and it’s a better alternative to rodenticides, he added.
As Smith looks for ways to optimize performance, he also sees the forum as an opportunity to create more dialogue with the manufacturer, too.
“I still have my original devices and they’re still going strong, but I also like that we can have a voice to offer suggestions for improvements and make the devices work even better,” he said.
To learn more about BurrowRx, visit burrowrx.com.
Top photograph by Chaz Estrada.