|
| |
Our services include . . .
Services we deliver for the charges include an initial treatment where we attempt to locate and fumigate every active prairie dog burrow in the colony, according to EPA label requirements. Also, we will return and go over the colony again within 10 days of the initial treatment to re-treat open or missed burrows at no extra charge. After the cleanup, we will send out a report card stating that the cleanup was done and listing how many survivors we treated, giving you our appraisal of the situation. Any survivors or prairie dogs immigrating into the colony after the cleanup treatment are not our responsibility. Our average control success rate is better than 98% reduction of prairie dogs.
|
| |
FumigationEPA allows only one effective fumigant for prairie dogs—aluminum phosphide. It can be used whenever we can get a shovel into the soil.

|
| |
Cost for fumigationWe require a set-up fee for each job site. In addition to the set-up fee, the fumigation costs are calculated based on the burrows treated. These prices went into effect as of May 1, 2008. The prices better reflect the distance to the job, with Windsor, Colorado, being the center of the map.

Click here to see the map and zone chart.
|
| |
Grain PoisonEPA allows us to use zinc phosphide only on oats or in a pellet. The effective use dates for this poison are July 15 through December 31 during dry weather under very special conditions and only on "rangelands."
When do we use zinc phosphide on oats (grain poison)?
On jobs over 20 acres, when the right type of conditions exist, we may recommend zinc phosphide poison as the best choice for controlling prairie dogs. Successful zinc phosphide oat treatment requires prebaiting, monitoring prebait uptake, and several trips to the job-site prior to control. It is sometimes effective, and the control may approach fumigation success, if executed properly. It is always advisable to schedule a follow-up fumigation the following spring when zinc phosphide oats is used. Cost:
1-20 acres...$65/acre
21+ acres.....$60/acre
Note: This is in addition to the set-up fee.
Things to keep in mind . . .
Because of the large number of immigrating prairie dogs, adjacent prairie dog colonies, and prairie dogs moving because of construction and relocation, we are seeing a lot of repopulation happening on colonies that we have successfully treated earlier in the year. As of April 1, 2001, we found it necessary to establish a new policy regarding the third or fourth treatments on a colony in one year: If needed, we will return and go through the colony again within two weeks of the cleanup and charge only for the burrows treated, no set-up fee. After two weeks have passed since you received the cleanup report card, then we will charge the set-up fee and the per-burrow charge at the rate of the original job.
Payment is due, in full, after the initial treatment described above. We do not claim we can produce 100% control; therefore, payment cannot be withheld because a few prairie dogs remain. We normally eliminate in excess of 98% of the prairie dogs with the two control actions. We often attain 99.5% to 100% control, but we have no control over the quality of the chemical, unusual soil conditions, or prairie dogs reinvading the colony after treatment.
Counts of prairie dog burrows are made based on the number of fumigant pellets used and/or with a counter. Often the number of prairie dog burrows is more numerous than anticipated by the landowner or us. Counting the burrows prior to the treatment is time-consuming and expensive. Be flexible in your expectations on numbers of burrows in your colony. On average, the number of burrows we treat per acre is 55. The range we normally find is 25 to 100 burrows per acre. We will not take a job where we know we can only do half the job unless we have informed our customer of the problems with that choice.
|
| |
|
After reading this, it is hoped you can fully understand our services and what you are agreeing to pay for, so no future misunderstandings occur. If you have questions, please give us a call @ 877-484-2768 (toll-free for Major) or in Windsor @ 970-674-1619 (Brett). Our fax number is 970-674-3383, or contact us by E-mail at rmwildlife@earthlink.net (Brett). We are licensed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture: license #11757. We are also licensed to work in Wyoming and Nebraska.
|
|
 |
|
Prairie Dog Control Services
|
|
Thank
you for your inquiry about our prairie dog control services. This Web
site page explains prices, alternatives, and what to expect from our
work. Please read this completely so there are no misunderstandings
about the services that you are considering purchasing. - We don't vacuum them out of their holes.
- We don't live-trap them.
- We don't relocate them.
- We responsibly manage them so they are not a problem for you or your neighbors.
- We fumigate them.
|
|
| |
What to expect after our cleanup fumigationIn some cases, all of the prairie dogs will be eliminated and no more will show up.
- In
some cases, a few prairie dogs will dig out, reconstruct the burrow
entrance, and immediately begin opening up burrows surrounding their
burrow.
- Coyotes, red fox, dogs, swift
fox, skunks, and badgers will dig into sealed mounds, pull out, and eat
the dead prairie dogs. Some of this type of dig-out usually follows a
treatment in from one to ten days. Do not mistake this activity for
failure of the fumigation.
- After a spring
or summer fumigation, it is rarely effective to fumigate again that
year; the following spring is the time to try fumigation again. That
allows the survivors time to reorganize and concentrate. It allows the
uninhabited holes to weather shut
- Depending
on how close the treated colony is to another colony, reinvasion may
begin the day we leave. The solution to that is to encourage the
neighboring landowners to get their prairie dogs controlled.
|
|
|
| |
|
Set-up costs
Zone 1 includes Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Berthoud, Windsor: $150 Zone 2 includes Boulder, Longmont, north Denver suburbs, Brighton, Ft. Lupton, Cheyenne: $200 Zone 3 includes Fort Morgan, Byers, Bennett, south Denver, Laramie: $250 Zone
4 includes Castle Rock, Kiowa, Sterling, Dillon, Vail, Colorado
Springs, Limon, Otis, Crook, Torrington, Leadville, Eagle: $300 Zone 5 includes Julesburg, Wray, Pueblo, Glenwood Springs: $350 For areas beyond, the set-up fee and FMP fee will be determined by the individual location and job.
Per-burrow costs:* 1 - 500 burrows ..............$2.75 per burrow 501 - 2500 burrows .........$2.50 per burrow 2501+ burrows ...............$2.25 per burrow
*Note: This is in addition to the set-up fee. |
|
| |
How safe are these treatments, and what can we guarantee?
Both
Aluminum phosphide and zinc phosphide chemically break down to ammonia,
water, and zinc or aluminum phosphate—harmless fertilizers. There are
no harmful residues or secondary poisoning problems with either of
these two chemicals. Prairie
dog control is not a guaranteed 100% elimination. We simply do not have
the methods available to us to do it. Often, persistence over one or
two years will eliminate the rodents. In nearly every case where the
colony is separated from an untreated one nearby, the annual cleanup is
not expensive and prevents another large control expense later. We
want to do a good job for you. We do not want you to be disappointed.
This announcement is given to you so that your expectations are in line
with what we or any other pest control company can deliver. If there
are questions or problems, please call us; we can often get them solved
satisfactorily. |
|
| |
Why is the control of prairie dogs so controversial?
Prairie
dog control continues to create controversy in Colorado. In 2007, in
response to requests from the agricultural community, the Colorado
Division of Wildlife completed an aerial survey of the acreage of land
inhabited by the black-tailed prairie dogs in Colorado. The survey
results revealed that there were an estimated 788,000 acres of prairie
dogs in Colorado. Are prairie dogs endangered? Under no conceivable
circumstances are they threatened with extinction. Effective
control means killing at least 80% of a prairie dog colony, otherwise
the annual reproduction brings the population back to 100%. Yearlings
migrate out away from the home colony from March through August. They
re-invade treated colonies, start new ones, or expend the colony in
which they were born. We have seen a colony under ideal conditions go
from 30 transplanted animals to 300 acres and 12,000 animals, in six
years. Numbers of prairie dogs that leave overcrowded colonies are
phenomenal. Controversy?
There really should not be any. Responsible managers, particularly
those in control of overpopulated prairie dog towns within cities, have
to balance the public health and nuisance threats with the benefits.
Realistically, there is really no choice. Prairie dogs need to be
managed. That means euthanizing some of these rodents with the best
methods available. Prairie dog problems do not go away by themselves. They require successful control measures. That is what we strive to do.
Other services we provide
include eradicating voles, moles, gophers, and rattlesnakes. Give us a
call to get an estimate or to talk over your wildlife problems.

Here are some rattlesnakes that were removed from a ranch north of Fort Collins, Colorado.
|
|
|