WOODCHUCK CONTROL IN THE ORCHARD 



Fortunately there are a few orchard pests that don't require the use of a 

 hand lens for identification. That stocky, low-slung rodent, the woodchuck, is 

 one of these. Every fanner is familiar with this pest and its damage. The fruit 

 grower, particularly, has reason to bar woodchucks from his premises. 



Probably the first annoyance that will come to the attention of the fruit 

 grower is the chewing proclivity of the woodchuck. Apparently chucks chev* for 

 the sake of dental exercise when they first become active in the spring. If 

 the dea happens to be located in a young orchard, then one or two nearby trees 

 may be destroyed by this gnawing. There seems to be no intent on the part of 

 the woodchuck to consume the bark, for he lets the chips fall where they may. 

 In fact, woodchuck damage may be easily recognized by its raggedness, in comparison 

 with the clean removal of bark by girdling mice or rabbits. 



Woodchucks pester the fruit grower in other, more universal, manners. Their 

 burrows may collapse under the weight of heavy equipment--trapping the wheel of 

 the spray rig just when you are about to finish applying second cover. And those 

 gravelly mounds are rough on mowing machine blades after these mounds become semi- 

 hidden in lush grass . 



Spring is woodchuck control time. In Massachusetts these rodents should meet 

 their destiny during the period from the middle of April to the middle of May. 

 There are a number of conmion sense reasons for this. The burrows are easy to 

 locate at this time; the young may not yet have been born or are, at least, still 

 present in the maternal burrow; only a single burrow system is in use at this 

 time of year; and there is less chance of destroying other wildlife. 



Gassing is the most practical method of controlling woodchucks in the orchard, 

 and the use of the special Gas Cartridge, manufactured by the U. S. Fish and Wild- 

 life Service, is the most practical means of gassing. Detailed instructions on 

 the employment of the Gas Cartridge will not be given here but are available in 

 printed form from the suppliers of the cartridge, from your County Agricultural 

 Agent, or from our office at the University of Massachusetts. 



Cartridges this year can be obtained, under a new distribution system, from 

 a number of cooperators in the state. Chief among these are: Eastern States 

 Farmers' Exchange, Inc.; Farm Bureau Association; Essex County Cooperative 

 Farming Association; and United Cooperative Farmers, Inc. 



Gassing with Calcium Cyanide is an alternate method of treating burrow 

 systems. It is best applied with a foot pump, sold commercially for about $15.00. 

 Used with this equipment, the poisonous fumes are forced into and diffused through- 

 out the underground passages. Depositing a spoonful of Calcium Cyanide in the 

 burrow opening is a slightly less satisfactory method. A zone of gas is formed 

 which is effective only if the 'chuck enters this area before the gas is dissipated, 



The use of tractor exhaust, while effective in its action on the woodchucks, 

 is not considered practical in commercial-size orchards. The expenditure of time 

 required by this method precludes its use. 



