Whether you own a business or just your own home, pest control is one of the most important tasks you will be faced with. Pests, whether it’s pesky gophers wreaking havoc on your lawn or mice that make your life miserable, are big business. There are more than 27,000 pest control businesses in the U.S, and they are projected to bring in $13 billion in revenue by 2020. Before resorting to the expense of pest control, you can try to deal with your pest problem yourself. Here are some tips on how to do that.

If your pests are of the animal variety, it’s important to figure out what’s causing the problem. For example, you may be wondering how to tell if you have gophers or ground squirrels. The most telling signs of gophers and ground squirrels on your property is the presence of dirt mounds, because the animals make tunnels underground. You also are likely to notice vegetation around your property being damaged, as that is the animals’ food source. A gopher, for example, can eat about 60% of its body weight in vegetation daily.

Getting rid of ground squirrels or gophers can be difficult. You can always resort to squirrel bait poison or some other sort of poison. That can be messy, however, as you could wind up with dead gophers and ground squirrels all around your property. A more humane way to get rid of gophers and ground squirrels is to catch them alive and release them elsewhere.

So what is the best way to catch ground squirrels or gophers? It’s typically baited traps. You can buy commercial ones or try to make your own. The key is to have the right food to entice the animal and also a solid trap to hold it until you can get to it and then take it somewhere to be released.

Ultimately, the best way to catch ground squirrels is to have a professional do it. There are companies that specialize in catching ground squirrels, gophers and other nuisance wildlife. Though you will pay a price for this service, it can be worth it to make sure it is done right and also to save you the time and energy it would take to try to do it yourself.