Managing Gerbils On Your Land: Part 2

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Trying to deal with gerbils after they have already started damaging the crop is a waste of time, effort and money. A farmer has to manage the problem well in advance.

The first step is to find out whether these rodents are endemic in your area. If you establish that they are, take the following factors into account:

Gerbils take refuge in hedgerows and around fences where cash crop production does not disturb the soil structure. The burrows are easy to spot as they are well-defined and 50mm to 60mm in diameter.

The animals can move as far as 30m into the lands from their burrows. They start by digging out newly planted seeds, but cause most damage when the seeds are germinating.