An American city is becoming overrun by ground squirrels. Residents are fighting back
These small creatures, native to the northern Plains, weigh less than a pound, are about a foot long and are ferocious tunnelers.
It's exasperating the people of Minot, North Dakota, where it's burrowing everywhere from vacant lots to the middle of town, and growing more plentiful over the past two decades.
The city is now fighting back, but even the pest control expert leading the charge acknowledges it will be difficult to turn the tide against the pervasive creatures.
An uphill battle
Joshua Herman said fighting the squirrels is akin to 'one guy standing against a massive storm.'
'If I'm trapping but my neighbor isn't, well then, we're really not going to get anywhere with it, long-term,' Herman said.
Ground squirrels have been an issue in Minot, a city of nearly 50,000 people, for at least 20 years, but the problem has dramatically worsened in the last few years, said Minot Street Department Superintendent Kevin Braaten.
It's unclear how many of the squirrels live in Minot, but it likely nears or even exceeds the city's population.
'Gosh, there's got to be tens of thousands of them in the area,' Herman said.
Officials in the city, a green spot along the winding Souris River surrounded by farmland and grassy prairie, know they can't get rid of the squirrels, but hope to simply get the rodent numbers down.
'I don't see the population ever going to zero,' Braaten said. 'I mean, it's almost impossible by the numbers that we have.'
Put another way, Minot won't be able to rid itself of the squirrels because the animals have lived on the prairie for centuries. Outside of town, predators like coyotes, badgers, owls and even snakes love to dine on the squirrels. But in residential neighborhoods and even downtown, where few of their predators live, the rodents can roam pretty freely.
Greg Gullickson, an outreach biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, adds that the squirrels now have fewer grassland areas available to them and like the mowed spots they find in town.
No land is safe
Female squirrels typically give birth to litters of about six babies a year, so it's easy to see how their numbers can quickly soar.
Herman said he kills 3,500 to 5,000 of them a year, primarily by putting snares and carbon monoxide into the holes, and using an air rifle.
'I've had calls downtown, calls in the mall, along the highways, here at the airport — really every part of the city I've done trapping for ground squirrels here in Minot,' Herman said as he checked his traps along an apartment building and shoveled dirt over holes.
Herman says they damage driveways, sidewalks and lawns; create tripping hazards with their holes and can harbor disease from fleas.
Along an apartment building, the squirrels had dug under a concrete slab and against the foundation. Nearby in a vacant lot, the rodents popped in and out of holes.
Ground squirrels near Pashone Grandson's ground-level apartment dig holes near her door and eat her plants. One squirrel even got around her baby gate at the door and into her daughter's clothes in her bedroom.
'It was a little scary. You don't know what disease they carry. They're dirty. I have a young daughter ... I didn't know if it was going to bite her,' Grandson said.
North of town, Minot Air Force Base, which houses bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles, has fought the ground squirrels for years. Earlier this month, the base said it had trapped more than 800 'dak-rats,' a base name for the rodents.
Base officials declined to comment on the squirrels.
Jared Edwards, facilities director for Minot Public Schools, which has three schools on the base, said residential areas of the base and runways are overrun by ground squirrels. He called it 'a continuous battle for them for the last 75 years since the base has been there."
'I'm not going to exaggerate: They're by the millions out there,' Edwards said.
In town, three school properties have large populations of ground squirrels, he said. Last year, the school system began using snares, and for years before that had used poison.
'It's something you have to keep up with. It is Mother Nature," Edwards said, adding that they've probably been in the area since homesteaders came through.
A cute nuisance
Still, not everyone sees the squirrels as pests. Some find the critters cute and fuzzy.
Herman said people have sabotaged, stolen or thrown out his traps. They occasionally confront him when he shoots at ground squirrels with an air rifle, scolding him for hurting the wildlife, he said.
'They get that cute association, and they are, you know, adorable, but they're a vermin and a pest and dangerous when they are allowed to proliferate,' Herman said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Hereford firm sees 'phenomenal' rise in callouts over wasp nests
A Herefordshire pest control expert said he had seen a large rise in callouts over wasps this year, with about 40% more than usual. Dave Atkinson, who owns ARD Pest Control in Hereford, believes the population had risen "phenomenally" this year, which included "such a mild winter and early spring".His work has escalated because of multiple wasp nests at sites, including one client who had 11 nests at their property over about four or five weeks. Mr Atkinson said the wasp increase had kept the firm very busy for the past eight experts have said very warm and dry conditions can "commonly coincide" with strong years for wasps. Mr Atkinson said in previous years "you would just get one or two nests at a site".He added for the client with 11 "you can imagine the problems that they would have had, if they had been left".The pest control expert said: "I'm getting in lots of fours, fives and sixes at clients' properties now."So as far as client callouts [are concerned] it's probably gone 40% more than usual."Asked if he had seen the wasp population increase over the years and especially in 2025 because of the heatwaves, he replied: "I would say particularly this year."This was "due to the fact that we had such a mild winter and early spring", he said. He added the "population has increased phenomenally this year, as far as the pest control service callouts" requested were concerned. Mr Atkinson stressed he dealt with a wasp nest "cautiously", adding "you use specialist chemicals that are registered for that job specifically within the health and safety industry"."Mostly it's a powder that you inject directly into the nest or in close proximity to the nest... The wasps then carry the material into the nest and [it] actually wipes the whole nest out." The UK has about 9,000 species of wasps, most of them are solitary and do not live in large colonies and these are generally not a nuisance to humans. Wasp experts say they also are an important part of our eco-system, capturing insects such as caterpillars and greenfly. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Scattering a £1.49 Aldi buy around your plants will stop root rot, slug-proof your garden & banish pesky weeds
SUMMER is here and if you're planning on spending it relaxing in your garden, this budget buy may be worth picking up. Aldi shoppers can pick up the handy item - that's not only delicious to eat but their shells can repel pests from your outdoor space. 1 Aldi's £1.49 kitchen buy Next time you buy Aldi's pistachios - that sell for just £1.49 - don't' just throw their shells into the trash or recycling bin. For the gardeners among us, they could actually be more useful than you realize. Just as there are ways to use those old coffee grounds in your garden and plant pots, there are ways to put your pistachio shells to work in your soil. They have several properties that make them the perfect repellent for pests, including hard, sharp edges, and a very slow breakdown time. Crushed pistachios scattered around plants make it difficult for pests to enter, and too uncomfortable for them to stick around for any length of time. They can take up to three years to decompose, so better to have them on pest control while they are doing it rather than just sitting in a landfill reports You can also use whole shells as a top layer in your garden to deter larger animals like squirrels from digging in your garden soil. Because of the fibrous texture of pistachio shells, they also absorb odors easily, making them amazing little natural diffusers. Soak the shells in essential oils that act as natural repellents like peppermint oil, sprinkle them around the garden, and watch as pests turn the other way. Other ways to use pistachio shells in the garden Pistachio shells work well as mulch, suppressing weeds and balancing moisture in the soil. Wake up to a weed-free lawn for months thanks to Aldi's £10 gadget that pulls them out without bending or kneeling down Use whole shells by layering them on top of your soil, or mixing them in with leaf mulch to create a protective layer that helps to regulate soil temperatures and insulate roots. As the shells slowly break down, they add nutrients to the soil. This also makes them an excellent addition to compost piles, where they help increase soil aeration, add carbon to soil, and increase microbial activity. The shells can also be used in potted plants to increase drainage and prevent root rot. Simply add about an inch of shells to the bottom of your pot before adding your soil. The shells will collect any excess water that the plant doesn't need, keeping the roots from getting inundated and potentially rotting. There's just one caveat to using pistachio shells in your garden and potted plants. Make sure to rinse them before using them if they were salted, as too much sodium in soil can be toxic to plants. Other garden hacks A DIY fan and savvy saver has shared five tricks to glam up your garden whilst staying on a budget. Shelley Carline not only transformed her grubby patio for just £20, but she also swears by a free tip that makes a huge difference to your space. Wasps pose a menace to many this summer - however, a cleaning whizz has suggested not only a surprising but also affordable way to fend them away. And luckily for those on a budget, who don't have much cash to splash on pricey cleaning products, this simple trick is totally free.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Close call between a B-52 bomber and a commercial jet over North Dakota puts focus on small airports
The evasive action an airline pilot took to avoid a B-52 bomber in the skies over North Dakota has focused attention on the way small airport towers are often run by private companies without their own radars. Neither one of the pilots of the bomber or of the Delta Air Lines jet seemed to know the other plane was there before the airline pilot saw the B-52 looming in its path. The incident last Friday is still under investigation. But the Air Force has said the controller at the Minot airport didn't let the bomber's crew know about the airliner, and the SkyWest pilot flying the Delta flight told passengers he was surprised. Passengers were alarmed by the sharp turn and dive the pilot of Delta Flight 3788 executed to avoid the bomber that had just completed a flyover at the State Fair in Minot, and a video shot aboard the plane captured the pilot's explanation afterward. 'Sorry about the aggressive maneuver. It caught me by surprise,' the pilot can be heard saying on the video posted on social media. 'This is not normal at all. I don't know why they didn't give us a heads-up.' This close call is just the latest incident to raise questions about aviation safety in the wake of January's midair collision over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people. Here's more about the way small airports like Minot operate: Many small airports lack radar It is common for small airports across the country to operate without their own radar systems because it would be too costly to install them at every airport. But there generally aren't many problems with that. The controllers at small airports are able to guide planes in to land visually with binoculars and radios as long as the weather is clear. Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, said if the weather is bad, a regional FAA radar facility may be able to help, but ultimately planes simply won't land if the weather is too bad. Sometimes small airport towers do have a video feed that gives controllers a view of a radar screen at an FAA facility miles away. Because the radar is so far away the display may not be as detailed about planes flying close to the ground, but the system does give controllers more information. It's not clear if the Minot tower has one of those systems because the company that runs it, Midwest Air Traffic Control Inc., hasn't responded to questions since the incident. The overlapping network of FAA radar facilities across the country also keeps track of planes flying between airports, and an approach control radar center in Minneapolis helps direct planes in and out of Minot before controllers at the airport take over once they see the planes. The Minot airport typically handles between 18 and 24 flights a day. That's how it works at many small airports. 'Most times it works just fine,' Guzzetti said. Some of these small airports could gain radar as part of a massive overhaul of the air traffic control system, but that will depend on how busy the airports are and how much funding Congress ultimately approves for the multibillion-dollar project. So far, $12.5 billion was included in President Trump's overall budget bill. Private companies operate the towers The FAA says that 265 airport towers nationwide are operated by companies as part of the contract system. The Transportation Department's Inspector General has said the contract towers that handle more than one quarter of the nation's flights are more cost effective than comparable FAA towers and have similar safety records. In some cases, local governments help pay the costs of contract towers. The program began in 1982 at five less busy towers that had closed because of the air traffic controller strike the previous year, and it has expanded significantly over the years because it has been so successful. Most of the airports with contract towers would have no controllers without the program. 'Common sense would tell you that having an extra set of eyes controlling the local traffic — especially in good weather — would be safer than having no controller and just having the pilots talking to each other,' Guzzetti said. That's exactly how it works at the vast majority of the 5,100 public airports nationwide that are smaller than Minot. Pilots at those uncontrolled airports use their radios to coordinate takeoffs and landings with other planes in the area. Only about 10% of all airports have towers. The FAA says it works closely with the companies that run contract towers to ensure their controllers are properly trained. It is easier to get certified at a contract tower because they handle fewer flights than FAA towers even though controllers are held to the same standard. More controllers are needed nationwide The ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers has persisted for years partly because it takes so long to train and certify new controllers. The FAA has said that it is roughly 3,000 short of the number of controllers it should have at its facilities. The staffing situation at private towers is similar because they hire from the same pool of candidates. All the roughly 1,400 controllers at these smaller airports have to meet the same qualification and training requirements. But contract towers also have the ability to hire controllers who retired from an FAA tower before the mandatory retirement age of 56. The contract towers don't have a retirement age. The FAA has been working for a long time to hire more air traffic controllers to replace retiring workers and handle growing air traffic. But it can be hard to find good candidates for the stressful positions who can complete the rigorous training. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced several efforts to hire and retain more controllers. The FAA is trying to shorten the time it takes between when someone applies to the air traffic controller academy in Oklahoma City and when they start training, and the agency is also trying to improve the graduation rate there by offering more support to the students. The candidates with the highest scores on the entrance exam are also getting top priority. The FAA is also offering bonuses to experienced controllers if they opt not to retire early and continue working to help ease the shortage.
