Mole & Gopher Control: Professional Trapping Techniques | Gopher Girl Darra Roberson - Pest Perspectives

Hello and welcome to Press Perspectives, the second one of the week. Yesterday I had Graham Turner on and that was quite a fun conversation. But today, episode 32, I've got go for girl on. How are you doing? Good. How are? You good, I'm OK, thanks. This is a this is a bit I've seen you on Facebook and I'm sure somebody a while ago mentioned go for girl. I'm sure it might have been. Have you ever heard of the podcast Tales from the Crawl Space 2.0?

It's a, it's a pest control one. I'm sure it was somebody on that podcast said you need to get go for girl on. She's on Facebook. She's really good. I'm sure it was somebody like that. So I looked you at a while ago and I suddenly remembered and I followed your page and I kept looking. I thought. I wonder if she'll come on or not. Yeah, it's awesome. So many people is able to find my page and everything. I heard it was quite easy. It was. So this is different for everyone. I normally have people who are in the pest control industry, but you're not actually deemed or you're not actually a pest controller.

You're a, you're a trapper, and you're locking. I like to trap Gophers and moles. We get both of them around here. So obviously a lot of the people listen to my podcast are from England and we have no go, no go, no Gophers. So what are Gophers? Said what? We don't have them. We don't. Gophers are quite a bit bigger than moles. They're about this big, and our bowls around here are only this big. But a mole? Eat a Gopher. Well, but The thing is. A mole will eat them. Gophers only eat plants and they're herbivores, but since the moles are carnivores and eat insects and grubs and stuff like that, if they hear a Gopher struggling in a trap, they'll go and eat it all and leave nothing but the skin.

Well, I didn't. I'll tell you what, I've learned something there because I I know we don't have Gophers in our country. I I only thought the, the insects and obviously the, the, the, the worms, the worms hunt. I'm a bit. I'm a bit, yeah, I'm a bit surprised about that, to be honest. A lot bigger. Saying that the Gophers are eating grubs and stuff like that, but they only eat plants. And then a lot of people think that moles are eating their roots on their plants, but what they're actually doing is tunnelling under the roots and causing root rock because of the tunnels under.

Root rock. That's it. I do do moles. I'm I'm in, I'm in, I'm in the British mole catcher register. I'm like the register of mole catchers. But what type? Of moles do y'all have? I should have looked that up, really. I I will look it up for you while I'm doing this show Narnosed. Moles. I'll just hold on a minute. I wasn't prepared for that. I just thought hold on. So what damage can what damage can can Gophers cause? They can chew through people's pecs line under their house right now is breeding season.

The moles and the Gophers are both all breeding and they will meet like underneath people's houses to breed and have their babies and everything and they. Will. Cause foundation issues from the tunnels and they'll chew through pecs, pipe and stuff like that and caused a slab leak and then afterwards they cause washouts too. Washouts Was was that something? Like when the ground just starts eroding after rain, the tunnels just kind of create like a route for the water and then it just erodes. OK, OK.

Do they do they cause destruction like moles with like say do they do they operate in the same same basis as they like with moles that can with their tunnels on, on agriculture land where they can break their legs and if they can go into the tunnels or is that not the same with Gophers? Yeah, it is like that with Gophers. But Gophers, they dig about this deep under, and then the bowls are only about that deep underground. And the Gophers are that deep because they're eating the roots at that level.

OK, so I've looked it up. It's the tape here. European. Yeah, it's got big nose, basically. That's what you said. Yeah, Yeah, it's the Talpa European. Oh, I'm terrible. These these Latin names. It's it's a European one, basically. It's got, it's got a big nose. They have the star nose that like that look like fingers on their face. That's hard to wait a minute. See if I can send you a picture of her. Have you got your phone with you? Yeah. Yeah, where are we? We've got. Eastern this, this one here.

How this one, I've just sent it to you through your WhatsApp, through your Facebook. I mean, which sometimes some people have caught the albino ones, the white ones. I've never been so lucky. I haven't. That's to catch that one. That would be super neat. Catch an albino. A few people in Britain have caught the white ones, so they must they must be here. But do you, did you see the mole? The main is it is that what is that what you mean by the star? We have no. And the star nosed ones are different from those also.

OK, OK. But that's what that's what we have. It is. But the moles actually can't even see. Their eyes are covered with skin. It's crazy. How they can just? Dig right along the side of foundation and driveways and stuff like that. They don't even have ears. They just go off of Phil and they can feel the vibrations from like insects and stuff from a long ways away. And then they'll never return to that tunnel again if you try to set traps in it. There we go. Hang on, there we go. I've got a comment, I think someone of your, maybe one of your friends.

You see it?

Huh. Oh yeah, someone gave me an albino. Go Oh, so you weren't. So you weren't lucky enough to actually catch it. Yeah, well, no, I didn't catch it. Someone's dog had dug up an albino Gopher. Oh, OK. He called me and gave it to me and we had it as a pet for a little bit, but that was she said that she. Tried. Oh, it was alive then it was. A little pet. We had a little, a little tank for it, like a fish tank that we made into what do they call those, But we put dirt, layers of dirt in it, planted little things for it to eat.

Tried to tunnel out, did it. Well, yeah, it was. I was hoping to be able to see tunnels and stuff but sadly you couldn't live very long. Oh, OK, they don't do very. Well, in captivity, I don't think. No, it's not. It's something completely boring to me. Go for this. It's is it because what, what will surprise most people listen to this podcast is you have no offseason. Yeah, I'm able to just work year round, except for when it's like when the ground is frozen. Oh yeah, it's. Difficult. Really difficult.

Yeah. If it's hard for me to dig, then it's hard for the Gophers to dig too. Like super dry ground. Oh, yes, it's awful. I've yeah. It when it is dry, even with moles, it's, you know, when it's dry, it's just it's difficult. You need, you need a, you need a balance, you know, yes, you need, you need a balance for that. Yeah. Rough to catch them whenever the ground is dry. What kind of with the with the Gophers do you use different mould? Do you use different tracks with the Gophers to the moles is it?

Yeah, I know the same. Kind and I I use two, one for each side of the tunnel on bowls and the Gophers. OK, Have you ever been setting up a tunnel and you've managed to once come through? Have you ever had that? Yes. I have a lot of times with the Gophers, they like to plug up their the light to where OK to where it's dark in their tunnel. And if I'll if I open up their tunnel and then go walk off and talk to someone and then come back, the Gopher will be digging and trying to plug up the tunnel to where light can't go through.

Oh, OK. And then I'm able to just grab them. Then it's easy, OK, you've actually seen them like in the ground, you're like, it's there. Yes and then with moles I've seen them digging also one time my dad caught he stomped down all the mole tunnels in a yard and he happened to see 4 moles digging and he just grabbed them all up.

Wow. Well, alive just. And they killed them, obviously. Yeah. He just dispatched them. Yeah. All right. Yeah, I've never had any never had any experience. Saw that before. No, that's what's. Fun is seeing them while they're digging. Is that where you learn? Is that how you got into all this? Is this from your dad? Was it? Yeah. Was he? Was he, was he a go for catcher as well before? Does he still do it? No. Well, we did it for fun back when I was a kid. We were just catching all of my uncle's Gophers.

And. Then we decided to start trapping for people around where we lived and me and my dad and my sister, we all went together to trap. And then later on, like down the road, after I had a different job and everything, I decided I wanted to go back to go for trapping and solving business out of it. And my dad still traps. He traps. That's nice, nice, that's nice, but that's how that's how you got started. Then was it like, was it like like in your area? Is there a lot of people that do just what you do or are they just pest control that do it or try to or try or try to do it?

Around here, there's not a whole lot, a lot of people who trap Gophers. There are a lot that poison them, but the people who are against poison, a lot of times the pest control people will just refer them to me. So it's kind of nice having like all of the customer base that once traps out, you know? Well, it's a more, it's a more humane way of doing it. It's a lot safer because you in in this country you can use aluminium phosphite. I mean, a vast majority of people don't because you should be able to trap them easily enough.

But I'm I'm I'm quite against using poison and moles. Yeah, me too. Especially because it's what's popular around here is strychnine so. Say that again. The strychnine is what's popular around here. This is going to get this, this bit is going to get clipped. People are going to be looking at this shock that you can use it. They're going to be been banned for many, many years in this country. In fact, if you if you had some and you're cupboard or some and you found something, you'd get the you'd get a police vans turn up at your house.

If you told them it's it's classed as seriously dangerous chemical that's banned, well. I'm doing my part trying to keep people from using it. That's good. That's really good. That is, it's shocking. You can use it, I know. And people wonder like why their dog just dies and there's no explanation why. It's probably because they got a poisoned Gopher. Could be, yeah. Yeah, that's fair. I wasn't expecting on this podcast to hear about that chemical.

I wasn't no. Do you have like do you have places where get a lot of Gophers and moles all year round? Or do you have like places where like say commercial places or golf courses where they're on contract with you all year? You just you do it all year round or certain certain points, parts of the year. They're the most active during breeding season, like it is right now. Moles and the Gophers are all breeding. So right now it's the best time to catch a lot of moles or a lot of Gophers. But throughout the year, people get like a mole, show up a lot of times one at a time because they're very territorial and they'll run off other moles we can use.

Yeah, see, I hear this right, And they're supposedly territorial, but quite often I get mole jobs where I catch 234 moles. Yeah, here lately I. Don't. I don't get it. Breeding season, do you catch a lot of them, like just any time of year or during their breeding season? Mainly during the breeding season. That's probably what it is, but often in gardens there's probably 2. Sometimes, not always in breeding season, but I do like it. You say sorry I had traps in a real small backyard and I caught 3 moles and a Gopher.

I was really shocked by that. Yeah, don't you tell the customers, you just tell them all that they like to see the the bowl to prove that you've or I use. The system that I use to message people and schedule and route everything, yeah, it doesn't allow me to send pictures. So sadly I'm not able to send them pictures through that. But if they do request a picture then I just send them one with my phone. But yeah. No, I just wondered if some people wanted proof, that's all. People love seeing what's in their yard and what did all that destruction, they enjoy seeing it.

Say it's distraught. There's there's a bit of a contrast because in England we like, I'm not like more more so on social media. If you were to put you were to hold a picture of a dead mole, you'd cause so much strife. It's unreal. You would. Still get a lot of Flack for stuff like that, but it also like this should work for people and so for me it it really helps with business, but I do get a lot of people who think that it's really just wrong, you know, but I. Mean. Pictures like that. I mean, if it works, I mean I iPod post on while ago on LinkedIn because I I make a lot of content and I was like, see, I'm in the camp of people.

I don't mean people like you because that's how you get your work, but like pest control companies shouldn't like put dead like rats and squirrels all over their socials all the time. But there was a lot of people that agree, but a lot obviously it didn't. But if it works for your business, it's fine because in the area I'm in, if I was just, if I, I live in Brookland in England, where let's just say a lot of the rich, I'm not one of them. A lot of the rich people live and more posture, right? Ones.

The and and if I was to start putting all dead animals on guarantee, even though they know what we do because they all know guarantee, I'd lose no end of business over it. So we don't dare do it. We don't. Yeah, I'm kind of surprised I've been able to get by with it as long. As I have, well, I think, I think I might be wrong. I think that there might be a different culture in a lot of America. Well, you've got a lot of shootings is normal for people to do, whereas in England it's not a regular thing to go out hunting and shooting.

So it it's more in the mindset of how your country is. Nothing wrong with it. I'm not saying I think they're more accepting of it, they are. It doesn't bother them as much. But obviously, like you say, you're going to get people that are going to be upset, Will you? Yeah, we try to hold on to our rights around here. Yeah, they can be. I'm I'm sure it'll all change pretty soon. It won't be like that for long, I'm sure. I'm sure you'll be fine. Do you get do you get like is it just Facebook you do you work for or do you have a website and Google reviews or is it just Facebook only?

Mostly Facebook is where I get all of my clientele from because I I share my posts into different groups. If I share a post my posts into a new group and I have like dead Gophers in it then I do get a lot of people trying to report me and stuff and. Trying. A lot of hate mail and everything, but once I like regularly post on those pages and groups they start getting a little more used to it and they start realising who I am and how destructive the Gophers and moles are and that trapping is the best and humane way to get rid of them.

No, you're not. You're not wrong. I mean, you've got a lot of the times I feel that I don't know if you you do this or not, but educating them about the damage that they can cause. Obviously it's different if they're out in the wild in the forest, so no one's bothered and they but if it's if it's if it's wrecking someone's lawn or even in agriculture, it can, you know, a horse or. How she could break their leg through mole tunnels? So it's like the public health aspect as in the damage they cause.

But a lot of people don't see that aspect and educating them a little bit can help, yes. And people love learning about the critter that is doing all the destruction in their yard. They like to do everything that they can to try and prevent it, but there's not a whole lot you can do to prevent the Gophers. Well, I don't even think there's a lot you can do to prevent the moles. Yeah, And then unless you know of a method to stop moles getting your guards, and I don't know of any. Yeah, I unless you.

Recommend, you know, grub treatments and treatment for like any kind of larvae or stuff like that in your yard for moles. But with Gophers, they'll eat Bermuda grass roots, you know, and that's the most popular grass around here. OK. I've never heard of it. I've never heard of this treatment you're on about before. What do you say? Larvae. Like larvae for different bugs and stuff. But you put it in and it puts them off. Does it? Well, I just recommend doing treatments like that to get rid of any kind of lawn pests so that the.

Mould. Oh, OK. I don't think, I don't think we'd be allowed to do that. We're very yeah. We're very much yeah. I've never heard of it anyway. I haven't.

Any like treatments for grubs around there?

I've never heard of any unless I unless that's if that would that come under horticultural pest control because I, I don't know. I don't know. I mean, I've never heard of any pest controllers doing that kind of treatment before. I'm going to have to look into it. I've never heard of grub treatments. I haven't before. Never heard of what treatments? The the the grub treatments, Yeah, I've never, never heard of it. They're they're the larvae stage of June bugs. Oh, I know. Yeah, Yeah, the grub, Yeah, I don't, I don't think we do that.

I'm going to have to look into this. I am. I've never, never had anyone mention this before because when a lot I've spoken to a lot of mole captures and they've talked about the customer always mentions how can I stop moles and they all said there isn't any way of stopping moles. I'll have to look into that. And no doubt, the way England is, it's probably not allowed. But Gophers they can take underneath retaining walls. I've seen tunnels that are like that, deep underground and deeper. They can go clear underneath like a 5 foot retaining wall.

How far did how far sometimes do your Gopher traps have? Do you have to really dig down deep or? Sometimes in sand they really like to dig deep, but sometimes they'll try to find more of a shallow tunnel. That way I don't have to make such a big hole. Usually the holes I make are only this big OK. I like to be able to not have my whole arm up in there trying to set traps. OK, Oh, you mentioned sand. And I hate, I hate it because sometimes it's when people have got lawns that have been made-up, you can tell it weren't originally there and it's all grainy and sandy mud and the the moles just slip straight past it.

Sometimes I'm like, Oh no, yeah, get him in the end, eventually. It's just frustrating. It is. It can't be just. Collapse and you can't even. Yeah, it's, it's not like like you get a lot of ground that's not been made-up, but it's got like loads of rock and stone in it. It that's a nightmare, that is. We don't have a lot of that around here. I know there's some areas in the US that do have a lot of rocks and stuff, but around here it's not too bad. It's frankly clay and sand that's. Good. The majority of it's just normal mud, sand and clay.

But sometimes you know when someone's made that ground up because not being funny in the countries are quite ruined what I am, and rocks aren't usually in the mud. If somebody's made that land up and it's like that was never there and it makes it a little bit more tricky, it does. Yeah, and around here, like people do gravel driveways and stuff, and a Gopher has no problem digging through that stuff. There will be mounds in people's gravel. OK, I didn't know that. I've learned something more as well.

They can do gravel drives. Oh, I just presumed it was just the grass. OK. They just push the rocks up and push it out with the mound of dirt like it's nothing. You know, something else interesting I see a lot is the Gophers will go underneath a house and then they'll take a big old rock about that big and they'll lock their tunnel with it so that water can't get through. That that means they've got a bit of a brain there, yeah. They're kind of smart when it comes to. Survival. Yeah. Actually getting a rock in there and blocking it so water can't get I've got that is seriously clever, yes.

And then they'll have drain tunnels that go straight down and it's crazy what they're able to do. Do you mean like drain tunnels that go to the drains or do you mean just a deep tunnel? Where water will drain out. OK. That just goes straight down. OK, yeah, that. Yeah, that's seriously clever compared to what I thought they were. Yeah. Moving rocks in. Yeah. It's interesting. That is, you know, like do you do any, do you do any kind of farms? Like do you do like farms where you have to go and clear the site?

Like I mean, I'm talking big sites where you've probably got a 50 to 100 Gophers or moles. Do you do any sites that are quite large? Places like that will use poison A. Lot of things will they OK. It would be pretty pricey for me to come out and do such a big area, but I used to do a lot of big like horse ranches and stuff like that. It's just so time consuming though. Yeah, because like a lot of people the way I do mould control, but I generally don't touch the farms because that's such big jobs and not being funny to anyone in the mole capture in the UK.

But a lot of them they charge per mole with the farmers and like it's like I'll do, I'll do it for £5 a mole, I'll do it for £10 a mole. And you've got all your kick to put in the ground, don't you? You've got to keep coming back. And you're not guaranteed 1000 moles, are you? You're not guaranteed that. But yeah, we don't generally do it. We went to one. It's our fault. We didn't tell him our prices, We told him how much and he's like, no, I was looking for £5, I was looking for five pound, 5 LB, a mole.

I make no chance. We got to put a higher price on them because they are so territorial that a lot of times there's only one per acre. Yeah, with Mole, but now yeah, Lerman Lerman lesson there I did. But so when you when you started the business, was it is it just was it go for girl from the from the very start of your business? Well, me and my sister used to trap Gophers together and so it was called Go for Girls. Girls OK. And then whenever I made it a real business and everything, I just my sister, she has her own profession and everything.

And so I just named it Go For Girl. OK. So when you when you started out, did you, was it how long you've been doing the whole social media element of your business? Was that from the start or? No, no, I started doing that whenever I got things going again after I had worked at a bank and then got fired. And so I was like, well, I'm just going to go to what I know. Trapping go friends. Exactly. But yeah. And that's whenever I started the social media and everything to try and drum up some business.

Yeah, because it's, I'll be honest, it's quite, it's quite brave because a lot of people are are scared of doing social media, especially within like doing pests like like you are. But it's quite a brave thing because you got to burst. It didn't get you down a bit because you know when you get negative comments, did it get to you at first? You got to get a little bit of a thick skin in you and realise that they're just when when people have got a keyboard in front of them and don't think can they say whatever they want?

The ones who do have negative things to say, I like to educate them a little bit and then a lot of people will agree with me because they are very damaging, destructive little critters, so. They are so but no, I'm just just asking because I'll be honest, a lot of pest control people in the UK, although they've all got websites when it comes to social media, not a lot of them do proper social posting like like you do. Like do you know jazz? Do you know of Jasmine Pess Pro as well? Have you seen her stuff?

Jasmine you should look up just later on look up Jasmine Pespro. He's very much social focus to get most of her work from her socials. She's been on the podcast. So my biggest tip for social media and everything is to have pictures of yourself on there. Because a lot of times when you look at a Facebook page, you don't know who's actually running the page and you don't know like who you're really talking to, you know? So I feel like the best tip I have for other people doing social media is pictures of yourself and like being proud of what you do and happy while you're doing what you're doing and taking some good educational pictures and things like that.

Yeah, no, no, it's, it's a, it's a good tip for people because I mean, up until a few years ago, I didn't put pictures myself on Facebook, but I lost I, I had a whole, what's it called, a whole change in mindset. I broke my knee twice, my left knee twice. I was in one garden. Luckily it was with my dad. Broke my knee, had to be the hospital, broke my tibi amphibia, 3 months, three months off the job. Well, that paid me still, so it's fine. Luckily it weren't my dad rehabbed and then eventually done.

I lost load of weight, put it back on got back to April 2024, January February 2024 broke it again in the own garden. I was like I knew I broke it the minute I went down and says it's about the Mrs I broke it. I need I need the ambulance and that and after that I've rehabbed. I lost 9 stone so, Oh, you're in America, aren't you? I'll tell you how many pounds that is. You do it different. So 9, I'll just tell you 9 stone in pounds. So I lost about 126 lbs.

So I'm, I'm very much into fitness and weightlifting now. I'm still not, you know, thin, thin or perfect, but I'm it's, I'm, I'm doing well and that, and ever since then, I've been more social media focused. I share my my fitness journey, my content, my, you know, pest control, business pictures, all sorts. I'm literally on top everything I post about all sorts I do, but I was more I was more confident, but I get a few odd comments, but I don't care anymore. I'm just like they're they're the insecure ones.

They're behind the keyboard with no, no pictures showing the stupid logo or whatever they are. That's where you got to think you've got to be thick skinned. And I wish more people would do social media in pest control because you can't get more. I'm not saying all of our business we get. I do quite well on the use an app called Next Door. Yeah. I do. I get a lot of work on Next Door. Quite I've built up a little following the people that say me. I get people that say hello. I says oh, no, you you're you're Sean that posts on next door, aren't you?

Yeah, one of them, one of them said they all you're I've got the next door celebrity. I said, no, I'm not. She said, yeah, you are. I said, but yeah, next door. So I don't pay for advertising there. Awesome, but but this comment here, negatives are great because you still get paid. I'll tell you one thing about negative comments, though. I find on neck, there's a chapter always comes on my posts about Wasnest because I post you know what, in the summer I post Wasnest posts. He tells me how how they're beneficial and they are.

They are beneficial WASP and they're nature's press controllers and he's very polite and I'm very polite back and I say it's for public health and I thank him. But what happens is I love this bit. When he comments, the views go up on the post because he's commented. So I always polite and I always thank him. I do understand they are nature's pest controllers but when somebody's got a wasp nest at the back door and they've got children, it's a danger to their life. But that's why we do it. We don't just turn up and do and kill was nest for free.

It's a public matter of public health. But the social media element. His comment always boosts my posts and my thanks. Martin. Come on. Yeah. The board that you. Put yourself out there, the more negative stuff that you'll get. It's just how it goes. Oh, I used to it. Now I don't mind. I used to bother me. But now I've got past the point where I know how to reply. A lot of people replying and you got to reply in the right way. A lot of people get mad and then it makes you look bad. You don't want that because you want people to think, oh, he, he dealt with that well.

And he's not really, he's not really the killer you think he is. You know what, you know, like the rodents and that he's there to do a job. It's not, it's not a thing that you know, we don't just go around kidding these animals for no reason. It's for public health damage, etcetera. But that's the way I kind of take social media now. I've learned it takes a while to get used to it, used to it, doesn't it? It does, yes. It does. But. Shayla, the one who has been commenting, he has an awesome homesteading page.

It's called Fear Not Farm, so you should look that up too. I will. I will look that up. I will. If you send it to me after, I'll follow the page and have a look. I won't remember it, I won't, but I'll definitely have a look because I'm all into looking at social posts and following stuff. But yeah, it's, it's, it's good to get your views on the social media aspect. It's so do you ask for like say you the Rast night .80% of your business is that, does that come through social and I, I presume word of mouth is big as well for you because it is for us.

A. Big thing for me is the thing. Good. Sign, yes. I've put that in everyone's yards who I service. Most of them, except for the ones that I know will yank it up. I don't even try to put them in their yards. But I love it whenever people leave their sign out. For years. I've had customers who left their sign out for four years. That's nice. I didn't, I didn't notice. And that's that's a business strategy, but you just ask them if you can put it in the ground and then and then so do you do you have loads of these on your van or you, you probably have a pickup truck, don't you?

Yeah, I'll show you. My vehicle here, I'll show you all my signs in. There, let's have a look then. That's nice. That is. That's a nice pickup, that is. Thank you. And there's all my. See, so you got them there for when you do jobs and if you can put them in the ground, it's, it's pretty advertising I suppose, and customers don't mind. No, they love their signs. They like supporting me. That's nice. That is, you got you got a selfie stick. No, I'm just holding it. It's the way you hold it. I thought she's got a selfie stick.

I've got one, but I don't use it much. But no, that's, that's good. That is, it's a good way of advertising. It's not something we do here, but if it if it works and if it works, it works for you. Yeah, I I wish we could do that, but I don't see people. Around here are always putting their signs at every stop sign. Like every corner, there's everywhere. Oh, around there they can. Can the Council come out and take them down or complain people? Will take them down but a lot of signs people will just leave them on the corner and never clean them.

Oh, it's nice. We've got one sign, but you know in Oakham where I live, but we pay for it. It's like, it's like a Oakham bypass basically. It's a road where you go in and out of the town, but there's two. But it is for the Oakham, Oakham in bloom. So basically the people that do all the flowers etcetera in the area. So it's like £500 a year for two boards and and they're a charity basically. So all the money they make goes into bedding plants etcetera. So it's more like a charity, but thousands of people see that sign a day.

Now I'm not saying it working all the time, but it's there for sometimes it's subliminal, ain't it? I've got Gophers. I've seen that sign somewhere, I can't remember where. And I bet it's like, her name's Gopher girl. I'll look her up. I bet that's what happens sometimes. They're like, I know what a. Gopher girl they. Look it up. Yeah, but no, it's a good way of advertising if you're allowed to. But yeah, I wish that was a thing here that would be allowed. But that's a great method that is. Yep.

And then my vehicle, I mean, it's a moving advertisement. People are like. Go. That's Go. For girl, they always wave at me. It's good. You ever get paper gun? Can I have a selfie with you or not? That's weird. A lot of times people will come up to me and be like, hey, you're the Gopher girl and everything, and I'll ask them if they want to take a selfie. But a lot of times people don't. A. Lot of times when they see me in public and everything they aren't sure if I'll remember them or not and so they usually don't even mention that I that they know who I am and stuff.

No, it's fair because like, like you obviously go to like I do. You go to a lot of people and they go when you get a job off them again. I'm so and so you came to my house, you know, three years ago. I remember houses, but usually when you, I said to them, when I turn up at the door, I usually remember the face straight away or two as I pull it into drive. I remember this place. Yes, but the old. The old thing you're remembering. But when they're on the phone, they instantly think I'm Mr. Brown.

You came to my hand and they think you'll forget them. I'll just go. Yeah. I'll remember when I get there. I will. Oh, yeah. How are? You doing and then I. Love. Yeah. But then then you can remember because it is hard. Because you see that many people over the years, don't you? It is don't really remember because it's nice to remember. But on the phone it's a little bit difficult. You've got to get the date. I do. I have a lot of customers that I I can recognise them anywhere. If I see them, if I've seen them in a different state, I know who they are.

I have a lot of customers that I do remember, but too many to remember all of them. Oh yeah, exactly. I had one recently. I was like, I was sat in the gym. I was like, I know you. He said you did all rats in here. I said you did. That's that's it. That's where you're from, Manton. I said, yeah, that's it. I was like a few of them in there that I've done work for and say hello and not to them. I do, but but yeah. So you don't really rely on Google reviews then to help? Or is that just not not really?

I do try to keep up with my Google and everything, but I need a lot of Google expertise. It's not, to be honest, it's not easy. We're on Google, My Biz, Google, whatever they called it. Now we use Google Guaranteed as well. I don't know if that's over there. It's where you can pay. And you know, like you have ad clicks, don't you? It's not an ad click. They have to ring you on the number and you've got to answer the phone in order to be charged. So it goes when it rings, it goes, it goes Google.

It says Google first on the phone. It goes Google, you know, it's, you know, it's off there. You do. But we we get a lot, we get a lot of work off that we do. But I am pushing for Google reviews. I'm at 60, no, 76 at the minute. Oh, yeah. It's not, it's not easy to get them. I've not, I've not been trying. I've been. Yeah. They they cut a loan off me last year. You see? No, no. Why? Offer like so much off of their payment and I get one. You can't do that. You know, You know the Google rule, you know the rules.

Oh, no, not do it that way. No, I know you don't. But but a lot of the time, recently I've managed to get quite a few. You're not going to get them all, but I get some of them. But I'm persistent. I give it at least twice, give another week and send it again, see if we get one. But it does help our business. But you seem like you've got them all. Although I do social. It's a mixture of mixture of different methods to get working. It is but, but yeah. A lot of times I tell people make sure that you tell your neighbours and everything and and that works out really well and people post about it in their neighbourhood groups and stuff.

That's that's powerful. That's that. Listen people, even these texts will help you in business a lot. Of times whenever I catch a bunch of Gophers, I say want to take a picture of me and they'll take a picture of me with my Gophers and send it to their neighbours or anybody that they know of who has Gophers.

That works out really well. Yeah, put a note on your receipt asking for one. Oh.

Yeah, I should do that. I. Should start putting it's not easy asking for them, but it sounds like you've got a good pace of a base of people that are happy with your business. You've always got to make sure you know they're happy. So before you ask for a Google review, but it sounds like you've got a good mixture of advertising and social because social is free. It's free. And then he said, have you ever heard of Gary Vee? He does a lot of social media. He goes people should you people use social media?

It's it's free. It's free forever. The F people need to use it more. It's free. Yeah, and the. Work is good too as. Long as you have good pictures and good educational content. Yeah, it does. I mean, I, my wife makes me a graphics of like mole and educational, all sorts of educational things on canvas professional. You can make Flyers and all sorts. And I put them on a lot of groups. I go, please share this educational leaflet and start open pest control with my logo on it. And I think, I think that might work as well.

I don't know, but it goes down well I think as well. Get a bunch of key chains made. I have a cousin who makes all kinds of like custom stuff for me. She had a Facebook page called Junk Drawer Art and she, she makes a lot of key chains for me that I just give to people. And that's really nice because it's like a business card, but it's more, it's funner, you know? Oh. It definitely is. Our biggest thing. What we do is, I won't call it fun, but every customer gets a free pen. We've got a pen with a phone number on.

But yeah, we always give out free pens because it don't cost that much. We buy them in 500 or 1000 batches now we and then they've got the pen. Might lose your paperwork, but they'll always keep your pen. Usually they will. They will, really. Well, if it's a good pen, people keep them forever. They do because our pens the company keeps getting us to try and you know the more expensive for them like no the customers like these ones. So we're sticking with them. They might as well stick with what people like.

Yeah, it's just some, some good tips there on how to get some more business. But if you're in America, try these yard signs if you they work, if in the UK, let me know how you get on. We're trying that because because it's like, you know that you know how the people door knock in America for pest control, That's not a thing here. If you knocked on people, if you knocked on people's doors here, they they would think that you'd think they're dirty or got rodents and be highly offended and you might get to smack on the nose.

So what about like if do people ever knock on their neighbours? Doors. Yeah, yeah. I just, I just be nice. No, all I meant was in terms of selling pest control services. I know in America they have door knocking teams that knock the whole area. Essentially in behind neighbourhoods. I mean, they do knock doors here, but not pest control. Like, you know, do you want your wingers doing, Do you want the gravel drives doing things like that? But pest control, you probably get a slap. You don't dare do that.

But no businesses do door knock for services like that. But we've got laws where it's not illegal to cold call, but if you're asked to leave, you must leave, as in not not do it again because you can't get like arrested. If you keep harassment, you can like, keep knocking. But I don't answer the door a lot of the time. I can see who it is, just don't answer it. A lot of times whenever we have door knockers, we'll just chat with them for a long time and we're like, no, we don't want to use your service after we talk their ear off.

Well, yeah, you must. Yeah, well, they learn a lesson there. A lot of them ain't pest controllers, so they don't know what they're selling a lot. I've heard a lot of them just if you get the wrong door knockers, apparently they can actually oversell the service and the service gets sold and the comp they've over promised just to get that signature. Yeah, I'm only going off what I've heard on podcasts. They're not all like that. They're not. Yeah, it definitely is. So it. Yeah, I'm. I'm glad to hear you find it interesting to hear about how we do things over here.

Like, you know, like things like, you know, if you've got ants outside and like you've got bugs outside in America, you can just spray your house, can't you? Yeah. Is that right? Can't do that here. You've got to actually have a problem to get something done. Yeah, you've got to. You've got to prove you've got. You've got to physically look and have ants to do something. You have. You've got to have a problem. You can't just. That type of control that that that they have on y'all I. Would. Like that?

We're not. There's not many chemicals we're allowed to spray out, spray outside, around buildings and hard. Nearly nothing. A lot of it is inside. We do. It's different. I thought I'd bench with it because it's, it's very different to what, to what you you're used to in America. It is. But I always find it fascinating talking to people from different, different countries to see how different, different things work. And it's, it's been fun. It has, yeah. It's been awesome. It was really good talking to you.

Is there anything else you wanted to mention about going for some moles or anything like that? Any funny stories you've got or?

I have all kinds of stories, but I can't think of any off the top of my. No, you're right. But yeah, it's been, it's been, it's been interesting to be honest. It's been good to have somebody on that is an actually pest control that because I've, I've got some mole captures coming on, but they're from the UK you see. So they're actually see, most of our molecatchers are all qualified pest controllers, not just solely moles only and Gophers. I need to watch that one. I need to set up a reminder. What day are you having that?

I'm just trying to, I'll give you a message and I've I've got that many on. I say that who am I? I've got someone coming on. That's my mate Andrew. He, he's actually got a shop where he sells mole traps. He sells, he's got a shop, he just sells mole gear. But he's, he's coming on and no doubt he will, he will be talking about mole catching because he does it in the field. He's got trailers, he goes and does all the farms. And yeah, I'll get, I'll message you the date of that one. But you can always listen to it on Spotify or Apple after.

You don't have to watch it live because you're probably working. Usually you are, but yeah, it'd be on the scene. All right. Well, that is awesome. I'm glad you had me on your podcast. It was. Fun. It was fun. But yeah, do you want to? Is there anything you'd like tell you? What have you got anyone you'd like to see on this podcast on Don't Have to Say Anyone if they want? To think on that one and I'll mention you. Yeah, no problem. I'll give message to you. But yeah, do you want to, do you want to promote?

Go for go. Well, why? Why you won't ever say that it's been promoting the entire time in the background. Yeah. Yeah. You can, you can promote yourself if you want, if you want to do that or yeah. Go for girl. There you go. Go for girl. That's it. There you go. But yeah, yeah, it's been a, it's been a fun one. It's been different because, you know, I'm so used to people being highly qualified in pest control. It's nice to speak once to someone just just trapping and sticks to the good humane way of trapping, not involving poison.

Yes. And just sticking with one thing. Everybody else does multiple different animals and I just stick with Gophers and bulls. It's good, it's called specialising in, in, in a, in a specialist area and that's, that's what you've done and you, you're in an area where you're able to do it all year round apart from certain bits you've said where the ground gets hard. But for the vast majority, you can carry on all year round, which is something unheard of in this country.

If we just went for mole control, we'd be out of business. We would be not enough. Although we got a lot of work last year for mole control. It boosted the business control. I joined that mole group. I got a lot of work through that website and it boosted the business. But it would not be enough to keep the business alive by itself. It wasn't. It boosted the business a bit. It did, but yeah, all right, honestly, thanks for coming on and giving up your time Yeah of. Course it was fun. But yeah, no thank you and I hope you have a good rest of your day.

I'll let you know when it's up on Spotify. To be fair, I'll do it after I'll upload it. I'll, I'll let you know, but I'll you'll see some clips drop and I'll tag you and stuff if you want. I can even if you want the clips, I can send them to your e-mail so you can download them and put them on your socials if you want. I do not mind that. Would be awesome. I'd love, I can do that, but it's like an AI, It clips it automatically. So it picks certain points, but guarantee it will, it will pick that strictly and I'll guarantee it.

I'll bet you it'll pick that. But yeah, but thank you for coming on. You're welcome. Thanks for having me. Appreciate that. Have a good rest of your day. Are you back off out or is that your day done? What is that your day done now or are you going back out to work? My husband did the rest of my jobs for the day. Well, that was nice. Say thanks to him from there. I. Will. All right then. Thank you. Thank you. Have a good day. Have a good day. Speak to you soon. Bye. Bye.

Mole & Gopher Control: Professional Trapping Techniques | Gopher Girl Darra Roberson

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