The label is the law. Read your product's label before you mix or apply; the rates here come from the labels listed under Sources.
- Active ingredient
- Strychnine
- Chemical class
- A convulsive poison; this product is a milo grain bait containing 0.5% strychnine by weight. UC IPM notes that strychnine baits generally contain 0.5% strychnine.[1][2]
- Mode of action
- Convulsive poison (label); lethal to pocket gophers in a single feeding[1][2]
- Signal word
- Pocket Gopher Bait Containing Strychnine 1-10 Formulation on Milo: Danger-Poison[1]
Who can use it
The R & M Exterminators strychnine milo bait is a restricted use pesticide because of its hazard to nontarget organisms. It is for retail sale to and use only by certified applicators or people under their direct supervision.[1]
Handlers loading equipment or hand baiting must wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, waterproof gloves, shoes and socks, goggles or a face shield, and at least a NIOSH-approved particulate filtering facepiece respirator with an R or P filter.[1]
The label warns that killing a member of an endangered species during strychnine baiting may bring a fine under the Endangered Species Act, and advises contacting the regional U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the local fish and game office before baiting.[1]
Keeping bait away from pets and wildlife
UC IPM stresses that gopher bait is allowed only directly in burrow systems; putting it aboveground is illegal and ineffective and can expose pets and wildlife. It also advises against baiting in gardens with root vegetables, which could come into direct contact with the bait.[2]
The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management considers underground baiting a minimal hazard to non-target wildlife, but notes that bait spilled on the ground surface may be hazardous to ground-feeding birds such as mourning doves.[3]
Where it is used
This bait may be used only underground against pocket gophers, in forests, orchards, alfalfa and hay fields, pastures, rangeland, noncrop areas and cropland. It must go directly into gopher tunnels or artificial burrows, never above the ground surface or over food and feed crops.[1]
By hand, the applicator opens the main runway and places 1 teaspoon of bait per set, making 2 to 7 sets per burrow system, then closes the hole with sod or soil without letting dirt sift in over the bait. A pound of hand-placed bait treats 1 to 8 acres, depending on the gopher population.[1]
With the artificial burrow-builder method, machine-built tunnels should cross the gophers' runways at the depth they are digging; the label rate is 1 to 3 lb of bait per acre at 20- to 30-foot row spacing.[1]
UC IPM calls 0.5% strychnine grain or pellets the most effective bait for pocket gophers. If new mounds appear more than 2 days after baiting, it says to rebait or switch to trapping.[2]
Products and registrations
| Product | Registrant | EPA Reg. No. | Active % | Formulation | Signal word |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket Gopher Bait Containing Strychnine 1-10 Formulation on Milo[1] | R & M Exterminators, Inc. | 4271-17 | 0.5% | treated milo grain bait (Restricted Use Pesticide) | Danger-Poison |
Label rates
| Product | Use | Pests | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket Gopher Bait Containing Strychnine 1-10 Formulation on Milo | Pocket gopher main runways by hand or bait-dispensing probe (forests, orchards, alfalfa and hay fields, pastures, rangeland, noncrop areas, cropland) | Pocket gophers | 1 tsp bait per bait set[1] Certified applicators only. 2 to 7 bait sets per burrow system; a pound of hand-placed bait treats 1 to 8 acres. |
| Pocket Gopher Bait Containing Strychnine 1-10 Formulation on Milo | Artificial burrow-builder method | Pocket gophers | 1–3 lb bait per acre[1] Rows 20 to 30 feet apart, only when the soil forms a good artificial burrow. |
Safety and environmental hazards
People
Signal word DANGER - POISON. The label calls strychnine a convulsive poison that is fatal if swallowed or inhaled and harmful if absorbed through skin. Its note to physicians centers on oxygen and intravenous anticonvulsant drugs and warns that it may be difficult or impossible to stop the seizures without stopping breathing.[1]
Pets
The label says not to apply it in a way that will contact pets or domestic animals and to keep pets and other people out of the area during application. UC IPM warns that bait spilled aboveground can be hazardous to pets and desirable wildlife.[1][2]
Bees and pollinators
The label lists no bee hazard. The bait goes into underground tunnels, and the label prohibits applying it above the ground surface.[1]
Fish and water
The label says the bait is toxic to fish, birds and other wildlife, must not be left exposed on the soil surface, and must not be applied directly to water or to areas where surface water is present.[1]
Common questions
- Can I buy strychnine bait for gophers in my lawn?
- Not this product. It is a restricted use pesticide for certified applicators, and its labeled sites are forests, orchards, alfalfa and hay fields, pastures, rangeland, noncrop areas and cropland, which don't include home lawns or gardens.[1]
- What should I do if someone swallows gopher bait?
- Call a poison control center or doctor immediately (the label lists Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222) and have the product label with you. Strychnine is a convulsive poison, and the label's note to physicians covers oxygen and anticonvulsant treatment for seizures.[1]
- How do I know whether strychnine baiting worked?
- Tamp down or clear the existing mounds after baiting so you can see new activity. UC IPM says that if new mounds appear more than 2 days after strychnine baiting, you need to rebait or try trapping.[2]
Sources
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “Pocket Gopher Bait Containing Strychnine 1-10 Formulation on Milo label, EPA Reg. No. 4271-17 (EPA-stamped, Aug. 30, 2022).” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/004271-00017-20220830.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)
- University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Pocket Gophers, UC ANR Publication 7433.” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/pocket-gophers/ (accessed 2026-11-08)
- Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, “Pocket Gopher Damage Prevention and Control Methods.” icwdm.org/species/rodents/pocket-gophers/pocket-gopher-damage-prevention-and-control-methods/ (accessed 2026-11-08)