New Data Shows California Ground Squirrel Infestations Concentrated in Central Valley and Coastal Regions, Automatic Trap Company Reports

The leading provider of non-toxic vertebrate pest control solutions identifies California regions facing the highest ground squirrel pest pressure by new ZIP-code data.

SONOMA, Calif., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Automatic Trap Company, a U.S.-based innovator in humane, non-toxic, and high-performance pest-control solutions, today announced new findings highlighting the California regions experiencing the most severe California Ground Squirrel pest pressure. The analysis is based on internal customer ZIP-code data compiled from across the state, revealing clear geographic concentrations of persistent and escalating ground squirrel activity.

The ZIP-code data shows the highest density of ground squirrel mitigation activity in three primary California regions:

• Central Valley agricultural corridors, including Fresno, Tulare, Kings, and surrounding counties, where ground squirrels pose major risks to crops, irrigation systems, and levees.
  
  
• Central Coast and wine-growing regions, such as San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, where burrowing damages vineyards, orchards, and rural infrastructure.
  
  
• Northern and inland Southern California communities, such as Napa and Sonoma where expanding development intersects with prime ground squirrel habitat, increasing risks to roads, landscaping, and public land.

"These ZIP-code patterns confirm what California growers, land managers, and pest professionals already know: ground squirrel pressure is not isolated, it is regional, persistent, and intensifying," said Blair Calder, President of Automatic Trap Company. "People are actively looking for California Ground Squirrel control solutions because the problem is real, expensive, and difficult to manage with traditional methods."

To address the growing challenge of both Richardson Ground Squirrels and California Ground Squirrels, Automatic Trap Company created the TerraTrap^™ Ground Squirrel Trap, a professional-grade, non-toxic control solution engineered specifically for high-pressure environments like California agriculture and land management. TerraTrap is being widely adopted by farmers, municipalities, pest control operators, and conservation organizations seeking effective control without poisons, fumigants, or secondary-poisoning risks.

"TerraTrap was designed for California realities—strict regulations, sensitive environments, and highly adaptive ground squirrel populations," Calder added. "If you're seeking a safe, effective, and proven way to control California Ground Squirrels and Richardson Ground Squirrels, TerraTrap is built to deliver results without chemicals."

Automatic Trap Company notes that early identification and proactive control are critical, particularly during peak breeding and foraging seasons when ground squirrel populations expand rapidly.

For more information about TerraTrap and ground squirrel control solutions, visit https://www.automatictrap.com/.

About Automatic Trap Company
Established in 2016, Automatic Trap Company's vision is to eliminate the preventable suffering of rodents—and we feel we are one step closer with every trap we ship. Sadly, the three most common ways to kill rodents—glue traps, snap traps, and poison—are incredibly cruel. Glue traps are an inhumane and unnecessary way to end a rodent's life. Snap traps often fail to kill quickly, and they only work on either rats or mice. Poison results in a slow, painful death and exposes other wildlife, such as predator birds, to the same harm. At Automatic Trap, we are breaking the cycle of inhumane and harmful rodent control. We offer pragmatic solutions that eliminate rodents in the most humane and efficient way possible.

SOURCE Automatic Trap Company