Which type of animals can effectively be controlled using fumigants?

Fumigants are primarily used to control burrowing rodents, which include species like ground squirrels and pocket gophers. These animals often create extensive underground burrow systems, making traditional methods of control, such as traps or poisons placed above ground, less effective. Fumigants work by releasing gas into these burrows, where they can effectively suffocate or otherwise incapacitate the rodents within. This method reaches animals that are hidden underground and are difficult to target with other control strategies.

Rats and mice, though they are pests that can be managed through various control measures, are not typically addressed with fumigants in the same manner as burrowing rodents. Similarly, larger animals like deer and rabbits, as well as birds and reptiles, do not benefit from fumigant treatments due to their behavioral patterns and habitats, which do not involve the underground burrows that fumigants are designed to penetrate.