Gophers and Their Impact on Your Yard
Understanding the Gopher’s Behavior
If you’ve been noticing small holes and mounds of dirt in your yard, you may be dealing with an invasive gopher. These animals are skilled diggers, capable of creating massive underground tunnel systems that cause significant damage. The mounds they leave behind often have a distinct shape—smaller areas surrounding a horseshoe-shaped opening, which is the telltale sign of a gopher at work. These mounds can quickly become a problem if left unchecked, as they might even disrupt your garden or property.
It’s crucial to determine whether a gopher or another species is responsible for the damage. Sometimes, moles can cause similar issues, so it’s essential to examine the behavior and look closely at the signs. Gophers tend to act quickly when they find an ideal spot, making it important to resolve the situation as soon as possible. By recognizing the signs and understanding their trait, you’ll know how to handle the situation before it becomes a costly issue.
The Short Answer If you’re dealing with gophers in your yard, early detection is key to preventing damage. These pests create mounds and holes, which can disrupt your lawn, garden, and even underground systems like irrigation. Effective control methods include using traps, installing barriers, or calling professional services like Critter Control for safe and humane removal. By addressing the problem early, you can save your property from costly repairs and ensure your garden thrives
Understanding the Destructive Nature of Gophers
Gophers are not just a nuisance in your yard—they can cause extensive damage both above and below ground. Their underground tunnels and burrows can easily disrupt lawn equipment, irrigation systems, and even the foundation of your house. These solitary animals are known for chewing on a variety of things—roots, pipes, and sprinkler systems—which can lead to a number of problems, including destroyed gardens and uprooted plants.
As gophers create their lateral burrows, they can tear up large sections of your lawn, leaving mounds of dirt behind, some of which can be up to twelve inches in height. If left unchecked, their tunneling can affect more than just the grass; it can also compromise your electrical wiring or utility cables. While gophers typically stay out of sight and are rarely seen, their activity can be detected through the mounds of dirt they create and the destroyed plants that indicate they’ve been feeding on roots, vegetables, and even insects.
Though gophers are not naturally aggressive toward humans, they can pose risks, as they sometimes carry diseases like Hantavirus, Leptospirosis, and Rabies. Their chewing activities can also result in erosion and plant stunting, which may disturb the growth of your garden. If you’ve been wondering whether moles or gophers are causing the destruction in your yard, it’s important to observe their behavior and recognize the signs so you can handle these pests effectively.
Spotting Gopher Holes and Their Signs
If you’ve noticed unusual mounds of dirt and holes in your yard, you might be dealing with gophers. These animals create holes that typically measure 12 to 20 inches in diameter, often with a crescent-like or horseshoe-shaped appearance. These gopher holes are usually found in the center of the mounds of dirt, which can be up to three inches in height.
While these unsightly mounds may seem harmless at first glance, they can pose a difficult challenge for those maintaining their property. The holes and mounds often cause damage to your lawn and can also be dangerous for residents and pets who might be unaware of their presence. Accidentally stepping into a gopher hole can lead to injury. Recognizing the gopher holes early on is crucial to prevent these animals from causing further destruction to your yard and property.
Distinguishing Gophers from Moles in Your Yard
When dealing with holes and mounds in your yard, it’s important to understand the key differences between gophers and moles. Gopher mounds tend to have a crescent-like or horseshoe shape, and the holes they create are usually between 10–20 inches in diameter. These gophers dig complex tunnels underground, often causing damage to your lawn and garden, including your bushes and shrubs. The mounds left behind are fluffy and fresh, indicating recent digging activity, and the holes are typically plugged with dirt.
On the other hand, moles create volcano-like mounds and are known for cone-shaped molehills that are generally 2 inches high. Moles also dig tunnels underground, but their system is usually more lateral, extending 4–18 inches deep. These moles are particularly active in the spring and fall, and while they cause damage to your landscaping, they leave behind raised ridges of coarse earth and clods as they dig. Their activity often affects pathways, driveways, and even sidewalks, so being able to identify the traits and characteristics of gophers and moles is key to resolving the pest problem.
Strategies for Controlling Gopher Infestation
Protecting your yard from gophers requires using a variety of methods that homeowners can implement to reduce their gopher holes and prevent further damage. Trapping with the right-sized trap is a common and effective method. Using bait in the traps can attract the gophers into the traps, allowing you to remove them safely. However, it’s crucial to understand the local laws when it comes to releasing or relocating wildlife to ensure you’re acting within legal boundaries.
| Control Method | Description | Effectiveness | Best Time to Use | Notes |
| Trapping | Using traps like Macabee or Cinch traps to capture gophers at burrow entrances. | High | Spring & Fall | Safe and effective but requires regular checking. |
| Barriers | Installing underground fences with wire netting or hardware cloth to block gophers. | High | Before planting season | Long-term solution, but installation can be labor-intensive. |
| Sound Deterrents | Using devices that emit high-frequency sound to repel gophers. | Moderate | Year-round | Can be hit-or-miss, depends on environment. |
| Professional Help | Hiring pest control experts to safely remove gophers using advanced tools. | Very High | Anytime | Best for severe infestations, may come at a higher cost. |
For a more long-term solution, fencing can be installed underground to bury about a foot of the barrier, effectively preventing the gophers from entering your garden. Additionally, sound and light systems, as well as certain sprays, can help deter the animals, although these methods may not be guaranteed to solve the problem. It’s important to note that some traps and baits can be inhumane or unsafe for the animals, so working with professional control technicians like Critter Control is often the most humane and effective option. Critter Control utilizes specialized equipment and knowledge to properly remove the gophers, reducing the population safely without causing harm to the animals. While invasive methods may be costly and time-consuming, the skill and experience of a professional can ultimately save you from ongoing damage and expensive repairs to your property.
Excluding Gophers from Your Property
Preventing gophers from damaging your yard requires a multi-faceted approach to exclude them from entering your property. One of the most effective methods is using wire netting, such as hardware cloth or poultry netting, to create an underground barrier around your valuable plants, flower beds, and raised beds. This underground screening can protect individual plants, annual grains, and roots by preventing gophers from chewing through them. Additionally, you can install these barriers at the bottom of raised beds to create a physical barrier that stops gophers from tunneling underneath.
For farmers, using crop rotation and planting buffer strips of crops that gophers are less likely to feed on can help manage their population. Other methods include coarse gravel, plastic, or sprinkler pipes that are buried beneath the soil. Installing traps such as Macabee traps, box traps, or Cinch traps at fresh mound sites can also aid in controlling gopher populations. These traps target the main tunnel where gophers dig, using a probe or metal rod to locate the burrow entrance and retrieve the trapped animal.
When using traps, make sure to plug any holes with dirt in the direction of the tunnel to ensure the gopher enters. Bait such as cabbage, carrots, and alfalfa can be used to attract the gophers into the traps, while plywood or cardboard can be used to seal entrance holes. Always check and reset the traps after use to ensure fresh burrow entrances are addressed promptly.
In rural areas, other devices like the Gopher Blaster or Rodentator use propane and oxygen mixtures to create an explosion that can damage the burrow system, though these methods should be used with caution. For a humane and more controlled approach, nest boxes for barn owls can provide natural predators to help with gopher control. Keep in mind, the safety of your children and pets should always be a priority when selecting traps or devices, as steel-jawed leghold traps and body-gripping traps are often illegal and unsafe.
Conclusion
Effectively managing gophers in your yard requires early detection and timely action. By understanding their behavior and using trapping or exclusion methods like wire netting, you can protect your garden and property from damage. Prevention is key, so installing barriers and practicing techniques like crop rotation can help reduce future risks. If you’re unsure how to handle the infestation, seeking help from a professional service like Critter Control ensures safe, effective removal. Taking action now will help maintain the health and safety of your yard for years to come.
FAQs
Gopher holes removal
Fill holes with dirt or use traps to capture the gopher and seal the tunnel.
Types of gopher holes
Gopher holes are usually 12-20 inches wide with a crescent or horseshoe shape.
Gopher holes vs mole holes
Gopher holes are larger (12-20 inches) with a horseshoe shape; mole holes are smaller (2-3 inches) and cone-shaped.
What do gopher holes look like
Gopher holes are horseshoe-shaped, around 12-20 inches in diameter, with dirt mounds nearby.
Gopher holes in yard
Gopher holes cause mounds of dirt and indicate tunneling. Immediate action is needed to prevent damage.
How to get rid of gophers and moles
Use traps, install barriers, or call professional services for removal.
Gopher mounds
Gopher mounds are horseshoe-shaped dirt piles, typically around three inches tall.
Gopher traps
Gopher traps like Macabee or Cinch traps are effective for catching gophers at their burrow entrances.