Both gophers and moles can pester you quite a lot on your lawn. Therefore, it is important to identify animals and give yourself an answer to the question: “What is the difference between a gopher and a mole?” This text will be helpful for those who have problems with the lawn and want to understand what to do. Thanks to these texts, you will be able to recognize the signs of moles and the signs of gophers in the yard.
[wpsm_titlebox title=”What Is the Difference Between Gophers and Moles?” style=”main”]
After reading the following information, you will understand the differences between moles and gophers and can identify the pest on your lawn quite easily.
Animal size;
Life expectancy;
The places where these rodents live;
Biological affiliation;
Food preference;
Tunnels.
[/wpsm_titlebox]
Animal Size
Moles are smaller than gophers. So a mole can be 4-7 inches while a gopher is 6-8 inches. Gophers are larger, not only in length but also in height and overall size. Ground squirrels can reach up to 2.2 pounds and moles 2.5–4.6 ounces. That is, moles are much smaller than gophers.
Life Expectancy
Gophers and moles live differently. So moles can live 3–6 years, and gophers are much less. Most often, gophers live from 1 to 3 years. However, it has also been recorded that some individuals lived up to 5 years in the wild. Therefore, moles will pester you longer if they settle in your territory.
Where Do These Creatures Live?
Moles are found almost all over the earth except for Antarctica. But musts are found only in North and Central America. Most often, you will meet moles on your territory. Though you live in certain parts of America, gophers can also be seen. Thus, it is important to determine how they differ. Moreover, moles and gophers like the same places of residence. It can be forests or plain meadows, but you can also meet moles in sandy areas.
Biological Affiliation
Although many people think that moles and gophers belong to the same species, this is not so. Such an assumption could arise because they both like to dig holes and live underground. Gophers are more like mice or kangaroo rats. However, this is hard to believe because gophers are large and do not look like small rats. But moles are still more related to rodents because their taxonomy intersects.
Food Preference
The nutrition of gophers and moles is different. Moles are omnivores, so they can eat both meat and grass. But gophers are herbivores, which greatly reduces what they can eat. Moles most often eat larvae, worms, and insects, but ground squirrels prefer grass and roots. Gophers can eat a wide variety of grass, so your lawn can suffer. However, moles can also damage lawn cover as they want to find grubs or worms so that they can spoil the grass in search of food.
Gopher vs Mole Hole
Since ground squirrels are bigger, they dig larger tunnels — from 6 to 18 inches wide underground. Due to their physiology, moles dig smaller tunnels, averaging 3 to 12 inches. The total area of mole tunnels can be 1-2 acres. Gophers don’t have that big tunnels, averaging between 200 and 2,000 square feet. Therefore, moles can create more inconvenience than ground squirrels because their tunnel area is larger.
FAQ About the Differences Between Gophers and Moles
If you are still wondering, “Do I have gophers or moles?” I will answer some more questions you might have while reading.
How much bigger is a gopher than a mole?
Moles are slightly smaller than gophers, so gophers are 6-8 inches long, and ground squirrels are 4-7. So if you meet a small animal, it is most likely a gopher.
How do you know if you have gophers?
Gophers leave a certain shape when they dig tunnels. This is most likely a gopher if you do not take away a crescent moon or a horseshoe on the grass.
What attracts moles and gophers to a yard?
Moles are most attracted to places where there are a lot of worms after rains if you open the hole that the gopher left because gophers close their holes after they climb in.
Mole vs Gopher
Making such a comparison is rather strange because these are 2 different animals. But now you can tell the 2 animals apart and answer the question, “Are gophers and moles the same thing?” Which of these animals have you met? Share your experience in the comments.
A systematic review of human pathogens carried by the housefly (Musca domestica L.) (National Library of Medicine) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6104014/
Should I throw away food once a fly has landed on it? (The University of Sydney) https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2016/01/04/should-i-throw-away-food-once-a-fly-has-landed-on-it-.html
Although gophers are cute animals, they can do a lot of damage to your lawn. The fact is that gophers love the grass used for sowing the lawn. Therefore, gophers can bring great harm to your yard. Some landscape designers pay attention to what gopher eat to plant a lawn that these pests will not eat. So it is important to know what plants do gophers eat to make your yard attractive and inedible for rodents.
Gopher Taste Guide
Ground squirrels are not picky about food but prefer grass, so many US residents may have problems with the lawn because a ground squirrel eats it:
Needle and thread grass;
Scouring rush;
Mosquito grass;
Eastern prickly pear cactus;
Prairie junegrass;
Kentucky bluegrass.
[wpsm_titlebox title=”Needle and Thread Grass” style=”main”] This grass grows in a fairly dry area since it allows you to make the soil good enough. Therefore, gophers don’t eat much grass, although it is considered one of the most beloved gopher food. So it is worth noting that needle grass can become quite a rare species and be on the verge of extinction. That is why you need to know how to deal with gophers who love this grass. But on the other hand, needle grass helps to restore the soil, so this species should not disappear. [/wpsm_titlebox]
Scouring Rush
Often you may ask the question, “Do gophers eat grass?” However, you may find this thing in different parts of the United States. Scouring grass grows in North America and is similar to the common green reed. Most often, you can see this grass in pastures, in hot and sunny regions.
However, such grass can also grow in ditches and in the wild. This grass is not used to make lawns because the sprout plants are quite hard. But still, gophers eat this grass if they live far from cities and towns.
Mosquito Grass
It grows in the central part of the United States and is not used to make lawns but in other areas. For example, this grass makes the grounds more beautiful. Mosquito grass grows in blue or gray stripes; that is why it is used in landscape design. Gophers may come running to your lawn because they love mosquito grass. If you do not want animals running into your territory, you should remove this grass from your yard.
Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus
In the Midwest of the United States, this type of plant is most common, so ground squirrels love this plant. These cacti are succulents, so they may be the only food source for ground squirrels. If you want to use this plant to make a fence, note that the plant can be gnawed after a while.
Prairie Junegrass
It is most commonly found in North America and serves as food for many animals. Gophers also feed on this plant. Prairie junegrass helps to avoid soil erosion. Since it is one of the few plants in such regions, ground squirrels can feed on it. This plant is rarely used to decorate the lawn, so it can be considered a gopher’s favorite food in the wild. But if you use prairie junegrass to prevent erosion, you should consider that other animals can also eat it.
Kentucky Bluegrass
This grass is the least common because it grows in pastures. Therefore, various wild animals love to eat it because it is one of the few types of food found in the northeastern United States.
FAQ About Gopher Nutrition
In this section, I will answer questions you might have left after reading.
What is gopher’s favorite food?
Ground squirrels love a lot of food. For example, roots, tubers, different types of grass, and seeds fall into this category. Gophers’ nutrition may differ depending on their habitat.
What foods kill gophers?
No products can kill a gopher, so if you want to get rid of this animal, it is better to do it humanely. Then, you can call specialists who will catch the animals.
Will gophers eat lettuce?
Yes, gophers can eat lettuce, so some use it to make bait, although this is not rational. It is better to use other methods to get rid of the gophers.
What Do Gophers Like to Eat?
As you may have noticed, gophers eat not only lawn grass but also other types of plants. If you see that gophers eat some kind of ornamental grass, then it is better to get rid of it. The question “What do gophers eat in the wild?” was also answered. And as you can see, a lot of plants they can eat in the wild. Have you seen gophers in your yard? Share your experience in the comments!
If you are wondering what is the difference between a gopher and a groundhog, this guide will tell you how to distinguish them, what lifestyle they lead, and what areas they inhabit. I will give you the information you need to differentiate them, which will help you determine who you see in front of you at a glance.
Gophers vs. Groundhog: How to Differ Them?
These rodents are easy to distinguish by their appearance. Gophers are much smaller than groundhogs, while marmots stand out for their height and mass. Besides, they have different types of tails. Gophers are native to North and Central America, while groundhogs are from the United States.
How to Externally Distinguish Gophers From Woodchuck?
Before practicing to differentiate a gopher and a marmot, here are a few of their key features to remember.
What does a gopher look like?
Gophers can grow up to about 5-7 inches in length, making them small and light. They weigh only 0.5 pounds.
Gophers have brown coats and pink legs, hairless tails like rats, brown to yellow teeth, and large incisors protruding from their mouths that can be seen even when the mouth is closed.
The front paws allow them to dig holes and even hold some objects.
They have cheek pockets in which they store food.
Gophers can make a couple of litters a year.
What does a groundhog look like?
Groundhogs look bigger and heavier; they can grow up to 16-20 inches in length and weigh 4—8 pounds.
Groundhogs have brown fur and a thick undercoat of a gray color. Unlike a ground squirrel, its tail is short and covered with fur. And the teeth are white and are not visible when the mouth is closed.
They climb trees well. Groundhogs have a stocky build and strong black or dark brown legs that allow them to move for long periods.
Woodchucks have only one litter per year.
If you’re wondering, are woodchucks and groundhogs the same thing? Then, you should know that woodchucks are just one of their names.
How Different Is Their Lifestyle?
A gopher woodchuck lives differently. For example, gophers native to North and Central America belong to the Geomyidae family. There are approximately 35 species, such as pocket mice, kangaroo mice, and many other family members. Most of the time, they sit in their holes; their main feature is to store food in their cheek pouches. Although they are herbivores, their main food is the roots and tubers they store in their burrows. They have different holes for their needs — in some, they keep food; in others, they relieve needs; and there are also holes for food and nesting.
Gophers and marmots often live in the same area but in different places. The preferred places for gophers to live are sandy soil, or rather those that allow them to dig holes and conduct tunnels. Their burrow system is quite complex, but other animals can use it. The entrance to their burrow is about 10 cm, so the groundhog would crawl there, but no more. Gophers try to close the access to their holes so that the temperature and the humidity level are suitable for living and prevent other animals from climbing into their homes.
Marmots are native to North America. They belong to the Sciuridae family, that is, to such rodents as squirrels, chipmunks, and others. They love wooded areas with open ground, spend most of their time in open areas, sleep in burrows and tunnels that they build, but do not store food there like ground squirrels. The burrow entrances are about 20 cm, and they leave their homes open to moving freely along them. Marmots are omnivores; they are satiated, gain weight, and store enough fat to wait out before winter. But there are periods when they are active in winter, eating fish, snails, and insects.
FAQ About Gophers and Groundhogs
In this guide, I told you the difference between a gopher and a groundhog, where they live, and where they spend most of their time. If you have some more questions, check the answers below.
What’s the size difference between a gopher and a groundhog?
Gophers are small in size. They are about 5-7 inches long and weigh only 0.5 pounds. While groundhogs look bigger, they can grow from 16-20 inches in length and weigh between 4—8 pounds.
What’s the difference between a gopher and a marmot?
Ground squirrels are part of a small rodent family, which includes small rats and mice, while marmots belong to the groundhog family. There are only 10-15 types of marmots. Different families show the difference between them.
Know How to Differ Gophers From Groundhogs
In this guide, I told you the difference between a ground squirrel and a marmot and gave you the necessary information to help you recognize them. Now, when you see a rodent, you will surely know whether you see a gopher or a groundhog.
Have you ever had cases when you could not recognize these rodents? Let me know if this article helped you, and tell me exactly how you kicked them out.
Pocket Gophers (U.S. Department of the Interior) https://www.nps.gov/whsa/learn/nature/pocket-gophers.htm
Five Things You Didn’t Know about Groundhogs (Tufts University) https://now.tufts.edu/2019/01/28/five-things-you-didnt-know-about-groundhogs
Can a groundhog’s shadow really predict if there will be six more weeks of winter? (Library of Congress) https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/meteorology-climatology/item/groundhog-shadow/
In this guide, you will learn how to determine if gophers have appeared on your territory easily and how to collapse gopher tunnels if they have begun to build their hole in your lawn or garden. Moreover, you will find out how to pinpoint a gopher hole, what it looks like, what these creatures eat, and how they can harm you or your property.
[wpsm_titlebox title=”How to Deal With a Pocket Gopher Tunnel” style=”main”]
Grow plants that repel gophers.
Put the droppings of one of your pets in the ground squirrel’s hole.
Set up something noisy near their burrow.
Fill up the sewers and their hole.
Make it harder for them to access food.
[/wpsm_titlebox]
How to Find a Gopher Tunnel & How it Looks Like
You will surely know if you have a gopher by seeing a mound of earth in your garden or lawn. Gophers love to live in areas with sandy or earthy soil. Their front paws allow them to dig their tunnel systems and find food, namely the plants’ roots, damaging your garden or lawn.
They will stock up on food for the winter, which can spoil your garden quite badly. Gopher tunnel systems resemble an ordinary house. They store food in one place, their nests are arranged in another, and they also have a waste pit, showing how deep are gopher tunnels.
Gophers carefully close the entrance to maintain the temperature and humidity they need and prevent other predators from entering their holes. A sufficient amount of moisture is necessary for the spot to be more reliable and not break. But too much humidity will make gopher burrows uninhabitable. They can make entrances to their shelter around the perimeter, and you need to be careful, as you can not see them, and your foot may get stuck there, which can lead to injury, and your pets also risk falling into it.
Gophers will expand their burrows whenever they need food, as they are constantly making new holes in their paths, and there is a chance they could damage your plumbing. They can even spoil the trees in your area by tunneling under them, destroying the roots.
How to Fill In Gopher Tunnels and Make a Gopher Leave
You may find gopher tunnels in yard when your flowers start withering or crops disappear for no reason. It is a sign that it’s time to get rid of gophers in your area. If you see one of them, you have to take action. There are many ways to get them to leave humanely. And I am trying to describe these methods in detail for you.
Try to scare them
If you want to avoid the appearance of these pests, you can plant flowers such as gopher spurge. Gophers do not like it very much, so they will try to avoid it. You can plant this flower in a place where you do not want gophers to appear, whether it is a place near the house or on your lawn. Daffodils are also a gopher repellant, so they can be a good choice for your garden.
These pesky pests are also afraid of predators, so even searching for food, they try not to leave their holes. Put your pet’s excrement next to the hole or even in the hole. This smell will make the gophers think they’re being hunted and notably scare them, forcing these rodents to leave this place. They also can’t stand noise, so you can calmly drive them away with a noisy music player.
Get rid of gophers
Separate them from their food source. You can install short baskets on the vegetation near your garden to keep gophers from eating them or install a fence around your crop. It will limit their food source, and they will leave their place of residence to find enough food for the winter.
Gophers hate strong odors. Using mothballs, you can force the gopher to leave its habitat, put a bunch of mothballs into the hole and close it with a plastic bag. With the help of a pungent smell containing naphthalene, the ground squirrel will accept this place as uninhabitable and leave it.
The smell of fish is also unpleasant for them; you can throw parts of the fish fin into the gopher’s hole or just put it next to it.
Use coffee. Brew coffee and leave the rest of the ground at the bottom of the cup, then mix the earth with the same ground and fill the hole with this mixture. Coffee will emit its smell in the gopher tunnels, and the rodent will not want to linger in this place for a long time.
You can also make Tabasco sauce by mixing it with pepper and castor oil, then soak cotton balls and place them in a hiding place.
If you see several holes, you can try a few methods. Thus, the effect will only be stronger. There are also rice cleaners with natural spices; when you start filling the tunnels with them, they will scatter over most of their holes.
FAQ About Gopher Tunnels and Their Control
All the information in the guide allows you to find out and describe in detail what a gopher burrow looks like, its structure, and how to drive the rodents away from your site. If you have some more questions, you may find answers to them below.
What happens when you put water in a gopher hole?
It is a pretty good way to get rid of gophers, as the water will fill the gopher’s tandem system and push it out, but it can damage your soil.
How deep is a gopher hole?
They dig their burrows to about 4 to 15 inches deep. Their holes can also be affected by the soil itself, which allows them to burrow deeper, nest, and make food vaults at about 4 to 5 feet deep.
What attracts gophers to your yard?
They are often attracted to food (flowers, roots, trash, pet food, etc.) but will also seek out places with access to water, such as gardens and lawns.
How to Prevent Gopher Tunnels
I told you about the system of gopher tunnels and provided you with the necessary information to help you prevent their occurrence or help you get rid of them. I hope my guide helped you learn more about gophers and how to deal with them.
Was this guide helpful to you? What methods did you like the most? Tell us about it in the comments.
Small rodents can make a big mess in your garden. They put all the dirt on the surface, harming trees and destroying flowerbeds. In this article, I will explain how to trap a gopher, taking a close look at various methods of fighting these pests.
[wpsm_titlebox title=”Guide on Trapping Gopher” style=”main”]
Learn if there are any restrictions on catching and releasing gophers in your state.
Find a fresh mound in the yard.
Put a cage trap over or near it.
Check it twice a day and wait until a gopher gets trapped.
[/wpsm_titlebox]
How to Trap a Gopher?
Gophers are furry rodents, no more than 14 inches long and weighing about 8 ounces. These animals dig underground tunnel systems to live in. Therefore, they can improve the quality of the soil by loosening it. Easy access to air and water makes the ground more fertile. At the same time, the tunnels are the main reason why gophers belong to pests. The changes tunnels bring to the landscape might seem insignificant, but they can influence households and farms a lot.
Gophers gnaw tree roots, killing small ones and weakening big ones.
They create mounds and prevent flowers from growing.
These rodents can gnaw engineering nets like water-supplying tubes interrupting irrigation. They also can knock out electrical and communications cables.
Gophers feed on crops and vegetables, damaging harvest.
How to identify a gopher problem?
Gophers are not the only kind of pest that lives underground and turns your lawn inside out. You can easily confuse them with moles, for example. Here are some signs to clarify who lives on your site.
When gophers create a mound, they usually push ground in the shape of a fan. In turn, a conical mound with a hole in the center most likely belongs to a mole.
Unlike moles, gophers tend to plug holes. If a mound is solid and has no visible holes, you are dealing with a gopher.
Gophers break the soil up when they dig a tunnel, so if you see clumps, this is a mole’s work.
Pay attention to the mounds’ pattern: gophers create a few mounds near each other, while mole’s mounds have at least 6 feet between them.
What attracts gophers
Growing fruits and vegetables in your garden makes it attractive to gophers since they are mainly vegetarians. Even grass and flowers can drive their attention. As any animal that spends most of its life underground, gophers have a strong sense of smell.
Thus, the stronger the smell plants in your garden have, the more likely you find this pest once. Gophers also prefer places with accessible water, so pounds are an additional reason for gophers to settle.
How to catch a gopher: 3 methods
One tunnel system belongs to one gopher. They are individual animals and share their space only during mating season. There are various ways to catch a gopher that lives in your yard, including lethal and non-lethal. Non-lethal methods are a priority for many people, yet after you catch a pest, you need to release it without harming other households and, more importantly, frames and public lands. Sanitary rules vary from city to city, so check how to do it legally.
Mechanical methods mean various traps for gophers; the most humane is a cage. They are installed near a fresh mound, and when an animal leaves its tunnel and enters a cage, the door closes behind it. Some people put bait inside to catch a gopher faster. You can use any vegetable; the stronger it smells, the better.
Instead of catching the pest, you can make its tunnels unsuitable for living by putting odor items inside. Pet waste is a natural repellent that can keep gophers away from your yard. Fish, caper spurge, castor and peppermint oils are remedies against these animals. However, their efficiency is not proven, and they can also harm pets.
Professionals use toxic bait like two-percent zinc phosphide. It affects the liver, kidney, and central nervous system and belongs to lethal methods. It is dangerous both to animals and to humans and mainly attracts birds.
Preventing gophers
Since gophers are attracted only by blossoming gardens, it is challenging to keep them away. They prefer loose, sandy soil and can be found in the southeast, midwest, and western states. If you plan to grow vegetables and know that your garden is a suitable habitat for these pests, preventing damage takes much less effort than dealing with the consequences.
A fence is an effective and humane way of repelling gophers. An ordinary wire mesh prevents them from getting on your site from the surface and underground. Burry it 10-12 inches deep to stop a gopher from digging under your lawn.
Don’ts
There are also a variety of recommendations for trapping pocket gophers, yet some of them never proved their efficiency or can be applied only by professionals.
Fumigation with smoke or gas cartridges can’t help to get rid of these pests since they can close a tunnel or escape it quickly. Although aluminum phosphide is a proven remedy, its use is restricted and requires a state license.
Vibrating stakes hardly influence gophers, especially in the urban environment. These animals are used to the vibrations and noise cars, lawnmowers, and people provide.
Gas explosive devices can destroy the tunnel system and kill the gopher, but if you use them wrong, they can also damage your property and lead to injuries.
FAQ on How to Catch a Gopher Alive
If you are determined to catch a pest on your own without hiring a specialist, here are some basic questions you need to know before starting.
What is the best bait for gophers?
Gophers are vegetarians, so they are mainly attracted to vegetables and grass. Since they live underground, these animals have a strong sense of scent, so food with a strong smell is the best bait.
What is the best trap to catch a gopher?
Cage traps allow trapping pocket gophers humanely. Unlike chemical methods, they are safe for pets and never spoil the soil.
How to use gopher traps?
Cage traps are installed above a fresh mound. When a gopher comes to a surface and enters the cage, the door closes. You can put bait inside, but it is not necessary.
What time are gophers most active?
Gophers are active during the day, but they rarely leave their tunnels. These animals are less active during seasons with extreme temperatures, but they never hibernate. The mating season lasts from spring to fall.
Best Way to Fight Gophers
The gopher’s net of tunnels harms trees and plants growing on the plot. They are vegetarians and mainly settle in gardens with vegetables. Gophers are not herd animals, so one tunnel system usually belongs to one individual. There are a lot of ways to get rid of these pests, including traps, chemicals, and noise sources. Cage traps are considered effective and humane since they leave a gopher alive, can’t hurt pets, and don’t affect the soil.
Which method would you choose to fight gophers? Please share your suggestions.
Moles and gophers are a #1 threat to the lawn of your dream. Their energetic activity underground will turn your garden into a polygon with ugly mounds, runaways, and holes. And if moles only specialize in digging, gophers also damage plants by chewing their delicious roots.
This issue comes back every spring, raising the question of mole & gopher extermination costs. So, you’d better prepare in advance and learn everything about mole and gopher removal cost now: which factors affect it, how much it may cost in later infestation stages, and which remedies are applied.
Mole & Gopher Extermination Costs
At the moment, the gopher & mole extermination cost is the following:
National Average Cost:
$260
Minimum Cost:
$50
Maximum Cost:
$550
Average Range:
$170 to $350
Keep in mind that additional lawn repair costs may also ensue if you delay the extermination.
Main Factors of Mole & Gopher Removal Cost
While the average cost is $260, you may pay as little as $30 or as much as $1,000. Actually, such a price disparity depends on a bunch of factors:
Soil. The terrain in your yard plays a major role, as different types of it, like clay soil, can make the work harder or easier for the technicians.
Area. If the place where you live is favored by gophers and moles, you might need to call the exterminators more frequently. A way to cut the costs in this scenario is to hop on a plan provided by the anti-pest company: it is cheaper than repeated one-time calls.
Infestation stage. As time goes, the naughty critters will get a strong foothold in your yard. And also invite their cousins from other gardens to stop by. The smaller their ranks are, the less you pay.
Territory size. The bigger the acreage, the more physical effort, traps, and repellents will be needed. Individual pricing. Pest-control companies charge differently in each state, from Florida to Oregon.
Repair. Once you stop the invasion, repair costs will show up. If you tackle the problem early, they will be minimal. But if not, then filling holes, replanting shrubs, re-seeding grass, or vein flattening will add up to the final sum.
As you can see, the main factor in fattening your bill is time. The sooner you react, the bigger your chances are at driving the critters away and reducing the mole and gopher exterminator cost.
Mole & Gopher Exterminator Price by Infestation Level
In the early stages, professional mole removal cost can be as little as $20. The same price list basically applies to gophers. Plus, you will need to spend a trifling sum to get rid of the mounds and tunnels. But what if it’s gone too far?
1. Serious infestation cost
At this stage, things get serious. For example, gophers can dig a tunnel system as spacey as 2,000 square feet (610 square meters). As they take up residency on your property, they will start families, ravage your plants, and destroy the lawn.
Moles will do almost the same, except they don’t eat vegetables. Their menu includes worms, insects, and snails. But molehills are as destructive as gopher mounds.
The pest control usually charges per animal. So, how much does it cost to get rid of moles in the yard? Prices span from $20 to $80 per specimen. And gopher catching prices start at $20 and make it to $130.
But don’t be terrified by the mole catching prices. Luckily, gophers and moles aren’t very social, and, in most cases, you’ll need to pay for evicting just one animal. Unless there’s a young family of them.
2. Mole & gopher prevention cost
If you have a yard, it’s only a matter of time until the nasty varmints invade it. Prevention is the most cost-effective strategy as it’s basically a one-time investment vs. a whole series of expenses.
Your best tactic is to surround your turf with a special barrier that goes 15-30 inches under the ground. 2-foot-long hardware cloth with 1/4-inch pockets can do the trick. This will deter both varmint species from infiltrating your territory and raising havoc. The price for it may vary, of course, as you can do the job yourself.
A supporting element in the prevention plan is a mole & gopher repellent. A 10-pound bag of it costs around $20 on Amazon. This will be enough for a 10,000 square feet area.
Signs of Mole & Gopher Infestation
Here are a few evident signs that your turf has been invaded:
Molehills begin to pop up.
Patterns of discolored grass.
You see mounds on the surface.
Some patches of ground feel squishy and soft.
There are strange ridges crisscrossing the lawn.
And if you have a garden, take a closer look at the plants. If they suddenly begin losing leaves or show other signs of untimely withering, that means that a gopher nibbles their roots.
Mole & Gopher Treatment Cost by Location Size
As I’ve said, acreage will directly affect the final gopher and mole control cost. The bigger your territory is, the more chemicals will be used to repel the vermin.
Regularly, the pest control will charge around $25-30 for every extra 1,000 sq. feet. (After the 1,500 square feet limit is exceeded).
Mole & Gopher Treatment Cost by Treatment Type
Now let’s see how each individual procedure will affect your wallet.
1. Baits
An average gopher and mole bait costs around $15-20 on Amazon. It’s a highly poisonous remedy that can contain such rodenticide as zinc phosphide or even strychnine — the critter will not survive after tasting it.
But at the same time, your pets — especially dogs — may also fall victim to the bait. Besides, they are forbidden in such states as California.
2. Fumigation
Smoke fumigation is a pretty popular method. Also, one of the fastest. The idea is to let a pressurized phostoxin aka aluminum phosphide right inside the animal’s burrow, forcing it to evacuate or die. This brings immediate results, unlike trapping.
The price for the procedure may vary as the operational territory and number of mole/gopher holes comes into play. You may pay up to $260 or even more. Also, phostoxin is quite toxic — remember this before applying it to your soil.
3. Electronic devices
There’s a whole armada of ultrasonic mole-&-gopher repellers. As a rule, their price is in the range of $30-55. The good thing is that they don’t need your wall electricity as they are powered through solar panels.
A humane solution, they cover a zone of 7-10 thousand sq. feet. But you will need more than one repeller to protect the perimeter of your garden.
4. Traps
They come in all shapes and sizes, including professional mole traps. And their prices range from $9.99 to $30 and more. There are both lethal and humane traps, with the latter costing around just $15. The good thing is that the humane traps are reusable and don’t force you into dealing with the critter’s dead body.
5. Humane removal
If you, like me, care about your karma and hate hurting the poor animals, there are non-violent solutions as well.
Humane mole removal cost isn’t necessarily higher than a murderous option. Actually, it may be cheaper: you won’t have to pay for poisons or a $30 guillotine-like lethal trap. The same applies to humane gopher removal.
Instead, you can get a $15 humane trap that won’t hurt the animal and then release it into the wilderness. There are other non-violent remedies that we’ll mention below.
Mole & Gopher Damage Repair Cost
But after removing the little saboteurs, you may also have to pay for:
Sprinkler fixing: from $130.
Lawn re-seeding: from $400.
Landscape reinstallation: from $300.
Feces removal after infestation: about $250.
Repairing cracks in house foundation: from $300.
As you can see, the ignored issue can turn into a vast financial punishment.
DIY vs Hiring a Pro
Homeowners often try to banish the varmints themselves. They try everything: from laying traps to killing gophers with car exhaust, which is condemned as both barbaric and cost-ineffective as you waste fuel and overheat the engine. Besides, some people complain about health issues after trying this method.
In reality, hiring a pro is always a better choice if your property is already infested. They’ll offer effective and practical solutions to disinfect your yard while minimizing the damage that the turf, pets, and people may receive from amateur methods.
Plus, DIY often proves unproductive. You will waste time, effort, and money. After which, you’ll still have to pay the trained gopher-hunters another hundred or so to solve the issue finally.
How to Hire a Professional
A few tips on how to find the best professionals in your vicinity.
1. How to pick a pro
Search for the pest control services in your area. After you find a few with the optimum prices, read the reviews about each company. You can find reviews left by real customers on Yelp, Google Reviews, or Foursquare.
2. Things to discuss with mole & gopher exterminator
There are a few important nuances you should pay attention to:
Humane option. Decide whether you want a lethal or non-lethal removal.
Eligibility. Ask them if the company has a license and insurance.
Methods. Learn which treatments they’ll use and why. And also if they are safe for your family, including pets.
Quote. Ask if they provide a written quote before getting to work. This quote will protect you from the money-sucking: hidden charges, and so on.
Warranty. A reputable company also provides a guarantee, in case you are not happy with their work afterward.
Plus, a worthy pest-control company should provide you with the guidelines to follow to exclude the return of the pests in the future.
How to Prepare for Treatment
Preparing for a decisive blow isn’t difficult. A few things you might want to do:
Intel. Remember when and where exactly you’ve noticed the first signs of the infestation. Knowing how long it’s been going on could prove useful to the technicians.
Pets. Lock your pets inside the house, especially dogs. If the specialists are going to use poison, your fluffy friends may be in danger.
Barrier. Ideally, you could install the anti-critter fence before the operation begins. Especially if it’s a non-lethal one: the nasty boyos may try to return later, but you’ll have the barrier ready by that time.
And, of course, keep the place clean. Get rid of the foliage, branches, dead plants, and other rubbish.
Your Actions After Extermination
Once the job is done, it’s time to prevent further invasions. Here’s what to do:
Fence. I’ve said it already twice. This is the best preventive method against gophers and moles: 25-30 inches deep and 6-7 inches out of the soil. The barrier should also be L-shaped at a 90-degree angle to the outside. Additionally, you can dig trenches surrounding your yard and fill them up with gravel or pebbles.
No food. Remove all possible food sources. Moles are insectivores, so you need to get rid of grubs, insects, and worms.
Natural repellents. Gophers don’t like such plants as daffodils, iris, thyme, etc. Moles can’t stomach narcissus, castor bean, crown imperial, and others.
No catacombs. Liquidate the tunnel system they’ve left. Fill it up with soil.
Wire. Anti-gopher wire won’t let them damage your plants or make mounds. Wire baskets will protect the plant roots, and wire mesh won’t let them ruin your lawn.
Dryness. You can also de-moisturize your turf a tad, as overly wet soil is a perfect habitat for moles.
Another method to keep the rascals at bay is to scare them with predators. Cats greatly enjoy pursuing both gophers and moles; meanwhile, dogs can easily sniff them out.
Some gardeners intentionally attract barn owls as they are natural enemies of the gophers: one bird can eat up to 1,000 of these rodents annually. And to attract a barn owl, you could install a bird box on the outskirts of your garden.
Well, yes — this is their job, after all. They use a wide range of tools, from a glue trap to a mole bait applicator. But as I’ve said, you need to get a written quote and a warranty from them.
What is the fastest way to get rid of moles in your yard?
Calling specialists, that is. The quickest method they can offer is fumigation.
How do pros get rid of gophers and moles?
They kill them with poisons, toxic fumes, lay baits, and traps, etc. In most cases, they do the job quickly.
Don’t Fear the Gopher
I hope my guide was helpful. If you’re in the middle of a gopher-&-mole invasion, contact pest control immediately and use my tips. They will help you get rid of the little villains for good. But they mean no harm to you — they just love digging!
Has your lawn ever been plagued by moles or gophers? How did you evict them? Do you agree that humane methods are better than lethal? Let us know in the comments!
Hi! I’ve already told you how to poison gophers if you have an infestation. But what should you do if the infestation is still a potential danger? To my mind, the best thing that you can do is to learn how to keep gophers out of the garden using effective gopher control products.
Although these critters are rather small and cute, they can cause a lot of damage to your yard. Gophers usually move to households because they need a new food source. They are very aggressive when it comes to protecting their territory.
They can bite your family members and pets, and transmit rabies, plague, LCM, hantavirus, and leptospirosis. That being said, it’s very important to stay away from these animals. From this article, you will learn how to choose the best gopher repellent as well as how to use it properly to prevent the infestation.
It’s important not only to know how to use repellers correctly but also to opt for the products that have already proved their efficiency during tests of professionals and average consumers. Choose the one that provides the best features for solving your problem and follow the tips given below the reviews.
Active Ingredients: Castor Oil, Cinnamon, Garlic, White Pepper
Item Form: Granules
Item Weight: 25.9 Pounds
Package Dimensions: 10.5 x 9.75 x 13.25 inches
Target Species: Mole, Gopher
Repellex Granular repellent is an original US-manufactured product with such active components as castor oil 20%, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate 10%, garlic oil, cinnamon oil, white pepper, and cellulose 69% as a carrier. Such a combination provides a strong and long-lasting repelling effect.
Moreover, a 24lb container is enough for treating over 2200 square meters of land. You can simply sprinkle the granules into entrances of each active tunnel and wait several days for the pests to go away. I recommend you to repeat the procedure 2-3 times to achieve the needed effect. Fortunately, a single container is enough for large yards.
Pros:
Cons:
no dangerous chemical components;
made of natural raw materials from the US;
covers up to 2200 square meters;
it can be sprinkled directly into burrows entrances.
safe for pets.
prohibited for use near edible plants;
granules are too big for average spreaders.
2. Victor M9012 Sonic 2 Spike – Best Ultrasonic Gopher Control Device
This 2-pack of ultrasonic spikes by Victor is a competitor of Toro Products sonic repellent. There are several differences, though. First of all, Victor’s device doesn’t have solar batteries, so you will have to change batteries when the item discharges.
However, they’re not likely to drain out faster than 4 months. The reason is the manufacturer claims the device will work from one set of D-type batteries up to 6 months, while 7-14 days is enough to make pests start leaving the area.
Two spikes cover almost 1400 square meters, which is enough for small and medium yards. I like that this gadget is designed to pulsate through the ground, and it reaches gophers perfectly well, but you have to install it carefully not to break thin plastic cone.
Compare my sonic gopher repeller reviews and choose the item that will cover your yard and work long enough without sunlight to help you get rid of rodents.
The ultrasonic gopher sonic spike by Toro Products is an effective clean repellent that can cover up to 650 square meters of your territory. Due to the long spike, you can insert the device up to 10 inches deep to reach gophers when they’re hiding in their tunnels.
It’s powered by solar batteries that need less than 5 hours for the full charge, which is enough for up to 5-7 days of effective 24/7 functioning. The system remains effective independently from weather conditions. The high-quality non-recycled ABS plastic is safe for your soils and doesn’t suffer from water and direct sunlight.
The repeller emits different patterns of ultrasonic pulses and vibrations that scare the pests away. Before activating the item, install it in the needed location and wait for 24 hours until full charge. After that, switch the knob into the “on” position to let the repeller emit 450Hz pulsations every 30 seconds.
To ensure high efficiency, place at least 4 spikes at a distance 30 meters far from each other, and wait 4-12 weeks to reach the result. I also recommend you to combine this method with other remedies.
Target Species:Moles, Gophers, Voles, Armadillos And Other Burrowing Animals
Sweeney’s granular repellent lets you get rid of gophers in 4 stages that usually take just 4 days. You have to sprinkle the pellets around the infested area and water them for around 20 minutes.
You have to water this gopher deterrent at least 4 days in a row so that the concentrate could penetrate the soil and make the gophers’ habitat unsuitable for life. There are no toxic or poisonous components, which makes the item totally safe for your pets and children. I recommend you to use it while fighting with severe infestations.
Pros:
Cons:
safe for pets and children;
natural castor oil repeller;
concentrated formula with high soil penetration features;
fully biodegradable.
10 lbs package isn’t enough for yards over 1000 square meters.
Similarly to the previous product, granules by Tomcat include highly concentrated castor oil. It quickly penetrates the ground and wards off all pests in 4 days by making ground in burrows smell and taste too bad for consumption.
This deterrent is perfect for gardens and lawns where you don’t grow edible plants. Still, you don’t have to worry that your grass and flowers will be damaged.
Pros:
Cons:
safe for garden plants and grass;
the effect in 4 days;
a cheap solution for small yards;
fast ground penetrating technology.
it cannot be used near edibles.
Buyer’s Guide
As you can assume from the reviews, you may choose between ultrasonic and granular repellents. The first type lets you deal with the problem in a passive regimen. You can just install spikes and let them do the job.
On the other hand, ultrasonic devices can’t deal with severe infestations as fast as castor oil concentrate that penetrates every burrow in less than 5 days.
This being said, I recommend you to apply sonic repellers as a measure for driving pests away and making your land unattractive for them for a long time. Granular repellents are a remedy that you’d like to use for immediate results.
How to Repel Gophers
Repelling gophers from your territory requires a combination of measures. The first step that you have to undertake is to detect active tunnels of rodents and find signs of typical critter damage. These creatures are very cautious and never stray from their underground dwellings.
To identify damage done by these creatures, you should look for mounds that are used to close entrances to tunnels. Next, you have to understand how the tunnel system is configured. You can use a straight stick or a metal probe to make holes in the ground, and find main tunnels.
They’re usually 6-12 inches underground, so be careful not to damage them. Finally, you have to mark tunnels with flags or stones as the rodents will quickly fix the holes you made. If there’s nothing to use as a probe, you can draw a line between mounds to determine underground paths.
The next step is to choose the right remedy. My buyer’s guide and reviews of the best products will help you to make a deliberate choice. It’s important to follow direct instructions attached to each product to disturb gophers’ survival senses.
For example, castor repellers have to be sprayed over plants to make them disgusting for rodents, while an electronic gopher repellent has to be placed in close proximity to the active burrows. You should treat every tunnel around your yard as the tunnel system can cover up to 600 square meters!
When the infestation is over, you should remain attentive and continue the treatment to make sure that the critters won’t return to your property.
How Do Gopher Repellents Work
Sonic repellers emit ultrasonic impulses and vibrations that penetrate the ground deep enough to disrupt pests’ everyday life. Although it’s impossible for us to hear these sounds, they disturb rodents and make them look for a better place to live. Gophers cannot live in burrows where they don’t feel safe enough to eat, sleep, and breed.
Granular repellents provide a notably faster effect due to the high ground penetration ability of the castor oil concentrate. By watering the repellent, you deliver it to the tunnels, making the air inside suffocating for rodents.
Castor oil is also an excellent protector for inedible plants around your garden. This oil has a bitter taste that makes roots and leaves unsuitable for consumption.
How to Use Gopher Repellents
The first rule is to read the unique instructions of the remedy you chose. However, there are common rules too. Using sonic repellents, you have to place them close enough to each other to avoid gaps between areas. It’s also important to change batteries on time if there are no solar batteries.
You should also keep repellers from drowning in water as water always finds its way, you know. As for ground-penetrating granular repellents, you have to spread them around the infested area evenly and follow the watering schedule until you achieve the needed result.
FAQ
How to Repel Gopher from Your Garden?
Here is a brief algorithm for repelling gophers from your yard:
Locate active tunnels – first of all, you have to find signs of rodents on your land. You have to identify mounds, tunnels, and mark them. Be attentive to catch the difference between voles and gopher damage.
Choose the repeller – pick up the one from my list, or find other options.
Apply or install the chosen product as directed in the unique user manual.
Stick to expert tips given above and ask someone who faced the problem in your area to share their experience with you.
How Do Ultrasonic Repellents Work?
Ultrasonic repellers emit sounds that are irritating to pests. Humans and pets cannot hear the sound as the frequencies are too high for perception. However, the right ultrasonic frequency can disrupt the eating habits of rodents and make them want to escape from the inconvenient area as fast as possible. Continuous exposure to ultrasonic waves can persuade pests to start looking for a better place to live.
Where to Place Gopher Sonic Spikes?
Similarly to other repellents, you should place sonic pikes as close to active burrows as possible. Even if the manufacturer claims that the coverage area of the devices is large, you have to focus on the main tunnel system to achieve the best effect. It’s also wise to expose the entire territory to ultrasonic waves to keep rodents from digging new tunnels to safer areas.
Are There Plants That Repel Gophers?
Although plants cannot be used as a comprehensive solution, they may complement the complex treatment. Gophers are afraid of gopher spurge (Euphorbia lathyris), lavender, rosemary, oleander, marigolds, salvia, catmint, and crown imperials. Plant a border around the yard, vegetable patches, and flower beds.
Combine one of the best remedies from my list with the application guidelines from the second part of the article, and you will ward gophers off your land forever. Be patient, and never neglect unique instructions attached to the item you chose.
Gophers are clever animals, so you always have to be one step ahead. If the repelling methods don’t seem to work in your case, ensure that you do everything right or try other options for dealing with rodents.
Have you tried any other methods of repelling gophers? You can share your findings in the comments section below. If you have any questions after reading, you can also ask me in the comments. I always read all comments and reply as soon as possible.
References:
Pocket Gophers (R.A. Baldwin, Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, UC Davis): https://www2.ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/pistachio/Pocket-Gophers/
Difference between Voles damage and Pocket Gopher damage (Adapted by Eric Hammond, Adams County Extension, from the CO-Horts blog originally authored by Irene Shonle, Gilpin County Extension): https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/wildlife-issues/2310-difference-voles-damage-pocket-gopher-damage/
Options for Dealing With Rodent Infestations (United States Environmental Protection Agency): https://www.epa.gov/rodenticides/options-dealing-rodent-infestations
Gophers, or pocket gophers — the name they received thanks to fur-lined pouches on their cheeks — are one of the most unpleasant types of garden pests that can seriously damage your yard, ruining flowerbeds, trees, grass fairways, and gardens.
Even if you are not a passionate gardener or owner of the golf course, the developed set of tunnels created by these rodents in search of food with numerous holes and mounds can collapse your yard paths, lawns and patios, weakening the ground beneath. Moreover, they can destroy trees and bushes, eating their roots and building their tunnels right under them.
Even if you haven’t seen gophers on your territory doesn’t mean they are not the cause of your yards’ destruction: these small critters don’t get far from their homes and spend their lives in the tunnels. They are highly connected to their territory and solitary, and you usually won’t have more than one gopher per acre.
For effective gopher elimination, it is essential to study their habits, appearance, and habitat to effectively identify these pests, get better at managing pocket gopher damage, and choose the optimal method of their treatment.
Gopher Identification Guide
What Is a Gopher?
Gophers are small-sized burrowing rodents that come from the Geomidae family. There are many different subspecies of pocket gophers, 35 known gopher species that uniquely reside in North and Central America, to be exact.
These rodents are known and easily identified by their tunneling activities and high destruction of gardens, yards, and farms as they live underground and can develop tunneling systems of up to 2,000 square feet. Sometimes, it is possible to misidentify a ground squirrel as a gopher, as they are distant relatives that come from the Sciuridae family.
Gophers’ weight is approximately 7 oz, and they are 6-8 in long, with a tail that can get from 1 to 2 in. However, the representatives of larger species can reach 2.5 lb and up to 16 inches, depending on their gender and stage of the life cycle. Male gophers are usually larger than females and can get double their weight.
Gophers live from 1 to 3 years, with the maximum pocket gophers’ age getting up to 5 five years, and some gopher species have reached the documented age of seven years while living in the wild. These critters have brown-colored fur that perfectly matches the color of soil and allows them to effectively hide from predators in their habitat.
Their most outstanding feature is large cheek pouches (pockets) that are covered with fur lines and can extend from their mouth up to the shoulders. They have small dark eyes and a small tail that help them to feel the tunnel while moving backward.
How Not to Confuse a Gopher With a Groundhog or a Mole?
Both gophers and groundhogs are small-sized furry rodents that create lots of tunnels underground, using them to move throughout their territory and eat plants and their roots.
However, these critters belong to different families: while gophers are the representatives of Geomiday family, groundhogs come from Sciuridae family, Marmota genus, or the so-called ground squirrels.
You can easily identify a gopher by its furless tail that has a little hair on it, protruding teeth that have a yellow or brown color, and cheek pouches that have fur lines on them and can significantly extend in size. Gophers usually have pink feet, which are more similar to squirrels’ that help them hold small items and nibble them, and comparatively small body.
Gopher.
Groundhogs are bigger in size — these rodents weigh from 4.5 to 14 lbs, they have brownish feet and a shorter tail that is covered with fur. Their teeth hide inside the mouth when it is closed, and their white color is not typical for the majority of rodents.
Their front feet are naturally adapted for ground digging with strong claws that are curved from the face side that allow them to throw the dirt over the shoulders during the excavation.
Groundhog.
Both types of critters live to eat plants, but if you want to know what do gophers eat — these varmints prefer roots and tubers, while groundhogs are more interested in greenery, fruits, berries, and vegetables. Groundhogs hibernate in winter, and groundhogs remain active throughout the year.
Moles are the representatives of the shrew family, and unlike many people believe, they are not rodents. These small mammals are insectivores, which means their primary meal type is insects. One of the key differences from gophers and groundhogs is that moles are almost blind and have extremely small eyes — it might even seem they don’t have them.
Mole.
It is easy to identify moles by their appearance: they have soft thick fur with brown or grey color with silver highlights. Moles don’t have external ears, large front feet with long claws that are adapted to constant digging. They can get from 4 to 6.5 in and their tails grow from 1 to 1.5 in. They are much smaller than gophers and weigh from 2.5 to 4.5 oz.
Almost all of their life, moles stay underground, building their tunnels deeper than gophers or groundhogs. They don’t build numerous mounds, and its cone shape makes them different from small-sized gopher holes in the yard made to observe the territory or seek for food.
How Gophers Can Harm Your Yard and Household?
As soon as gophers invade your territory, they might cause severe harm to your yard and your house. With the numerous mounds that are the most obvious signs of gopher invasion, your grass lawn loses its integrity both underneath and beneath the ground.
The developed set of tunnels might get larger holes that will ruin the whole landscape and beauty of the yard as a whole, killing the grass and destroying the united structure of the soil.
One of the key reasons for gophers invasion is hunting for food, roots, tubers, and vegetables. Thus, eating grassroots gophers will destroy your lawn and can even get the grass blades inside their tunnels, leaving the holes and brown areas on your lawn.
Grassroots is not the only source of food for gophers that also feed on the roots of trees, bushes, and other plants, destroying your flower beds and patches. Getting out of their tunnels, these critters can also feed on the bedding plants and flowers.
On this stage of gopher infestation, you might see the absence of flower pods that were blossoming on the flowerbed a day ago, followed by the entire flower plants that gophers pull in their tunnels and keep for future meals.
Getting deeper into your yard, gophers not only ruin your lawns and kill your plants and trees, but also create walking hazards for you and your family. Digging inside their tunnels, gophers leave numerous mounds that have deep holes underneath.
It is quite easy not to see the mound and step just on the hollow ground. This might result in a twisted ankle or even a broken leg. Moreover, if your leg breaks down the mound when the gopher is there or nearby in the tunnel, the critter might bite you, protecting his housing.
Another potential threat is that gophers can infect you and your family with serious diseases, such as rabies, hantavirus, leptospirosis, monkeypox, plague, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM). They can show no symptoms or signs of the disease, but transfer them through bites.
In case you have children or pets, they might find gophers and want to play with them, increasing the risk of being bitten and infected. They can also have fleas or ticks that can bite you, your children, and pets, and it might be quite hard to get rid of the new pests.
What Attracts Gophers to Come to Your Yard?
In case you are interested in getting rid of gophers in your yard, you have to first identify what attracts them to your territory. One of the key forces that attract them to your yard is a stable source of food and soft, breeding soil.
They like to eat ground roots and vegetables that can be easily found in any yard and garden, and they also like to eat garden insects, so in case you have a blossoming garden with trees, plants and bushes, a flower and grass lawn or a vegetable patch — these rodents will be attracted by the ability of tasty snacks.
Being known as ground diggers, gophers prefer to build their set of tunnels in a high-quality soil that is not too dry or rocky. Almost all gardeners nourish their patches as often as possible, using various fertilizers and watering their plants at least once a week.
Such soil is perfect for building tunnels and multiple mounds, being a great option for gopher’s housing. As they do not hibernate and stay active during the whole year, it is important for these rodents to live in the area where they can always find an extra source of food that is not invaded by predators.
Like many other rodents, gophers live an isolated life and don’t usually interact with other representatives of their species. Thus, it is important for them to find an area that is free from other critters that can be used for the creation of isolated housing.
Thus, the garden that is not inhabited by other rodents is a perfect option for any gopher to build their tunnels without competing for the territory or sharing the food sources with other animals.
The Signs of Gopher Infestation in Your Yard and Household
Getting attracted by the favorable environment, gophers can quickly build a set of their tunnels underneath your property, making your lawn a source of potential threats and injuries. Thus, it is important to quickly identify whether you have these pests on your territory.
The most evident sign of gopher invasion is the appearance of one or several dirt mounds throughout your garden. Mounts appear near the newly built tunnels when gophers get rid of unnecessary soil while constructing the funnels, leaving small oval-shaped hills throughout their territory. When the construction is over, gopher gets back to plug the unnecessary exit and protect the created shelter from other animals.
Another vivid sign of gopher infestation is destroyed greenery. It is not always easy to find the mounds that can be situated in the distanced part of your territory or get hidden under the fallen leaves or high grass, it is nearly impossible to miss the injuries these rodents leave both upside and downside the vegetation.
These critters primarily feed on the plants’ roots, but they can also destroy flowers, blossom, and leaves, destroying flower beds and gardens. Smaller plants can be completely dragged in their tunnels and kept for future meals, leaving brown patches within your green clearing.
In case you have mentioned these changes in your garden, check your territory for newcomers.
How to Get Rid of Gophers in Your Yard
To clean up your territory from rodents, it is essential to choose the strategy for pocket gopher control and strictly follow the basic instructions for the most effective methods of gopher eradication. To help you choose your best way to get rid of gopher, I have collected the most viable recommendations that will help you in managing gophers and get back to your flowering garden as soon as possible.
Live Traps
The most effective and widespread way of gopher removal is baiting it in a trap and releasing it far away from your territory. Live gopher traps are one of the most effective non-labor-intensive methods of quick gopher eradication from all types of yards.
It is also good because it does not require any additional actions or strict monitoring of the process, leaving you plenty of time while the trap is waiting for the critter.
To catch a gopher in a live trap, you have to:
Use some green, lettuce, peanut butter or cabbage as bait and put it inside the trap;
Put a trap as close to the entrance of the gopher’s burrow as possible;
Check the trap the next day and wait until the gopher gets caught;
When the gopher is caught, you have to take the trap as far as possible to release the critter;
Remove the mounds and exits, and fill in the tunnel with soil throughout your property to exclude the appearance of new rodents that
Might want to settle in an empty housing.
Repellents
To make gophers leave your territory themselves, you can use another humane and pretty simple method — repellents that will deter the varmints and force them to seek another place to leave. Gophers have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and it is impossible for these pests to live near the source of a strong, unpleasant smell.
To use the repellent to get rid of your rodents, follow these steps:
Find and choose one exit route that the gopher will use to get out of the burrow and the leave the territory;
Put the repellents (peppermint or castor oil, fish scraps, mothballs, Tabasco sauce, pet waste, etc.) in the other holes from the burrows, starting from the ones that are situated near your house;
In a couple of days, put more gopher repellents near more distanced burrows, moving the rodent towards your planned exit;
When the gopher leaves your territory, you can start to remove the burrows to protect your yard from other pests.
Gopher Bait Applicator
Another method of controlling pocket gopher damage that has recently become more popular is using the bait applicator to catch underground pests directly in their burrows. The bait applicator can be put directly inside the soil that might result in more speedy gopher elimination.
However, you must take into account that killing gophers do not result in prolonged protection from critters as they can come back to your yard. It is also inhumane and might affect your pets or other underground tenants, such as centipedes and earthworms.
Using the bait applicator is pretty easy:
Put the applicator on your bait — the majority of contemporary applicators will fit any baits you use;
Find the area in the yard, underneath which there is a gopher tunnel. You can identify it, following the nearest mounds;
Put the bait with an applicator inside the ground, pulling it deep enough to reach the tunnel;
Wait for a couple of days and try to fill the burrows with soil. In case there are no new mounds found on your property, the bait applicator has worked.
Ultrasonic Repeller
Ultrasonic or ultrasound repellers are one of the best ways to get rid of gophers as fast as possible. It is one of the best methods of gophers eradication in case you have identified several pests on your territory and need to expel them super fast.
Gophers have a sensitive hearing and they can’t stand noisy environments, so you can as well try to turn on loud music and wait until the rodent runs away from the noise. But in case you want to receive a quick result, ultrasonic repeller will be the best option to clear your yard from irritating critters.
How to use ultrasonic repeller:
Choose the place in your yard with the highest gopher activity;
Insert the ultrasonic repeller inside the ground in the chosen area, leaving approximately 2 inches over the ground to protect the repeller from liquid;
Turn the repeller in by switching the particular button. As a rule, you will hear a short buzz just after the repeller is activated;
Leave the repeller in the yard for several days;
When the gopher is gone, you can switch the repeller off and start to restore your garden and grass lawns.
Using ultrasonic repeller allows you to get the gophers away from your territory in a humane, non-chemical way and keep them away in the future. You can easily leave the repeller in your yard for as long as you wish or quickly return it back, in case you find any signs of new pest invasion.
Poison
One of the most widespread methods of lethal gopher invasion control is spreading poisonous pellets to bear the holes of the gopher burrows or putting them directly in the tunnels or using the poisonous traps.
Such pellets usually contain zinc phosphide — a toxic chemical that is dangerous for all types of animals and people, and thus this might be dangerous in case you have pets or children, or in case they have access to your territory.
Implementing poisonous traps to eliminate rodents include the following steps:
Find the exits created by the gopher to get out of the burrow;
Put the trap near the hole or spread the pellet nearby or out them directly inside the hole;
In several days, check your chosen location to see whether the trap worked.
Although the poison is an effective way to get rid of gophers, it cannot keep rodents or any pests away from your territory for long, and it is an extremely cruel method of killing gophers that haven’t got any intentions to produce any harm.
Top 6 Gopher Treatment Remedies
1. Victor Black Box Reusable Gopher Trap: Professional Gopher Treatment Method
Item Dimensions LxWxH: 10.16 x 16.76 x 16.25 inches
Target Species: Gopher
This choker loop-styled gopher trap can be used in all types of soil and is water-resistant. No need to use any poisons or chemicals — the trap is an answer to how to catch a gopher just in its habitat: all you have to do is place the trap in the tunnel and wait until it snares the critter while moving in the burrow.
This trap has a safe construction that is kept below the ground to keep your family and pets protected from undesired harm. This trap is super simple and easy to use — just find the tunnel, put the trap inside, following the tunnels’ direction, cover the trap with the soil and that’s it!
Another advantage is the quality of materials: this trap is made of sturdy plastic and metal parts, and it can be used multiple times, so you don’t need to buy more than one.
Pros:
Cons:
the trap is easy to use;
it is water-resistant;
can be used in all types of soil, including sandy soil;
reusable type of trap;
it has a special construction to protect your family and pets.
it doesn’t protect your property from the rodents for a long period of time;
inhumane way to get rid of the critters.
2. Victor Sonic Spike: Effective Gopher Deterrent Product
This sonic spike is one of the best ways of humane gopher removal that works quickly and spreads the effect on all types of garden critters. All you have to do is put the batteries inside the spike, create a hole in the soil, and insert it inside.
Each spike produces sonic impulses that penetrate the soil around it and radiates extremely irritating sounds that force rodents to move away from your property. Leaving the repeller in the ground allows you to protect your yard from any future critter generations.
Pros:
Cons:
one spike covers the territory of 7,500 square feet;
can be used for gophers and moles;
non-harmful way to get rid of pests;
it is made of waterproof materials.
works on batteries that have to be purchased separately;
it is less effective in sandy, peat, or dry soil.
3. Repellex Gopher, Mole, and Vole Granular Repellent: Effective Help For Gopher Eradication
Active Ingredients: Castor Oil, Cinnamon, Garlic, White Pepper
Item Form: Granules
Item Weight: 25.8 pounds
Item Dimensions LxWxH: 10.5 x 9.75 x 13.25 inches
Target Species: Gopher, Mole
Using gopher repellent is the most optimal way to keep your garden clean and safe, as it doesn’t harm your soil or further destroy the lawn, keeping the dead gophers somewhere underneath. Being made of highly effective natural components, this US-produced repellent affects the highly sensitive sense of smell of the rodents, making them leave your garden once and forever.
Pros:
Cons:
the effect of the repellent spreads on the territory of 24,000 square feet;
does not contain any chemicals, poisons or pesticides;
make all types of rodents leave your property once and forever.
might not be used with edible plants;
have to be spread again for a prolonged effect.
4. JT Eaton 166004 709-PN Block Rodenticide Anticoagulant Bait – Gret Assistant For Gopher Eradication
If you need to know how to kill gophers, this first-generation anticoagulant bait is one of the most popular rodenticides that is used to get rid of all types of rodents, including gophers, mice, rats, etc. It has a peanut butter flavor that effectively attracts pests and Diphacinone chemicals to effectively eliminate critters.
Pros:
Cons:
effectively eliminates all types of garden and in-house rodents;
can be used in the garden and inside the house;
does in a big pack that allows you to use it in several locations as many times as you need.
cannot protect your territory from the future generations of rodents;
extremely dangerous for other animals, pets, and people.
To clean your territory from all types of rodents using a Yard Butler bait applicator will allow you to get the poison directly to the gophers’ burrows, keeping your pets safe as the applicator hides the chemicals underground. Thus, poison is spread directly inside the tunnels and you get more chances to quickly remove all critters from your property.
This reusable bait applicator will work with the majority of gopher baits and is made of strong, durable materials. In case it didn’t work for you, you can return the applicator and receive a full refund within 30 days after the purchase.
Pros:
Cons:
effectively eradicates gophers, moles, and voles;
can be used with the majority of gopher baits;
protects children, pets, and birds from the poison;
made of high-quality, durable materials;
excludes the necessity to handle the bait;
it has a 30-days warranty.
not so easy to use: it is essential to follow the detailed instructions that go with the bait applicator;
one-time effect;
сruel method of getting rid of rodents.
6. The Giant Destroyer Gas Killer: Effective Gas Gopher Elimination Method
This gas rodent killer can be used directly inside the rodents’ burrows in all types of gardens, parks, lawns, or even re-forest areas. It is made of natural organic substances and effectively eliminates gophers, moles, woodchucks, rats, and ground squirrels. Thus, even if you have misidentified the type of pest that invaded your territory, this gas killer will help you get rid of them.
To apply a gas killer inside the rodent burrow, you have to drop it directly inside the hole of the burrow and cover it with soil, directly following all the given instructions. Be careful to protect yourself and keep pets and children away while spreading the gas. This Giant Destroyer gas killer will help you to quickly get rid of all critters that are ruining your garden without any additional tools.
Pros:
Cons:
quickly eradicates all types of rodents;
doesn’t pollute soil or vegetation;
applicable to all types of soil.
can be used only outdoors;
dangerous for other pets, birds, children.
FAQ
Are Gophers Dangerous?
Gophers do not represent any real danger to humans or pets. However, they might harm trees and vegetation, eating roots, and tubers. They might also have serious diseases such as rabies, and carry pests (fleas or ticks).
What Do Gopher Holes Look Like?
Gopher holes have round or oval shapes, and their mounds are fan-shaped with plugged holes. In case the holes have fresh, fluffy soil, it means that the gopher is still actively developing this tunnel.
Gophers rarely leave their burrows and spend most of their life downside, coming out only in cases of danger or seeking for food — they usually grab the plant and drag it inside the tunnel.
Are Gophers Blind?
No, gophers are not blind, they have small dark eyes and can see at night and in the day time.
What Attracts Gophers?
Gophers are attached to the territory with lots of food, healthy and soft soil, the absence of other rodents and predators. They also prefer to live in quiet places without any plants that have a strong smell.
What Does a Gopher Eat?
Gophers prefer to eat roots and tubers, although they might also eat flowers, blossoms, leaves, and grass.
The Best Methods To Get Rid of Gophers Yourself
Being able to try multiple gophers control methods, I have to say that all of the methodologies I have shared above are both effective and easy to implement yourself. Either you prefer more humane gopher treatment or require quick and radical actions, you can choose the tips that you like most.
In case you are searching for the perfect combination of effective and quick gopher eradication that will produce a prolonged effect, I highly recommend paying attention to gopher repellents, both chemical or ultrasonic. However, if you have received a long-term effect on implementing other gopher elimination methods, share your experience in the comments. I hope you liked the observation of the top gopher treatment methods.
Have you tried the live traps? How long did it take you to remove all rodents from your property? Let’s share our experience below!
Why are there so many different subspecies of pocket gophers? (Museum of Vertebrate Zoology): https://mvz.berkeley.edu/DoingNaturalHistory/mammalsresearch.html
Help and Site Map(U.S. Department of Agriculture): https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/banner/help
A Novel Strategy for P ategy for Pocket Gopher Contr et Gopher Control(University of Nebraska): https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1065&context=gpwdcwp
Managing Gophers(Oregon State University Extension Service): https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/12281/managinggophers.pdf
Hi! In this article, I share all my most recent and most effective findings related to poisoning gophers. You will learn why these critters are considered dangerous for your household and lands, what is the best gopher poison, and how to get rid of these creatures forever.
But what makes gophers dangerous? First of all, they are always hungry, and their hunger leads them to eat nearly all the plants that they can find around your garden. Secondly, they dig holes and tunnels to travel around, making your lawn ugly and even dangerous to walk as you can fall into a hole, twist your ankle, or even get bitten.
Gopher bites are not only painful but also potentially dangerous for your health. These small mammals carry diseases, such as rabies, monkeypox, plague, and hantavirus. If you see this animal on your lawn, hurry up to do everything to stop the infestation as soon as possible.
I also recommend you to get acquainted with detailed management guidelines for pests in gardens to be ready for infestations beforehand.
Below are 5 best gopher killer products that proved to be effective against these critters during multiple tests of my pest control team. Using one of these remedies, you can stop the infestation rather fast and prevent more serious damage to your household.
Sweeney’s Poison Peanuts come in 4 convenient cone tubs that you can open from both sides, depending on the application method. The thin cone applicator lets you inject the container into tunnels though the ground to deliver the poison straight to the lair core. If you cannot find the main tunnel, open the tub on the thicker end and simply put the peanuts into burrow entrances.
There are also special gopher bait applicators available on the market that will make this process even easier (like this one).
If the infestation is low, you may reach the needed result in less than 24 hours. However, you will need up to 1 week to get rid of a large brood. Сheck for pest activities in the tunnels every 24 hours to ensure that the treatment works. Repeat the procedure in another place if it wasn’t successful. Usually, a teaspoon is enough to kill rodents within one burrow.
Block-shaped rodenticide by JT Eaton is a unique anticoagulant remedy that attracts rodents with a delicious peanut butter smell. Despite the large size (1 ounce) of the bait, critters can’t stand to taste it as soon as possible.
The active ingredient of the item is Diphacinone 0.005%. This dosage is effective against small rodents and provides a lethal effect in a few days after consumption. Such low toxicity makes it one of the slowest killers, but also one of the safest ones for your household members. It’s still important to keep it away from pets and children to avoid painful troubles with digestion.
It’s very difficult to put these blocks into main tunnels, but you can easily put them into entrances without negative effects on efficiency. The critters won’t neglect such a huge bait, and it’s easy to dispose of the blocks when the pests are dead. It’s a good solution for dealing with large infestations as the container includes 144 blocks.
Pros:
Cons:
not lethal for bigger pets and children;
pests can’t stand against its smell;
144 blocks per container;
easy to dispose of when the treatment’s over.
hard to put into main tunnels of burrows.
3. The Giant Destroyer (GAS KILLER) – Best Gas Chunks for Poisoning Gophers
Unlike the majority of its competitors, this creative rodent killer doesn’t leave any hazardous traces after treatment, which makes it totally environmentally friendly in a long-term perspective. It’s also one of the fastest ways to kill gophers. All you have to do is inject the fuse into the cartridge, ignite it, and put it quickly into the burrow.
But follow the instruction to avoid burns and inject the stick with the right end. When you do, the poisonous gas fills the entire tunnel system, suffocating rodents to death.
All the components of the gas bomb are organic and fully biodegradable, so that you don’t have to worry when using them on fertile soils and public lawns. This item is rather expensive, but such speedy results are really worth it.
Pros:
Cons:
doesn’t leave chemical traces;
instant lethal result;
fully biodegradable;
simple to use;
4 bombs per blister.
you can burn yourself if using the item inappropriately.
This 2% zinc phosphide is a powerful poisonous bait. You have to place it on animal runaways in active burrows. The substance is very attractive to rodents and kills them within hours. A single teaspoon is enough for a single burrow. Due to the strong smell, the bait isn’t appealing for cats and dogs.
However, I recommend you to mark poisoned areas with flags or something to notice if your animals start digging nearby. This remedy comes without a dispenser, so you have to find a way to deliver the treatment into burrows safely.
Pros:
Cons:
economical and cheap option;
fast effect due to zinc phosphite;
excellent bait acceptance;
it rarely attracts pets.
banned in CA, DC, NH, PR;
no dispenser in the package.
5. Victor M6006 Mole & Gopher Poison Peanuts – Quick Small Infestation Solution
These poisonous peanuts by Victor offer the same effect and convenient cone-shaped package as the item by Sweenie. However, it’s available in a 1-container package, which costs much cheaper, letting you treat a small infestation without overpaying.
You can make holes in the tunnel roof using the sharp plastic cone. Choose this solution if you don’t have any extra equipment, and there are just a few burrows on your land.
Pros:
Cons:
convenient cone-shaped container;
easy to apply;
very cheap;
enough for double treatment.
not intended for big infestations.
Buyer’s Guide
The first thing that you should ensure is that the poison is attractive enough to compete with other natural goodies that gophers can find around your yard. The remedy will simply not work if gophers don’t eat on time.
These rodents are very clever and can get very suspicious if there’s something new around, so the temptation must be strong enough to fool them. It’s also recommended to choose the treatment that won’t attract your pets and non-pest animals to prevent them from poisoning.
Give preference to products that have mostly positive reviews and don’t include chemicals prohibited by the law. It’s also beneficial when poison comes in a container that’s convenient for application without a third-party dispenser.
All gopher pesticide types have similar work mechanisms. First of all, the target has to eat it. It’s impossible to achieve a lethal effect otherwise. Most products contain zinc phosphide, which is an effective alternative to the extremely dangerous strychnine.
Zinc phosphide starts a chemical reaction when it contacts the stomach acid. The process results in the production of highly toxic phosphine gas that penetrates the blood system and kills small mammals that ate it very fast.
How to Poison Gopher
The first thing that I want to recommend is to use a dispenser. It will help you to avoid direct contact with chemicals and let you carry the poison into the main tunnel of each burrow. Don’t ever try to do it with your hands to avoid bites and dangerous spills of chemicals.
Although dispensers are convenient, you should ensure that gopher poison pellets don’t get stuck within the dispenser pipe. It can’t happen if you are using round pellets but can occur with oblong seeds.
Your aim is to put deadly chemicals into the main tunnel of every burrow around the yard as it’s the best way to make rodents trust the bait and eat it. You can put the bait outside the burrows too, but it will expose your domestic animals to the potential hazard.
When the infestation is over, you should dispose of all the dead gophers properly. Wear gloves and dispose of trunks in sealed trash bags or used containers that are difficult to open for other animals. Next, you have to look for poison leftovers, remove all of them if possible, and destroy all burrows by digging them up and pouring water inside.
Using Poison for Gophers Correctly
Unfortunately, all anti-gopher products that contain zinc phosphide and strychnine are dangerous for all small animals and people. You must keep children and curious pets away from the area that requires pest control measures.
Keeping animals and people away from places of gopher activity, you protect them from bites and accidental poisoning. If your pet or child eats the bait anyway, you must induce vomiting and go to the doctor as fast as possible.
You can also give activated charcoal to reduce the intoxication level. Always read the unique instructions to the detoxing remedy to avoid side effects.
You should also put the minimal required amount of poison into the burrows to minimize the possible number of leftovers. If your area is accessible for animals of your neighbors, you must inform them about the infestation and tell them to keep their animals away from your yard until you finish treatment successfully.
Different types of poisons have unique effects on animals.
Strychnine – it is a dangerous substance with an incredibly high penetration rate. It can kill the critter almost instantly so that the animal won’t be able to get back to its burrow. Unlike more modern agents, this one can last more than 10 days and remain active within the poisoned body’s stomach, blood, and even muscles. Learn all facts about strychnine before applying it.
Zinc Phosphide – this chemical isn’t as severe as strychnine, but still very effective against rodents. It causes the production of a deadly gas within the digestive tracts of poisoned organisms. The gas penetrates blood vessels and kills the animal, without leaving traces that could lead to secondary poisoning if something eats the trunks.
What if My Puppy Eats Gopher Poison?
It’s important to protect your pets while using gopher baits. While your cats aren’t likely to eat something poisonous due to their natural prudence, dogs are exceptionally curious. It means that you have to keep them confined while treating the infestation to prevent them from digging into the mud piles and holes in the lawn.
How Long Does Gopher Poison Last?
Even the best gopher poison bait has a limited active period. In most cases, the remedy works from 5 to 10 days. If the critter is still alive after 10 days, it means that you have to repeat the treatment once again to ensure the consumption of the product.
Do Cats Eat Gophers?
Your well-fed home cat isn’t likely to hunt and kill gophers, because it doesn’t have the motivation to look for food. However, in some cases, domestic cats hunt for these critters just for fun.
Still, I’d recommend you to ward off your domestic cat from gophers as there’s always a chance for a cat to become a disease carrier by contacting with wild animal’s blood.
If your cat brings this critter to your door, throw the trunk away, congratulate your pet with something tasty, and bring it to the vet for blood analysis. As for feral cats, they are always happy to hunt and eat a gopher as it’s a very nutritious catch.
Ready to Fight
Now you know what the most reliable poisonous remedies against gophers are. You’re also aware of how to use them properly to achieve the needed effect as fast as possible and avoid harmful effects on your pets. Always use only legal and thoroughly tested products and follow the unique instruction on the package of the purchased item.
Have you tried poisoning gophers before? If yes, please, share your experience in the comments. If you know about other effective remedies, you’re welcome to tell about them as well. If you have any questions left after reading the article, leave them below, and I will gladly reply as soon as possible.
References:
Pocket Gophers (Roger A. Baldwin, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, UC Davis): http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7433.html
Facts About Strychnine (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services): https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/strychnine/basics/facts.asp
How do I protect my pets while using mole/gopher baits? (Oregon State University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency): http://npic.orst.edu/faq/moles.html
Your plants have stopped yielding crops, so you guess that gophers are the reason for it? It’s a widespread fact, known for most entomologists as myself, that the main reason for reducing the yield of your field and wilting plants are often directly connected to the pests flooding your territory.
When it’s one or two rodents, it is not enough to make you concerned. Hence, when you start noticing an increasing number of holes in your yard, it’s time to be alert. Managing pocket gophers can be hard on the big field, but if you have a small-sized lawn or garden, then lethal trapping is the best way to put an end to rodents in your territory.
Although the ground gophers look like cute creatures, at first sight, the harm that they can bring to your lawn and harvest can become irreversible. That is why I advise you not to close your eyes to the problem.
While pests are in your territory, without your intervention, they will actively ruin the land and cause you grand damage. Be sure; they will never leave your property voluntarily at the nearest time in the future. That’s why it’s worth starting to think of finding effective ways to get rid of them. More precisely, you’d better buy and set the best gopher trap right now.
Why is a gopher considered to be a dangerous threat for your lawn? In general, all animals are not harmful by their nature, but their activity can directly intervene and become a nuisance for your work.
How to use the gopher trap? The most crucial part of trapping a gopher is to select an effective and specialized trap. It’s up to you if you want to cut off the number of rodents on your field, or you want to clear your field for good.
In any case, there are diverse methods that differ in their deadly effect and time-consumption, so be sure to select what will satisfy you 100%. There are dozens of options to choose from, but which of the proposed variants are the best gopher traps – this is a question that I will try to answer now.
1. Victor the Black Box Gopher Trap – Failure-Free Way of Pocket Gopher Trapping
Item Dimensions LxWxH: 10.16 x 16.76 x 16.25 inches
Target Species: Gopher
A black box trap is a useful reusable tool that helps eliminate gophers from your territory, if not forever, then definitely for a long time. The trap catches inattentive gophers on a loop; all you need to do is set the trap in the tunnel correctly.
It is a non-toxic and safe method to eliminate gophers. The trap is triggered within 48 hours, so it makes no sense to check the trap more often.
For a more vivid effect from these traps, it’s more efficient to get a pair to install it in different places of the tunnel. Besides, it is worthwhile to carefully follow the instructions, because preparing the trap and installing it correctly is 90% success. The trap is ideal for any soil; it is difficult to spoil it so that it will last a long time.
Pros:
Cons:
durable materials that can withstand any weather and soil;
quickly and efficiently catches gophers;
reusable without the need for poisons.
it takes a long time to prepare and in general the trap is not very effective.
2. Cinch Gopher Trap with Tunnel Marking Flag – Top Product for Trapping Gophers
If you are new to this business, then this large trap is ideal for you. If you are an experienced hunter, you know that this trap is one of the best on the market. It is universal and suitable not only for gophers but also for other rodents.
At the same time, if you are not a supporter of animal cruelty and do not want to kill gophers, this trap uses Quick-Cinch Capture. This technology allows you to catch gophers and small rodents and does not cause mortal wounds.
The steel material and robust construction will last you a long time, so these traps can withstand any weather and can be used repeatedly. You will not need to use chemicals, and therefore you do not run the risk of harming nature.
Cinch Gopher is an easy-to-use but incredibly effective trap that will save you from pests that damage your plants. The set contains three traps that you can set in a tunnel system dug by gophers. The set is also equipped with flags, so you can quickly check your traps or entrust this to someone from the family.
Pros:
Cons:
resistant to rains and weather;
sturdy yet easy to use a design that holds gophers in captivity;
flags to help you find traps, gloves, and kit care bottles.
high price, although it is justified by the quality.
3. Victor Easy Set Gopher Trap to Buy to Ensure the Effective Setting Gopher Trap
The narrow design of this trap allows you to place it in a gopher tunnel easily and does not require much effort. The trap is made of durable steel, thus, you can use it for more than one season. Victor makes sure that the trap is easy to use and, at the same time, brings maximum benefits in the war against pests.
The moving parts of this trap will be underground, so you have no risk of accidentally harming yourself. This trap will be the solution you were looking for if sound repellents or poisons do not help you.
Pros:
Cons:
a trap that fires within a couple of hours after installation;
easy to install and does not require digging in the ground;
solid steel materials ensure its durability;
an adequate price that matches its effectiveness.
may not catch small ground squirrels.
4. Sweeney’s Gopher Trap – Killing Method Eliminate Gophers in No Time
No products found.
If your goal is to destroy all the gophers in your territory, Sweeney, with a pincher-like design, will quickly deal with pests without any poisons or chemicals. All that you have to do is to find fresh organic and set these traps there. Then, just come and remove the gopher.
The trap will be dangerous only for pests; for your pets, it will not bring harm. At the same time, the manufacturer advises checking the trap once every few days. It does not give in to bad weather, so you should not be afraid that it will rust or cease to be valid after rain.
But at the same time, you should mark it or tie a rope to it because without this step, you can lose it deep in the ground.
Pros:
Cons:
effectively kills gophers and reduces their harm;
you can use it a large number of times;
no poisons needed.
it can be lost if not fixed to the surface.
5. Black Hole Reusable Spring Loaded Gopher Trap: Affordable Way to Use Live Gopher Trap
Although this option is the last on the list, it is not the last gopher trap in terms of efficiency. In what is inferior to the previous options, it is a plastic material, which, although is durable and resists bad weather; it is still more fragile than metal.
For example, the trap quickly eliminates unwanted pests and does not require poisons or toxins. It works effectively both on gophers and on moles and mice. At the same time, it is cheaper and quite easy to use, so purchase it if you are not sure about the effectiveness of deadly traps in principle.
Pros:
Cons:
low price that helps you save money;
it does not need special care and is easy to install;
effective in eliminating not only gophers but also other types of pests.
plastic construction is not durable enough.
How to Trap Gopher: Everything You Need to Know
You can effectively fight gophers by using poisoned baits, traps, or combinations of them correctly. Use gopher traps in home gardens, on lawns, or flower beds – usually, only a few pests live there. For larger areas such as fields, pastures, golf courts, it’s more effective and less time-consuming to use properly installed poisoned baits.
It has been proven that the use of poisoned baits is a simpler and faster method. But the traps will probably be necessary as a control measure for animals that avoid poisoned baits.
For successful catching gophers, a standard gopher trap is perfect. A few decades ago, they were quite primitive, but with the development of technology, these devices have been improved significantly, becoming even more useful. You can buy such a thing in most hardware stores where mousetraps are sold.
By the way, these two designs are quite similar in appearance and functionality. However, the gopher trap is slightly larger in size, so do not try to catch gopher using rat or mole trap and search only for types of gopher traps.
Poisoned Bait
Zinc phosphide is widely used as a gopher pesticide. Proper placement of the bait is the key to success. I’d recommend rotating the probe gently, making the hole more full, and lowering a teaspoon of the poisoned bait into the hole so that it falls to the bottom of the tunnel.
Cover the hole with a lump of soil. Three or four lures in the square with fresh molehills are enough. Do not wait for an immediate result – if additional molehills appear in a few days, relocate the poisoned bait. The gopher must find the bait in the labyrinth of its underground passages and eat it.
After learning how to set a gopher trap, be sure to wisely select a perfect hunting season. According to the recent study on wildlife-damage issues, regardless of pocket gopher trap type, the best and more efficient time to set traps is during late spring or early summer.
After the weather is cooling down in autumn, the gopher is less energetic or active. Remember that the gopher activity is very correlated with temperature levels, and if it’s below its comfort, the gopher probably won’t reach your traps and stay in one place.
When Is the Best Time to Check Gopher Traps?
Also, if you want to have a long-term effect of your trapping and get rid of gophers in no time, it’s better to set traps in early spring to mid-spring while the gophers haven’t yet started to breed, thus you will have fewer gophers to catch.
After installing the traps, the best time to check for the results is in the morning once a day. It’ll give you time to clean the traps or reset them if they are ineffective.
How Often to Check Gopher Traps?
It takes around 24 hours to get gophers into your set-up, so it’s best to check your trap system once per day. However, If you have lots of rodents in your lawn and their activity is pretty high, note that they can be caught within several hours.
If you’re an inexperienced gopher catcher, it’s best to check your traps more frequently, but no more than twice a day. If the trap doesn’t work, it’s better to relocate it and read the instructions once again.
What Kind of Bait Can I Use for Gopher Traps?
Set a gopher trap on the site with some goodies for the animal only if it’s required and advised in the instructions. However, If you don’t use killer baits, trapping gopher without using any bait will be quite tricky. The thing is that – the bait method uses grain poison baits.
Be sure that you use the grain of good quality for the bait: not musty, without impurities. Gophers eat oats best. When used for bait, corn grain is pre-soaked in water.
The effectiveness of measures largely depends on the composition of the bait. You can purchase processed grain in advance or prepare it yourself.
Where to Place Gopher Traps?
It is strongly recommended to mask the trap, especially when it is installed in front of the tunnels of gophers and gerbils. A trap openly set in front of a burrow of a ground squirrel makes it sit for a long time in the hole.
In order not to waste time and money in fighting gophers in the garden, the first step for setting a trap is to find an active hole where gophers actually live.
The trap needs to be placed in a dynamic, active tunnel and can be used as a “soft” remedy: when the gopher gets inside, it can be removed later. Setting a trap can take different time periods; traps also differ in their technologies, depending on the type of trap, so you should always read the instructions first.
Trapping Gophers Needs Time and Patience
It only makes sense to trap a gopher when you have a reasonably small area. In this case, installing traps will be enough to get rid of pests. If your field is quite large, you will need to combine the methods of getting rid of gophers with poisoning and aeration. Only then, when the number of rodents decreases, it finally makes sense to set traps.
Did gophers cause a lot of damage to your garden? What methods of eradicating gophers are the most effective for you so far? Please, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below!
References:
Pocket Gopher Control Techniques (Montana Department of Agriculture): https://agresearch.montana.edu/wtarc/producerinfo/entomology-insect-ecology/Gofers/MTFactSheet.pdf
![Detailed Gopher & Mole Removal Cost Guide ([year] Updated)](https://pestcontrolhacks.com/wp-content/uploads/The-gopher-is-standing-in-the-green-grass.jpg)
![Best Gopher Repellents in [year]: Expert Reviews](https://pestcontrolhacks.com/wp-content/uploads/gopher-eat-grass.jpg)
![Best Gopher Poison in [year]: Expert Reviews](https://pestcontrolhacks.com/wp-content/uploads/poison-peanuts-for-gophers.jpg)
![Best Gopher Traps in [year]: Expert Reviews](https://pestcontrolhacks.com/wp-content/uploads/А-gopher-trap.jpg)
