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.
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FAQ
Now, let’s answer a few popular questions.
Can exterminators get rid of moles?
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!
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