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Gopher Pest Control: Here's How To Keep Them From Overrunning Your Yard

Posted on May 4, 2022

That pleasant time of the year is finally here. With clear skies, chirping birds and lovely spring breezes, you are all set to enjoy your garden with friends and family. However, if you notice small mounds in your yard, damaged pipes or cut and frayed cables, it's a cause for concern. Your garden or yard might be infested with gophers. So how do you handle these gophers and what are the best gopher pest control methods?

Gophers can destroy your plants, landscape and property, which can be expensive and stressful. Fortunately, there are simple and efficient ways to get rid of gophers. This blog will discuss the best gopher pest control tips and methods to keep these pests from ruining your yard.

How To Identify Gophers?

Gophers are small furry herbivore rodents with four incisor teeth. They are primarily found in the Western Hemisphere, stretching from Alberta to Central America. Due to their pocket-like cheeks, they are also sometimes called pocket gophers and can be easily confused with hamsters or moles. Their size usually varies based on the species; however, gophers can be between five and 14 inches long.

They love eating vegetables, especially potatoes and carrots. Unfortunately, pocket gophers also like ravishing plant roots, which can destroy your hydrangeas, trees, and garden.

These furry mammals mostly live underground, travelling via burrows and a network of tunnels. They leave behind crescent-shaped mounds at their entry and exit points in the ground. On the one hand, these mounds can enrich the soil by adding organic matter and increasing airflow. On the other hand, excessive burrowing might quickly remove tons of rich earth from your yard.

So, once you identify that the pest you're dealing with is a gopher, it's time to take action.

What Is the Best Way To Get Rid Of Gophers?

Once you have zeroed in on the problem, choosing the right treatment method is important. Depending on the severity of your gopher infestation, you can go for lethal or humane pest control options.

Lethal Options

The first method uses kill traps designed to catch and eradicate the pocket gophers. It is an effective and faster solution but requires the disposal of a dead animal. You can choose from the various types of kill traps available in the market.

The second option is using a baiting. A substance resembling a tasty gopher treat is used to lure the animal and kill it. Grains laced with lethal chemicals like diphacinone, zinc phosphide, or strychnine can work as the bait. Certain liquid poisons can be mixed with food and placed inside the trap or gopher tunnels. Pellets or tiny balls of poison are also used to kill gophers by positioning them inside the burrows.

The third option is gassing the gophers by releasing lethal gas inside their tunnels. Some people also use water to get rid of gophers by flooding their tunnels and flushing them out.

Please note that all these methods require cautious application as the poisonous substances used in treatment can be hazardous to your children and pets.

Humane Pest Control Options

A more humane pest control method uses live animal traps, which confine the gopher instead of killing it. Place the traps at tunnel entrances with bait like carrots, peanut butter mixed with molasses spread on whole wheat bread, or lettuce. If the animal is caught, it should be released to an appropriate location like woods. However, if the trap does not succeed, you should keep changing its location to cover more ground.

Creating a gopher mesh barrier is another way to keep them from overrunning your yard. Make a perimeter or in-ground fence around your lawn using chicken wire or galvanized gopher wire. The barrier should reach one to two feet into the ground and above it. Gophers might dig up to the barrier, allowing you to catch them.

If creating a perimeter is too much work, you can use gopher baskets. You can place these wire mesh baskets in specific areas you want to protect. For instance, you can put them near individual plants, areas you regularly dig up for gardening or near the vegetable garden.

Certain natural gopher pest control methods include using repellents like peppermint oil and plants like lavender, marigold, catmint, and oleander to drive them away.

Another method is scaring them away using ultrasonic devices that create unpleasant sounds.

How Do Professionals Get Rid Of Gophers?

Trapping the animal and relocating or disposing of its body can be a hassle for homeowners. Hence, it is advisable to hire professionals at some point. A good pest control company brings certified technicians who inspect your property, assess the damage and suggest a customized action plan. Depending on your situation, their methods can include trapping and killing, trapping and disposing of a recurring pest control problem.

When To Seek Professional Pest Control Services

If these methods for controlling the spiders around and on your property do not work, it may be time to seek professional pest control services. If your spider population is too aggressive to handle alone, a pest control company can help you deal with your spiders so you can enjoy your home again.

Want to handle your gopher problem professionally? Reach out to Martin's Pest Control – a certified pest control company providing high-quality services in Calgary and Airdrie. Call us today to get a quote.