What Are Gophers and Why Are They Digging Up Your Yard?
Gophers, a class of rodents, are notorious for their destructive behavior towards subterranean installations. Unlike the social ground squirrels, pocket gophers are solitary creatures that fiercely defend their territory. These pests are named for their fur-lined cheek pouches, which they use to transport food to their nesting chambers.
In Canada, gophers are most active during the spring and summer months, when they are primarily focused on foraging for food and nesting materials. Their clawed front paws make them expert diggers, capable of moving large amounts of soil in a short amount of time. If you wake up to find fan-shaped gopher mounds in your yard, it’s a clear sign of an active gopher burrow system beneath your lawn.
How to Spot Gopher Damage in Your Yard
1. Fresh Dirt Mounds Every Morning
Gophers push soil to the surface as they expand their burrow system, creating crescent-shaped mounds. Unlike molehills, these have a plugged hole off to one side.
2. Dying Plants and Trees
As gophers are burrowing rodents, they feed on plant roots underground. You'll notice healthy plants suddenly wilting as their root systems get eaten.
3. Collapsing Lawn Areas
When gopher tunnels get too extensive, the ground above can cave in, especially after rain. This creates dangerous tripping hazards.
4. Exposed Utility Lines
Gophers often dig around and can end up chewing through cables and irrigation lines underground. This behavior might lead to expensive damage
The Secret Life of Pocket Gophers
These pests have several unique features that make them hard to control:
- Small eyes and ears but very sutb whiskerig for nagviation in dark tunnels
- Can close their lips behind their teeth while digging to keep out dirt
- Thick fur lines the cheek to carry food
- Activity mainly concentrated in the breeding season in early spring to summer
Their complete underground screening system includes the following:
- Main tunnels 6-12 inches below the surface
- Deeper nesting chambers lined with grass
- Food storage rooms packed with roots and vegetation
Professional Gopher control Methods
When pocket gophers live in your yard, you need expert help. Here’s how professionals handle infestations:
1. Trapping
Special gopher traps are placed in active tunnels for humane removal. This works best during their breeding season when they're most active.
2. Flooding
Careful water flushing can force gophers out of their burrow system, though this works best in small areas.
3. Exclusion Barriers
Installing complete underground screening made of wire mesh prevents gophers from entering gardens or under structures.
4. Natural Repellents
Products made from castor oil can help keep gophers away by making the soil less appealing to them. The good news
How to Protect Your Yard from Future Infestations
1. Install Underground Barriers
Bury hardware cloth 2 feet deep around gardens to block gopher tunnels.
2. Choose Gopher-Resistant Plants
Opt for deep-rooted natives that gophers dislike.
3. Maintain a Tidy Yard
Remove weeds and excess vegetation that provide food and nesting materials.
4. Regular Monitoring
Check for new gopher mounds weekly during peak seasons.
When to Call Professional Gopher Control
Contact IPM Pest Solutions if:
- Gophers have been: fresh mounds appear daily
- Plants die mysteriously, despite all home remedies failing.
- If so, you’d need to go in for a complete underground screening installed
Our professionals use humane yet effective techniques to clear your yard of gophers and protect it in the long run.
