Pocket Gopher Control

Pocket Gopher Pest Control

Pocket Gophers

Pocket gophers are ground dwelling rodents. They are brownish grey in color and store food in their cheek pockets. These animals build tunnel systems that can destroy yards and gardens. Gophers burrow underground and build elaborate tunnel systems. Their presence is usually discovered when mounds appear in the soil around gardens and lawns. They feed on fruits, vegetables, plants, roots and grubs. Gophers use their cheek pockets to transport large amounts of food back to their burrow. Gophers are generally solitary creatures that defend their burrow systems aggressively. During breeding season, however, males and females may share the nests if their tunnel systems neighbor each other. Gophers damage lawns, forests, farms and gardens. A gopher’s tunnel system can destroy sprinkler systems, utility cables and structural foundations in a matter of weeks.

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Gopher Control & Removal

You’ve spent money, time and energy on landscaping your yard only to have that hard work undermined by a gopher infestation. Mounds of fresh soil are the first indication of a gopher problem. Gophers form fan shaped mounds as they dig tunnels and push loose dirt to the surface. Gophers feed on plants, roots, gardens and vegetation. They can also destroy underground irrigation lines, utility cables and sprinkler systems as well as produce faulty grades costing homeowners money, unnecessary stress and damage. One gopher can create 1-3 mounds daily, especially in optimal digging conditions, such as irrigated flower beds, lawns and gardens. In southern California, Pocket Gophers do not hibernate remaining active and breeding year round. Pocket gophers are a challenging pest to control once a population is established and thriving. Be prepared to take immediate action if you see gopher activity, as damage can occur in a short period of time. It is easier, more affordable and less time consuming to control one or two gophers than to wait until the population gets out of control. A gopher diet consists of trees, roots, bulbs, alfalfa, grass and dandelions. Eliminate these food sources to reduce the attractiveness of your property to gophers.

Immediate Gopher Control

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Why DIY Gopher Removal Doesn't Work

Home owners often report trying several at-home or over-the-counter methods before finally calling us. By this point, home owners are exasperated and defeated in the personal war being fought in their beautifully landscaped yards. We hear stories of home owners shoving sticks of wintergreen gum into gopher holes, using garden hoses in an attempt to drown the gophers, pouring coffee into gopher mounds and even using human urine! All of these failed attempts do nothing more than prolong the treatment, while the gophers continue to dig - sometimes up to 3 mounds a day per gopher.

If you're not having any luck with the gopher bait available at your local hardware store the problem could be with the application methods. For example, the bait may not be in the correct location. Baits available to consumers are often "watered-down" and require multiple feedings to kill each gopher. As gophers feed on these inferior baits, they sense the effects and tend to become "bait shy." The gophers will avoid future feedings and control cannot be reached because one feeding is not enough to provide a lethal dose.

Gopher Control Service

The best method to treat gophers is a combination of exclusion work and removal. Griffin Pest Management recommends beginning a preventative pest maintenance program to prevent gophers from returning. We offer bi-monthly, quarterly and one-time services. For more information about gopher removal, please call us today.

Quick Facts About Pocket Gophers

Habits

Pocket gophers are ground dwelling rodents, commonly found around California. They are brownish grey in color and store food in their cheek pockets. These animals build tunnel systems that can destroy yards and gardens. Gophers damage lawns, forests, farms and gardens. A gopher’s tunnel system can destroy sprinkler systems, utility cables and structural foundations in a matter of weeks.

Habitat

Pocket Gophers burrow in holes they scoop out themselves. These holes create mounds of dirt at their entrances and destroy your yard.

Threats

Gophers not only destroy gardens by creating tunnels and mounds, they also destroy vegetables and plants growing in those gardens by feeding on the roots. Since gophers are rodents, they may also introduce other pest problems in your yard. Gophers can bring fleas, mites and ticks with them.

Prevention

The best method to remove a gopher population is to use exclusion. We recommend beginning a preventative maintenance program to keep them from returning. Griffin Pest Management uses humane methods of trapping and removal. For more information about our ground squirrel removal services, call us today.