The scarecrow may deter the roosting blackbirds and crows, but it won’t stop gophers from eating your carrot crop. Gophers will dig a network of tunnels under the grass to get at your garden’s crops.
You can use various methods to drive gophers away as well as getting rid of squirrels, including underground fencing and trapping. This article will help you successfully eliminate gophers from your yard.
Signs of a Gopher attack
You may have gophers in your yard, even if you have not seen them. Here are some signs:
Bare patches
Gophers enjoy eating newly bloomed plants like clover, ragweed, dandelion, and similar species.
Dirt mounds
When gophers dig a hole, they often leave a mound of soil nearby.
Damaged crops
Gophers scavenge gardens for various edibles, including pumpkins, carrots, peas, and sweet potatoes.
Freshly filled holes
Gophers fill up abandoned tunnels with soil.
A yard full of gopher holes
If you locate gopher-sized holes in the yard, there may be gophers there. Since gophers typically tunnel alone, only one gopher is probably living in each burrow.
Methods for getting rid of gophers
- Ultrasonic repellents
Ultrasonic repellents use the irritating effects of high-frequency sound to drive animals away. While this gopher management technique effectively drives out the rodents, the problem is that the gophers may move to another property area. That’s why using ultrasonic repellents with humane traps and other techniques is ideal.
- Natural repellants
In addition to traps, you can use natural repellants to rid your yard of gophers. People often think that using a repellent is one of the least invasive ways to get rid of gophers.
That’s because there’s no danger or stress involved for the animal. You’re making your yard less enticing to them. You can use items lying around in the house to keep gophers away.
You can keep gophers away from your yard with common household items like fabric softener sheets and peppermint oil. You should begin putting your selected repellent into the gopher holes in the corner of your yard closest to your house.
Repeat this process by putting the repellent into new gopher holes every few days. This will protect the farthest parts of your yard. The expectation is that they will have already left by then. Once they are gone, you should fill in their tunnels as you did after trapping.
- Applying castor oil
Spreading castor oil near gopher nesting and feeding areas will keep them away. If gophers ingest this chemical, they will experience gastrointestinal distress and leave the site quickly.
If you use one, find a commercial repellent with castor oil as its primary constituent. The product’s lack of toxicity makes it ideal for use in eliminating rodents without endangering the health of any wildlife or local pets.
If you don’t want castor oil, try other fragrant spices like peppermint, chili sauce, or plain old pepper. These chemicals can also irritate gophers, which could lead to them leaving their tunnels.
- Place strong smells around your yard
A strong odor can repel gophers. If you have a gopher problem, essential oils and other highly fragrant substances you already have in your kitchen can be very effective.
Gophers have a strong dislike for the following scents:
- Essential oils like castor oil, rosemary, and peppermint oil
- Used coffee grounds
- Tabasco sauce
- Vinegar
Don’t throw the food or oils down gopher holes; leave them along the garden’s perimeter. Use catch-and-release traps in the yard, but the fragrance alone may be enough to repel them.
- Barrier fencing
Putting up a barrier fence is an excellent strategy for preventing rodent infestations. A fence system requires much work but can keep gophers out of your yard.
It will make it harder for them to move about in your landscape. For a fence to succeed, you must dig deep holes to reach at least one foot above and two feet beneath the ground.
In this case, galvanized materials are the ideal choice. As a result, your fence could rust or rot quickly. The entire yard is open for fencing. If you don’t want to put in the time and effort necessary to grow your own food, you can protect your garden and other valuable plants by fencing them in.
- Place humane traps in your garden or yard
You can use humane traps in conjunction with ultrasonic and castor oil repellents. They will help to swiftly eradicate your gopher problem without causing any harm to the animals involved. Put traps near food sources and burrows and bait them with delicious vegetables.
If a gopher eats the bait, it won’t be able to get away, and you can move it without worrying about it. In order to prevent the death of any captured gophers due to starvation, you should check the traps daily.
What brings gophers to your yard?
If you have gophers in your yard, it’s probably because you’re giving them shelter, water, or food. The simplicity of digging up the soil in your yard and the abundance of fresh vegetables in your garden might entice them to visit. Also, the availability of hiding spots from larger animals such as snakes and weasels
These rodents are herbivores, which means they like various veggies common in the garden. Gophers like the plant’s tubers and roots, so though they will eat the top sections of flowers and plants, they prefer picking them apart at the base.
How deep do gophers dig?
In a single day, a single gopher might construct many mounds. Although gophers tend to do most of their digging in the spring and fall when the ground is thawed out, they never really stop.
Gophers will continue to tunnel and dig even when snow covers the ground. Each burrow is roughly two and a half to three and a half inches broad. This gives the overall burrow system a possible total area of 200 to 2000 sq. ft.
The typical depth of a feeding burrow is between 6 and 12 inches below ground. Both the storage and nest areas can be as much as 6 feet underground. Gophers can pull entire plants into their burrows by grasping the plant’s underground roots.
What time of year are gophers most active?
Gophers are rarely observed above ground because of their habit of burrowing underground. They are nocturnal burrowers that appear at any time of day.
Nonetheless, gophers are most active in the spring, when they might create many mounds daily. Also, they appear to be most active after dark.
What time of day do gophers come out?
Even though you might not see any new mounds during the winter, gophers are active all year and do not hibernate. Furthermore, they can act at any time of day or night.
Does Pine Sol deter gophers?
Like most other cleaners, Pine-Sol has qualities that could prevent gophers and other pests. But it is not effective as a pest control technique on its own.
Stop gophers before they invade your garden
It’s important to take additional steps after getting rid of gophers from your yard. Be sure to repair any gopher tunnels immediately. This will eliminate a potential safety risk in your yard. They will also serve as an early warning system for the return of gophers.
You may make your yard less inviting to gophers by taking these measures. Try growing gopher-repellent plants like strawberries, oleanders, lavender, and rosemary.
An ultrasonic emitter, available at any hardware store, is another option for naturally deterring plants. These tiny gadgets produce a sound that rodents can’t stand but humans can’t hear.