Gophers In The Yard? What Attracts Them & How To Prevent Them From Invading

How To Prevent Gophers From Invading Your Yard

Your garden is a sanctuary, so the presence of even a few gophers is enough to turn it into a nightmare. With their usual damage to plants and unattractive holes, gophers can quickly wreak havoc on your yard.

They may have small ears and eyes, but their robust bodies travel fast enough to work like shovels and move soil. 

Dealing with these creatures is not easy. Mostly, you will need an Arizona Gopher trapper to get rid of them. However, you can prevent them from invading if you take note of the following considerations.

What Attracts Gophers To My Yard Or Outdoors?

These little creatures make their habitat in underground tunnels. They love to eat the roots of many vegetables, including radishes and potatoes. They also like to feed on insects too.

These are some of the things that may be attracting gophers to your property:

• Food sources: As we mentioned before, gophers are herbivorous, so they only eat vegetation. They eat roots and tubers of plants, but sometimes they like to graze the lawn for grass and other snacks. Remember that they can eat insects too, but not that often.
• Soil: Gophers love to dig around, so they prefer to live in places with sandy, loose soil to move easily. 
• Shelter: Gophers are not predators, they are indeed prey for many animals. Therefore, they need a lot of protection to stay safe. That’s why they build tunnels along fence lines and under bushes. 

Gophers reproduce very fast. A female gopher can have up to three litters per year, and each litter can have five to six pups. With that in mind, contact an Apache Junction gopher pest control company once you see a few ones so you can avoid an infestation.

How Can I Get Rid Of Gophers In My Yard?

Most homeowners prefer non-lethal tactics to get rid of gophers from their farms or garden. These are some of the best ways to do that before contacting experts: 

• Caper spurge – Growing caper spurge (‘Euphorbia Lathyris’) is an easy way to get rid of gophers without killing them. This is a natural gopher repellent that won’t hurt them. Grow this plant in your fields, yard, and other potential gopher-infested areas. If possible, grow other plants that potentiate the repellent effect, like rosemary, marigold, oleander, and lavender. 
• Pet waste – Not the most pleasant method, but dogs and cats waste are another natural gopher repellent. These pets are gophers predators, so putting their waste into the gophers’ tunnels will scare them away. It works because gophers think your cats or dogs will attack them soon. It’s indeed one of the most effective ways to repel gophers.  
• Textile softener sheets – Gophers hate the smell of fabric softener sheets, so take a few sheets and place them into their holes or tunnels. The sheets will make them run away from your garden while you contact Arizona gopher removal services.  
• Vibrating garden stakes – You can try these stakes to get rid of gophers fast. To install them, dig a deep hole and plan them tightly. Vibrating stakes are solar-charged equipment, and you can buy them online. 
• Castor Oil – This is a usual way to scare gophers away. Soak a few cotton balls into the castor oil and throw them inside gophers’ tunnels. Feel free to use castor oil capsules or water-diluted spray.  
• Peppermint Oil – This is another oil you can use as a gopher deterrent. Simply pour 15 to 20 drops of peppermint oil into a vase and wet some cotton balls. Put the cotton balls inside the gophers’ tunnels, and that’s it. Gophers dislike the smell of peppermint oil, so they should run away once they smell it. 

How Can I Prevent Gophers From Invading My Yard?

Try these techniques to prevent the entrance of gophers into your garden or yard: 

• Plant a water or rock garden. Gophers dig only in loose soil, so a rock garden can be excellent.
• Build a fence with wire mesh. Buy a wire mesh a build a fence 10-12 inches deep and a few inches tall as a preventive method for gophers. 

Always Trust An Arizona Gopher Trapper

Whether you decide to plant caper spurge or use peppermint oil, the best to get rid of gophers is to contact a professional trapper. With Gopher Guy AZ you can have peace of mind because we safely remove gophers without using killing methods. We also remove moles and voles. Schedule a free estimate with us to learn more. 

Published by – Gopher Guy AZ