How To Find Gopher Tunnels In Your Yard

Gopher Tunnels: A Step-by-Step Guide To Locate Them

Have you seen strange mounds and bitten vegetables in your yard? You may have pocket gophers near home without even noticing it! Luckily, you can see if that’s the problem by taking a closer look at their tunnels.

Pocket gophers are one of the most common rodents in any garden in the U.S. They have powerful forequarters that allow them to dig deep tunnels. To locate and eradicate them with an Apache Junction gopher trapper, you need to find their main burrow so you can trap them next to their active tunnels.

A single gopher can create many mounds daily, so locating the main one can be challenging. We have created this brief guide to make this task easier for you.

Learning The Basics About Gopher Tunnels

Gophers build their mounds in the spring and fall because these are their active seasons. Each gopher builds up to four mounds a day, but this can vary depending on the species. These creatures form a fan-shaped mound on the surface once they excavate the soil. Their mounds have a surface of twelve to eighteen inches wide and four or six inches high.

Gophers use their tunnel systems for feeding. Their tunnels are usually six to twelve inches below ground. Sometimes, gophers emerge from the burrow to eat above-ground vegetables and roots.

To protect their food and nesting storage chambers, they dig deeper and place them as far down as six feet. Gophers’ burrow system can cover 200 to 2,000 square feet, so they can infest your garden effortlessly.

One gopher can create hundreds or more each year, so you should contact a Fountain Hills gopher trapper once you see any of these creatures in your yard. They may be loners, but they work a lot to bring about two tons of soil to the surface each year!

Steps To Find Gopher Tunnels

Follow these steps to find gophers tunnels in your yard and plan the best solution to eradicate them:

First: Search For Mounds

This is the most basic step. Search for mounds of soil in your yard as they often indicate gopher tunnels, and sometimes, the main burrow. Remember that gopher mounds look like a crescent moon or horseshoe when you look at them directly from above.

Second: Check The Hole

See if the hole to the side of the mound is slightly filled with earth (this typically happens with gopher mounds). You may have better luck in the morning, as it is the best time to discover open holes. Gophers plug the holes later in the day.

Third: Search For Fresh Soil

Look for fresh and moist soil if you see numerous mounds in your yard and are confused as to which ones are active. They dig their feeding burrows up to one foot under the ground.

If you cannot find moist or fresh soil, contact a Florence gopher pest control company for better help.

Fourth: Buy a Gopher Probe

Buy a gopher probe or create one with a long pipe or metal rod. If you decide to DIY one, add something sturdy like a small piece of metal on the end to enlarge the tip softly. This will simplify probing the areas surrounding the probe.

Fifth: Use The Probe

With the probe ready to use, dig into the earth six to twelve inches deep. Calculate eight to twelve inches on the opposite side of the hole to dig into the earth more precisely. This technique will help you find the active tunnels and their main burrow.

You will locate the main burrow if the probe suddenly drops about two inches down.

Sixth: Poke Around

Keep poking the area with the problem until you find the main burrow. This process may take a bit of time, so plan your day to ensure you are doing it right.

Once you locate the main burrow, you are ready to find the best tunnels to locate baits or ask for professional help.

Getting Rid Of Gophers Humanely With a Trusted Arizona Gopher Trapper

You don’t need to kill gophers to get rid of them. These creatures can leave your home with less aggressive techniques, such as gopher trapping and poison-free control. At Gopher Guy AZ, we can offer many gopher control services to guarantee a gopher-free environment without killing these small creatures! Contact us to obtain a FREE estimate.

Published by – Gopher Guy AZ