Pocket Gophers
Last updated: Jan-2004
Pocket Gophers are among the most frustrating of all pests in the garden. They feed on the roots of plants killing them. Horseshoe shaped mounds of fresh soil are one sign of their presence in the garden. Gophers do not hibernate, live alone (except when breeding) and have 1-3 liters per year.
What you can do
- Gophers are nongame mammals and may be killed or trapped anytime or in any legal manner.
- Trapping is an effective control method. There are two types of traps: the box trap and the Macabee trap. The box trap is easier to use if one has not used a trap before but requires more excavation. Traps should be set in pairs facing opposite directions
- Poison baits require placement in the gopher’s main tunnel and taking care to be sure that light is eliminated from the run. A probe is useful in placing the bait. Check for fresh mounds each day to determine one’s success.
- Wire baskets may be used to protect individual plants.
- Remove weeds creating a buffer band of bare soil may help.
Less Effective Methods
- Flooding is usually not effective.
- Fumigation doesn’t work because gophers seal off the tunnels.
- Repellents have not been proven to be effective by research
- Gophers become accustomed to frightening devices such as vibrating stakes, ultrasonic devices and wind powered pinwheels and then ignore them.
- Placing chewing gum and laxatives in burrows does not appear to work.
Maintenance
Constant checking for signs of gopher activity is essential to prevent reinvestation.