If you have gophers taking up residence in your vegetable garden or an outdoor flower patch, unsightly holes and dirt mounds are sure to be present due to their natural burrowing behavior. Since gophers cause damage to lawns and vegetation, removing them from your property is a must if you want to keep it looking its best and providing you with foliage. Here are effective methods of gopher removal.
Try Deterrents To Get Gophers To Move To New Areas
Deterrents work by annoying gophers to the point they do not want to be in areas where they are present. They usually work at getting gophers to move their burrowing areas, but it may be in another area of your lawn. Because of this, it is best to use deterrents along with other methods of gopher removal for optimal results. Gopher deterrents on the market come in the form of sprays or pellets. Spray plant leaves and set pellets in the burrow holes where gophers are known to congregate.
Give Some Home Remedy Options A Try
If you are unable to get to the store to purchase a gopher deterrent, you likely have something in your home that works equally as well. Gophers tend to stay away from areas where the scent of peppermint is prominent. Consider adding peppermint plants to your garden for this reason. Another option is to apply a few drops of peppermint essential oil to cotton balls and place them near gopher dirt mounds. Gophers also stay away from the scent of hot peppers. Chop a few peppers into small pieces and place them in a spray bottle along with some water. Shake the bottle well and spray plants and the ground to minimize your gopher population.
Trap Gophers To Relocate Them To New Locations
Gophers are trappable rodents if you use the right tools to do the job. Purchase a gopher trap from a wildlife supply store. Always wear gloves when handling this piece of equipment as gophers shy away from the scent left behind on items placed in their burrowing areas. Use a shovel to remove the top layer of dirt from a burrow. To do this, locate a mound of dirt and the plugged up hole next to it. Gophers plug holes when they are not being used. Set the trap into the void and replace dirt over the top of the unit. If a gopher walks into a trap, the door slides shut, leaving the gopher contained inside. Check traps daily by digging the dirt from the top to expose the units. If you trap a gopher, bring it to a public field or animal sanctuary. Most people rely on wildlife trapping services to tend to this type of job.
If you need residential wildlife removal in your area, contact a pest control service.
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