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Gopher Pest Control in San Diego, CA
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800-901-1102Gopher Control Services
Every property is different. Therefore, Corky’s treatment program focuses on areas unique to your property, where gophers are damaging your landscaping. This effective pest control service program starts with an initial service to exterminate gophers. Corky’s Pest Control will also schedule follow-up maintenance services necessary to control future invasions.
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Introduction to Gopher Behavior and Impact
Gophers are interesting rodents that tend to spend almost all their time underground, which makes them difficult to detect. Because of their size and penchant for destruction, it’s important to request gopher control in San Diego immediately after you notice signs of their presence. Also known as pocket gophers, these rodents dig tunnels below yards and garden beds in search of food. When they find what they’re looking for, they’ll come up and create another hole in your yard that must be filled.
These little critters will also damage your plants by eating their roots. If you notice that your plants are dying even though you water them, gophers may be the cause. When searching for gopher mounds around your yard, look for semi-circles of loose dirt. There’s a good chance that part of the hole will have been plugged by the gopher in an attempt to conceal it.
Like squirrels, pocket gophers have fur-lined cheek pockets that they use to carry food. Their large-clawed paws are perfect for digging and tunneling in yards. They can move through these tunnels even when there isn’t much light around because of how sensitive their whiskers are. Gophers use their tails to sense when a person or animal moves nearby, which is why they’re able to run quickly into their holes when you get close to them. These creatures use their large teeth to move through rocks, soil, and roots with ease.
The burrow systems that are made by pocket gophers can extend along an area that ranges from 200-2,000 square feet. While feeding burrows are kept around six to 12 inches below the ground, the food and nest chambers can be up to six feet below. Openings throughout this system are sealed with loose earth. Keep in mind that gophers are active throughout the year, which makes them particularly troublesome. Once they get into your yard, they won’t leave until they run out of good sources for food.
While squirrels are often tolerated, gophers pose a much larger problem. Because these rodents create tunnels in search of food, they’ll likely cause considerable damage whenever they surface in your yard. Gophers feed on vines, trees, ornamental plants, shrubs, and most garden crops. It’s possible for a single gopher to drag whole plants into tunnels and damage an entire garden.
What’s more, gophers can damage crucial components of your home’s plumbing system that have been installed underground. They won’t hesitate to gnaw into irrigation systems and plastic water lines. If these lines are punctured, the irrigation water will flow through the tunnels and likely cause soil erosion.
Once a gopher makes mounds in your lawn, you’ll need to maneuver around them while mowing. Gophers are a hassle that’s best left to the professionals. Schedule our safe and environmentally friendly gopher pest control services if you find them on your property.
HOW CORKY’S GOPHER CONTROL SERVICE WORKS
Every property is different. Therefore, this treatment program focuses on areas unique to your property, where gophers are damaging your landscaping. This effective service program starts with an initial service to exterminate gophers. Then follow-up maintenance services are necessary to control future invasions.
Treatment
- Since each service treatment is unique to your property that means so is the equipment and process used in the treatment. There are trapping, baiting, and repellents for future prevention. Your service specialist is trained to identify the entry and exit of the gopher tunnel system.
- Once the treatment is performed, a topical repellent is applied. The topical treatment product is a natural granular repellent that uses strong smell and bad taste to deter gophers from making further parts of your yard their home.
Maintenance
- Gophers can and will migrate from surrounding properties and new damage can occur in as little as one day. If your property is bordered by infested areas, then you can expect gophers to invade regularly. This is why a scheduled maintenance program is so important. Every inspection we go for, we check for gopher activity. If we find new holes, we treat the newly infested areas. We always conclude our maintenance visit by reapplying topical repellent to further deter gopher activity.
Recommendations
- Your technician may make recommendations as to measures that will promote successful control of these pests on your property. Recommendations to get rid of gophers may include; decreasing watering schedules, mowing tall grasses, thinning dense foliage, and replacing damaged plantings with those that gophers find inedible.
- Help us help you control gophers. Things you can do to help prevent gophers.
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Comprehensive Gopher Inspection
If you request gopher removal in San Diego, our team at Corky’s will first perform a comprehensive inspection to look for any signs of an infestation. With the many years of experience that the members of our team have, we know how to determine if gophers are living on your property. For example, we’ll look for gopher mounds, which can be kidney-shaped or fan-shaped. Mounds can be up to 12 inches tall, which makes them easier to detect.
Before implementing any treatments, we use the Gopher X machine to verify the presence of tunnels and mounds. This machine is designed to push carbon monoxide and heated smoke through a gopher mound and into the surrounding tunnel system.
The smoke is non-toxic and uses a vegetable mineral oil blend that allows us to see where the gas travels. We can use this machine to locate any other gopher mounds around your yard. Even if the smoke comes into contact with the root systems of your plants and trees, it won’t harm them. Once we effectively map the tunnel system during the inspection, we’ll be able to compact the dirt and close off the tunnel.
Customized Gopher Control Strategies
Our gopher pest control services are customizable to suit your needs. Every treatment we administer is unique to the property that we’re working on. Depending on unique factors to your yard, we can use baits, traps, and repellents to remove the gophers and make sure they don’t return. Regardless of the treatment we provide, we aim to control gophers humanely.
We’ll get rid of their food sources, spread repellent granules around the lawn, and spray liquid repellents. We can create barriers that make it more difficult for gophers to dig tunnels. Our topical repellent product combines an awful taste with a smell that gophers instinctively move away from.
Gopher removal isn’t meant to be a one-time thing. While tunnel systems can be plugged and stamped down after the gopher is removed, other gophers can still make their way to your property. Gophers may also infest areas around your property, which can give them new entry points into your yard. You can avoid this problem with our scheduled maintenance program.
Why Choose Corky’s Gopher Removal Services
The best aspect of our service is that it’s customizable and thorough. Once we plug the gopher mounds and spray repellents, you’ll be able to mow, spend time outside, and tend to your garden without fear of how much damage these pests will cause. Our goal is to improve your quality of life by making sure your property is gopher-free. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
Gopher control FAQs
What Draws Gophers to Your Yard?
Gophers are herbivores that are most attracted to vegetation and grass, which is why they’re commonly found in yards and golf courses. When they get into your yard, they can cause a considerable amount of damage. These highly destructive pests may find your yard appealing because of:
- Tree roots
- Grassroots
- Tubers
- Bulbs
- Vegetable roots
What Damage Can Gophers Cause to Lawns and Gardens?
If you don’t take steps to remove gophers from your property immediately, they can cause extensive damage to your entire yard. These pests build tunnel systems that can not only expose the roots of trees and plants, but they can also damage the roots, leading to decreased stability, nutrient update issues, and increased susceptibility to disease and environmental stress.
When they decide to come up for some fresh air, they’ll breach the surface of your yard, which creates unsightly holes. The grass surrounding the yard will likely die off as well. If your property consists of any underground cables, gophers can damage them. Request our San Diego gopher control services to resolve this issue and mitigate the damage.
Will Gophers Eventually Leave Your Yard?
Gophers can decide to leave your yard at any time. However, gophers usually only leave after they’ve already created numerous holes and fed on plant and tree roots. Your best option is to seek gopher removal for your San Diego home.
What Are the Risks Associated with Gopher Infestations if Left Untreated?
Keeping gopher infestations in your yard can have serious consequences. For example, gophers can bite if they feel threatened. They’ll also cause visible damage to your yard in the form of gopher holes and mounds. The many risks associated with gopher infestations include the following:
- Tree damage
- Tunneling around your lawn
- Vegetation damage
- Structural damage to your property’s features
- Safety hazards
- Underground cable and utility hazards
- Drainage and erosion issues
- Parasites like fleas, lice, and ticks
Can Gophers Attract Other Pests or Predators to My Property?
One of the main problems with having gophers in your yard is that they can attract other predators and pests to your property. Gophers can carry ticks, fleas, and lice. However, they also attract predators like owls and snakes, the latter of which can be highly dangerous if you have pets or young children.
What Is the Best Way to Get Rid of Gophers?
There are numerous methods that are effective at getting rid of gophers and keeping them away from your property for good. For example, our pest control team at Corky’s can install gopher mesh barriers for you. These barriers are partially placed underground and above ground. They can keep gophers from tunneling and breaching your lawn. Some of the other solutions that you might want to look into include the following:
- Gopher baskets
- Loud noises via wind chimes and radios
- Unpleasant smells like castor oil, dryer sheets, coffee grounds, fish, and Tabasco sauce
- Various gopher traps
Consider scheduling our gopher pest control services. We’ll locate the gophers on your property, remove them, and ensure they don’t return.
Who Should I Call for Gopher Removal Services?
You should call a professional pest control service that specializes in gopher removal. Look for a company with experience, positive customer reviews, and a comprehensive approach to not only removing the gophers but also prevent their return. Our team at Corky’s Pest Control offers expert gopher control services in the San Diego area, and we’ll ensure your property remains gopher-free.
How Much Does Gopher Removal Cost?
The cost of removing gophers from your home depends on the size of your property and the number of gophers that need to be located and taken away. You can pay anywhere from $25-$150 to have a single gopher removed. When using traps to capture a gopher, the costs might range from $250-$500.
How Does Professional Gopher Removal in San Diego Differ from DIY Methods?
If you schedule our San Diego gopher control services, we’ll first evaluate the extent of the damage and determine which type of gopher is on your property. Our team at Corky’s Pest Control will then select the most effective removal method. While you can do this task yourself, hiring a professional team will save you time and money.
What Can Be Done to Prevent Future Gopher Invasions?
You can prevent future gopher infestations by placing scent markers around your garden or property. Gophers are actively repelled by odors they don’t like, which include castor oil and coffee grounds. Some other methods that might help you include the following:
- Maintain a healthy lawn: Regular lawn maintenance can make your yard less attractive to gophers.
- Install physical barriers: Placing underground barriers in the tunnels that are made of wire mesh or hardwire cloth will deter gophers from digging.
- Remove food sources: Minimize access to food by keeping your yard free from fallen fruits, nuts, and other edible debris
- Plant gopher-resistant plants: Consider planting varieties that gophers avoid, such as daffodils, marigold, or other plants with strong scents or toxic properties
- Professional pest control services: Schedule regular inspections and treatments with a professional rodent control company to detect and prevent gopher activity