How to Stop Gophers From Tearing Up Your Riverside Lawn

If you live in Riverside, California, you may notice how quickly gophers can damage a lawn. Many homeowners eventually look for professional gopher control in Riverside, CA, when the problem spreads across their yard. One week, your grass looks green and smooth. The next week, you see mounds of dirt across the lawn. These burrowing rodents are common in many parts of Southern California, including areas around Riverside with open land and hillsides.

Gophers burrow underground and eat the roots of plants. A single pocket gopher can build long tunnel systems under your yard. As they dig, they push soil to the surface, leaving behind gopher mounds. Over time, this gopher damage can kill grass, destroy flower beds, and even harm irrigation systems.

Whether you own a home, rent, or manage a commercial property, it is important to act fast. Use the steps below to stop gophers and protect your Riverside lawn.

Key Takeaways

• Gophers are common burrowing rodents in Riverside that damage lawns, flower beds, and raised beds. Fresh mounds of dirt, soft soil, and dying plants are signs of gophers at work.
• DIY methods like flooding tunnels with a garden hose or using smoke bombs rarely solve serious infestations. Proper trap placement and professional pest control offer more reliable results.
• Preventing new gopher damage requires monitoring, reducing food sources like grubs, and using barriers such as hardware cloth.

How to Stop Gophers From Tearing Up Your Lawn

Stopping gophers usually takes more than one method. Many properties in Southern California deal with recurring gopher activity, so having a clear plan helps protect your lawn.

Step 1: Find the Main Tunnel

Before you try to get rid of gophers, you first need to locate the main tunnel. Gopher mounds usually look like small piles shaped like a fan or crescent. The gopher hole is often plugged and sits off to one side of the mound.

You can carefully probe the soil near fresh mounds to locate the main tunnel, but many homeowners choose to hire a professional to avoid damaging irrigation lines or utilities. When the probe suddenly drops, you have found the main tunnel. Setting traps in active tunnels gives you better results.

Step 2: Use Gopher Traps the Right Way

Gopher traps are one of the most reliable ways to control gophers. Place the traps inside the main tunnel, not just in the open gopher hole.

You can use live traps where local laws allow them, but you must check them regularly and follow local wildlife regulations. Standard gopher traps are also common and work well when you place them correctly in the tunnel. Proper placement inside the tunnel systems is key. If traps are not in active tunnels, they will not catch the pocket gopher.

Step 3: Be Careful With DIY Methods

Many DIY tricks do not work well. Some people try running a garden hose into a gopher hole to flood the tunnels. Most tunnel systems are too long and deep for this to work.

Smoke bombs are another popular DIY method. While smoke bombs may push gophers deeper into the ground, they rarely solve the full gopher problem. In most cases, these methods only give short-term relief.

Step 4: Call for Professional Gopher Control

If you keep seeing new mounds, it may be time to call in professional gopher control. Gophers reproduce quickly, and small issues can turn into larger infestations.

We provide professional gopher control services throughout Southern California. Our team treats active tunnels and addresses problem areas to reduce ongoing gopher damage. Professional pest control helps protect lawns, raised beds, and commercial landscapes from ongoing problems.

How to Tell If Gophers Are Active

Not all critters that dig in your yard are gophers. Proper gopher identification helps you tell the difference, since voles create surface runways instead of large soil piles. Knowing these signs of gophers in your yard helps you spot gopher activity early.

Fresh Mounds of Dirt

Fresh mounds of dirt are the clearest sign of active gophers. These gopher mounds appear quickly, often overnight.

If you clear a mound and see new mounds within a few days, you likely have active tunnels under your lawn.

Soft or Sinking Ground

When gophers burrow, they leave hollow spaces underground. You may notice soft spots while mowing the lawn.

These soft spots can damage lawncare equipment and make walking uneven. Over time, the soil may collapse into the tunnel systems.

Damaged Plants and Grass

Gophers feed on the roots of plants. Grass may turn brown in patches. Individual plants may wilt and die without warning.

Flower beds and raised beds are common targets. Gopher damage can spread fast if the food source remains available.

Plugged Gopher Holes

A plugged gopher hole near fresh mounds usually means the pocket gopher is still active. Checking these areas helps you locate active tunnels for traps or treatment.

The Fixes That Work Best for Lawns

Some control methods work better than others. The right method depends on the size of the gopher problem.

Gopher Traps and Live Traps

Properly placed gopher traps remain one of the most effective tools. Live traps are an option if relocation is allowed, but they require close monitoring.

For larger infestations, professional pest control can place traps in key areas to improve results.

Gopher Repellents and Castor Oil

Some homeowners try gopher repellents made with castor oil. These products act as a repellent by making the soil taste unpleasant.

Gopher repellents may help with minor gopher activity. However, they often need repeat applications and may not stop established infestations.

Smoke Bombs

Some homeowners use smoke bombs to try to force gophers out. In reality, the smoke rarely reaches the full tunnel systems.

They may reduce visible gopher activity for a short time, but they do not eliminate pocket gophers or stop future digging.

Physical Barriers With Wire Mesh or Hardware Cloth

Installing wire mesh or hardware cloth under the soil can prevent gophers from reaching plant roots.

Wire mesh or hardware cloth works well for raised beds and certain flower beds. Barriers are easier to install during new landscaping projects.

How to Prevent New Gopher Damage

After you get rid of gophers, prevention is important.

Reduce the Food Source

Gophers are attracted to healthy lawns full of roots and grubs. Managing grubs as part of your lawn care plan reduces their food source.

Healthy soil is important, but too many grubs can attract burrowing rodents.

Use Repellent Plants

Some people plant daffodils and other repellent plants around the yard. These plants may discourage gophers in small areas.

Repellent plants alone will not solve a large gopher problem, but they can support other control methods.

Protect Garden Areas

Use hardware cloth under raised beds to protect vegetables and flowers. Hardware cloth keeps gophers from reaching individual plants from below.

Adding barriers early can prevent future gopher infestations.

Watch for New Activity

Check your lawn weekly for fresh mounds or new mounds. Early detection makes gopher removal easier.

Quick action helps prevent serious gopher damage to lawns and irrigation systems.

Schedule Gopher Control in Riverside

At Corky’s Pest Control, we provide professional gopher control services for properties throughout Southern California. Our technicians treat active tunnels and problem areas to reduce gopher activity that damages lawns, raised beds, and irrigation systems.

Our team can inspect your property and recommend a gopher control approach based on the activity we find. 

Contact us today to schedule gopher control in Riverside and protect your lawn from further damage.

FAQs

What attracts gophers to my yard?

Gophers are attracted to a steady food source, including plant roots and grubs. Well-watered lawns make it easier for gophers to burrow.

Do gopher repellents work?

Gopher repellents made with castor oil may reduce minor gopher activity, but they usually do not stop large infestations.

Are gophers and voles the same?

No. Pocket gophers create larger mounds of dirt and deeper tunnel systems. Voles make shallow surface paths instead of large soil piles.