Problems with gophers & moles
 Pocket gophers are burrowing rodents so named because they have fur-lined pouches on each side of the mouth used to carry food. They have small ears, small eyes and large incisor teeth that are always outside the lips. Gophers eat a variety of plants. They may go to the surface to feed on above-ground vegetation, they feed on roots they encounter when digging and they pull vegetation in their tunnel from below. Gophers can also chew on underground irrigation pipe and utility cables. Signs of gopher presence are fan-shaped mounds of excavated earth with plugged entrances. Gophers are an important food source for many wild animals including owls, hawks, foxes, badgers, coyotes, weasels and snake. |
Moles are insectivores with large, paddle-like front feet and pointed snouts. They have tiny eyes and no external ears. They are not rodents. Moles spend all of their time underground and rarely appear on the surface. They prefer moist, loose soils where they can easily find grubs and earthworms that are their main source of food. Moles do not eat plants, but sometimes burrow through plant roots unintentionally. A typical sign of mole presence is a ridge of raised soil that can run for many feet. They also make mounds (molehills) of soil. Moles are very beneficial-aerating the soil and eating insects harmful to gardens-and cause little damage to plantings. |
Eating plants/tunneling
Protect individual plants or planting beds from either of these animal’s burrowing by burying 1/2-inch wire mesh fence around plants or beds (2’ deep for gophers or 1’ deep for moles) or wrapping individual plant’s root systems in a small-mesh wire basket when you plant. A short (2’ tall) fence of small-mesh wire will keep gophers from causing overland damage. Some plants are poisonous or distasteful to gophers and will repel them; try daffodils, oleander or gopher plant (Euphorbia lathyris). Castor bean plant (Ricinus communis) and gopher plant are reported to repel moles. Mole-Med® is a castor bean extract that may repel moles when sprayed on lawns. |
Protecting plant roots
Pour used clay cat litter down the gopher or mole holes (remove feces first to protect other wildlife and the environment)—gophers and moles are fastidious and clay cat litter is hard to dig through. To minimize mole activity in summer, let the ground go dry. The grubs and worms will either not survive or will go deeper into the soil and it will be more difficult for the mole to dig.To minimize gopher activity in a lawn, keep lawn constantly moist, creating a soil structure that makes maintenance of burrows difficult. In a lawn, lay wire mesh over the entire lawn (and let the grass grow through it) so the gophers can’t surface there. |
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