(Newswire.net — March 26, 2013) Minneapolis, MN — If your yard or garden is overrun with gophers, now is the best time of the year to devote some time to getting rid of those uninvited underground guests.
Ian Paxton, editor for the website GopherGuide.com, explained that many people mistake the American pocket gopher with ground moles, but that they are actually quite different. While the two species both live underground, you can tell by their tunneling habits which type you have.
Gopher tunnels will not be visible from above ground, but they leave mounds of dirt above ground just outside the entrance to their tunnel. Moles, on the other hand, build tunnels which are just beneath the surface, and they often leave just a slight raised ridge in your yard, but no dirt piles above ground.
Paxton suggested that spring is the best time to get rid of yard gophers, “Pocket gophers mate in the spring and early summer and they usually have litters between three and seven young. If you can remove an adult from your yard before they mate, you will have fewer to deal with later.”
Pocket gophers don’t have a long life span. They often live for just a couple of years. Most of the activity you will notice in your yard is from adults who are either one or two years old.
“It’s hard to trap a live gopher and move him somewhere else, says Paxton, “Plus live trapping might actually be illegal where you live. Most homeowners find that the most effective way to eliminate gophers is by using old-fashioned traps or poison pellets. Due to their short lifespans, if you are diligent in your efforts, you should be able to rid your yard of gophers in two years.”
“Gophers and moles actually have a role in nature,” continued Paxton, “Their constant tunneling is actually good for the soil and their vacated tunnels provide living spaces for other small mammals. It’s actually best if you can stop fighting them and learn to live with them. But for most people, that isn’t always possible.”
The GopherGuide.com website has some suggestions for getting rid of gophers and moles.
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