If you do, you probably have gophers or ground moles. Do you know what to do?

Most household lawns are not large enough to attract gophers or ground moles in concentrated enough numbers to create a serious problem. Still, they can be a nuisance and cause damage to your grassy haven.

Telltale signs of ground moles and gophers…

Evidence of these animals are a little more obvious than most lawn garden pests. They deposit dirt hills on top of your lawn, usually next to holes… plus tunnels criss-cross beneath your lawn. An unsightly mess for sure. If these holes and tunnels cave in, you can have a serious ankle-turner.

If you decide the infestation is serious, you will need to take consistent, and sometimes aggressive, pest control measures. The first step is to find out what you’re dealing with, and then devise a method of control.

What are gophers and ground moles…

Gophers and ground moles are two of the most common animal pests, and are often confused because of their striking similarities. Both animals build tunnels under your lawns, but that does not mean they are the same:

Gophers…

These are the larger of the two, and have buckteeth and small ears. These creatures love to dine on your grass and plant roots. Gophers leave mounds of dirt, but the damage is underground… their tunnels cause sinkholes.

Ground Moles…

These are smaller than gophers, and have pointed snouts and large front claws. They do not feed on your lawn, but on the insects in your lawn. Whatever help they give you with insect control is probably outweighed by their tunnels and mounds of dirt above ground. Plus, their shallow tunnels cause uneven ground… again, sure ankle-twisters.

You have three choices for getting rid of gophers and ground moles…

Organic methods… Check out some “vintage” gardening books about natural remedies to get rid of these pests.

Trap them… Do some research at your local library, animal shelter, and veterinary offices… they might have traps that you can use. Find out if there are trapping specialists in your area.

Kill them… Not many of you will want to do this yourself… in fact, there may even be ordinances in your location prohibiting it. Make some calls to the same people, including pest control companies.

Prevention is always the best medicine, though. Keep on the alert for those tell-tale “holes and hills”. Develop a thorough care and maintenance program for your lawn… and stick to it.

Consistent lawn care maintenance can make pest control practically a non-event! Of course, following an organic lawn care program is the ultimate.

Susan Nelson Hopkins is a reformed gardener and lawn lover. She is resigned to the inescapable fact that we all must conserve water and do our part to protect the environment. But she has learned that this doesn’t preclude lovely, healthy gardens… and lawns. Her tip… less is more! Check out the rest of Susan’s Lawn Gardens. She is also webmaster of Susan’s Bird Gardens and several more gardening sites and blogs.

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