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Signs You Need Gopher Control: How to Spot Early Signs of an Infestation

Gophers can do a lot of harm to your garden, yard or crops. These fossorial animals dig holes in the ground and make mounds, which create poor soil structure and eradicate plant roots. When identifying this problem, you should recognise early signs of gopher infestation to avoid worsening the situation. 

This is where gopher control comes into play—first, finding from whence the problem started and then doing something about it is imperative. Read on to learn about the signs showing you need gopher control and how to ensure it before the intrusion occurs.

Mounds of Dirt in Your Yard

The easiest way to know if gophers are invading your yard or garden is by seeing these half-moon-shaped soil hills spread everywhere. This is what Gophers build when they spill dirt on top of the ground as they lay tunnels beneath the ground. Such mounds are generally found in groups, and provided they have not been levelled, they are quite noticeable. 

If you see these mounds start to appear, you can be certain that there are gophers within your compound. It is easy to control gophers before they create these tunnels, further harming your landscaping.

Damaged or Dying Plants

Gophers eat the roots of plants, so if it is your garden or lawn, they will extensively damage it. When you begin to see signs of wilting or dying plants or plants showing signs of gopher damage, it may be high time to start controlling gophers. Many flowers, shrubs, and even trees’ roots have been known to be gnawed by gophers, which could slow or kill the plants. 

It’s very important to monitor the growth of your garden and plants to develop signs of gopher activities. If not treated, they can cause havoc by wiping out your entire garden or landscape.

Tunnels or Soft Spots in the Ground

They may help you identify other signs that you require gopher control, such as the occurrence of tunnels and soft or spongy soil. However, as gophers dig with their front teeth to make tunnels, it results in the creation of substandard soil that may lead to sinking or the formation of weak patterns on your compound. 

If you walk through your lawn and the ground collapses around you or notice shallow caves, these are signs of a gopher. It is possible to avoid these tunnels and manage the infestation once they appear and before it becomes worse.

Conclusion

They pose a great threat to your yard, garden, and landscaping since they can massively destroy it. Some of the warning signs to look for include mounds of soil, killed plants, and troughs on the ground and identifying them early is good for deciding when to go gopher hunting. You should act to contain such damage if you see any signs exhibited by your house or the surrounding structures. 

That is why it is so important to take care of this issue before it becomes a massive problem and ruins your outdoor areas. Perhaps it would be possible to find a specialist to deal with the gophers, or the problem could develop into a larger one.

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