Gophers are tiny creatures that can prove to be a big nuisance if they enter your house. You can place different deterrents in and around your property to prevent them from coming your way, but sometimes they still end up entering your home one way or the other. And when they do, you must take immediate action and get rid of them as soon as possible. They may look small but can wreak havoc on your property. Plants with strong smells, such as iris, daffodils, sage, geranium, and thyme, are good repellants for gophers. Other than these plants, you can also make use of peppermint oil, fish oil, tabasco sauce, and coffee to prevent gophers from entering your house. Here are some best ways to get rid of gophers in your yard. Let us have a look at them.
As discussed above, a simple method of gopher removal is to use a gopher repeller which will distract them from your yard. However, if the gophers have already invaded your property, you need to find a good plan to lead them away. Then you can place repellents such as castor oil, peppermint oil, or fabric wash in the holes around your house. After a day or two, add extra repellent to the hatches and along the edge of your yard closer to the exit point. Doing this will keep gophers away from your yard naturally. If you don't have repellers, gophers can be prevented from entry in your yard with animal or fish waste that settles in their tunnels.
You can install wire mesh fencing along your yard to prevent gophers from digging and making their homes inside your lawn. This method is best for small gardens and is highly inexpensive. Gopher netting doesn't require much effort to install, but it does a good job protecting your plants. However, gophers will still try to dig inside, but if they have trouble tunneling, they will leave the area. Here is how you can install gopher net:
Although you might think that getting predatory pets is an inhumane way of gopher removal, it is a natural remedy. Some gopher-killing animals are:
Barn owls are the worst enemy of gophers; they eat around 1000 of them annually. You can install owl nets to attract the barn owls to your property. However, barn owls won't get attracted if gophers haven't invaded your yard yet.
As the name suggests, such snakes kill and eat gophers. But such types only eat once a month. Therefore, if you have a large family of gophers, they are not very effective.
Adopting pets such as cats and dogs can make the life of gophers troublesome as they will chase them down and kill them. However, having pets roaming around your yard isn't always a good idea. Gophers carry certain diseases that can be harmful to your pets.
Gopher traps, either live traps or poisonous baits, are another effective way of preventing gophers from invading your yard. If not too popular, trapping is a very convenient and least expensive method for gopher removal. Traps and baits are available at local shops where they can be purchased easily. The best location for placing these traps is a gopher tunnel's entry or exit point. You can add food items like peanuts inside the traps to attract gophers. Although, experts do not believe that the addition of food will increase the chance of catching small pests. After trapping gophers, make sure to flood the tunnels so that new gophers don't make their homes in them.
Since we're talking about the removal of gophers from your property, why not plant natural barriers to keep gophers out of your gardens? It is best to use this natural remedy against gophers. Also, this enhances the beauty of your garden by diversifying the types of plants. Plants such as onions, mole plants, castor beans, daffodils, and marigolds are natural repellers and keep these creatures out of your gardens. However, there are several risk factors that you should keep in mind while planting them. Some of these plants have poisonous properties, which can be harmful to anyone. Hence, if you have planted these, make sure you keep your children away from them.
Gophers do massive property damage if you don't get rid of them on time. They can also compromise your health and be dangerous for your pets. So, use the tips shared above to get rid of them properly and protect yourself and your home
