Meridian homeowners are proud of their lush and green turf lawns featuring tidy edges. However, even the most well-manicured lawns can harbor pests underneath such as gophers and moles. These burrowing animals may have some similarities, but they have different behaviors and cause different kinds of damage. It’s important for Meridian homeowners to understand how to spot them and what to do.
Early treatment can save you time, money, and frustration in the long run, provided you partner with a pest control company in Meridian, ID that specializes in moles and gophers.
Gophers and Moles: Defined
Both pests, gophers and moles, are common in Idaho, especially in well-watered lawns or gardens with moist soil. This makes it easier for them to dig and find food.
- Gophers: Rodents that feed on plant roots, bulbs, and underground vegetation, gophers are also known as pocket gophers. They build substantial tunnel systems, leaving visible mounds of soil with a plugged entrance.
- Moles: Unlike gophers, moles are insectivores, eating grubs, earthworms, and other soil-dwelling insects. When they dig, they create ridges or raised tunnels beneath the surface, known as “runways,” punctuated by small cone-shaped mounds of loose soil.
Damage: What to Watch Out For
The best way to prevent major damage is knowing what to look out for. Check out these top signs of gopher or mole activity:
- Surface ridges or raised tunnels: Mole activity reveals a spongy, raised path beneath the turf.
- Soil mounds and holes: Gopher mounds are fan-shaped or crescent-shaped with a plugged entrance, while mole mounds are conical with no plug.
- Wilting, yellowing, or disappearing patches of grass or plants: Gophers feed on roots and bulbs. Even if the plants look OK on the surface, they could be compromised underneath.
- Disturbed soil under mulch, stones, or along borders: Both pests like to tunnel under these areas, but gophers may disrupt irrigation lines, cables, or underground structures.
Why Are These Pests a Problem in Meridian?
- Moist soil and irrigation: Well-watered lawns and landscaped yards make an easier job of digging.
- Garden and tree root systems: They like yards with ornamental gardens, shrubs, or trees with nutritious roots that are easy to grab.
- Mild winters and spring rains: Mild weather increases the growth of grub populations as well as opportunities for tunneling.
Protect Your Lawn and Landscape
Early action is your best bet in preventing damage from moles and gophers. Here are some steps you can take:
- Walk your lawn edges, garden beds, and borders frequently to look for fresh soil mounds, new ridges, or wilting plants.
- Reduce overly moist soil near foundations, ensure good drainage, and keep thin mulch layers.
- Use plant varieties that are less attractive to gophers, such as those with deep root systems.
- Install hardware cloth or wire mesh around vegetable beds and sensitive plants.
- Control grub infestations, remove root crops or bulbs, manage plant disease that attracts insects, and clear compost and fallen fruit.
Gophers and moles may stay out of sight underground, but their impact on Meridian lawns is far-reaching. As a homeowner, when you can distinguish between them, spot early signs of their presence, and implement targeted strategies, you can do your part to preserve your landscaping and peace of mind.
Contact Eco Pest Control for Gopher & Mole Control
If moles and gophers are damaging your Meridian lawn, contact us today at 208-600-8734 for a free quote and inspection. Learn more about gopher, vole, and mole control in Meridian, ID.
