Hey there! So, gophers, they're these little critters that dig underground and can cause a real headache for your plants by eating their roots. The key thing to look out for are these half-circle mounds of loose dirt with a plugged hole off to one side. If you see those, there's a good chance gophers are the culprits.
To protect your plants, we use underground fencing like wire baskets and poultry wire to keep those sneaky gophers at bay. We'll also place traps inside their active burrows to take care of the problem.
Now, these pocket gophers, they're the species we're dealing with here. They're well-equipped for their digging lifestyle with their powerful front paws, fine fur, and those handy cheek pouches for carrying food and nesting materials. They tend to stay underground in their tunnel system, but you might catch them feeding at the edge of a burrow or moving around.
When it comes to spotting their presence, those mounds of fresh soil are a telltale sign. They form these crescent- or horse-shoe-shaped mounds as they dig their tunnels, and the hole is usually plugged off to the side. Just be careful not to confuse their mounds with those of moles, which are more circular and have a different shape.
So, if you've noticed these mounds in your yard, it's time to take action to protect your plants from these pesky gophers. Let's set up some traps and get that underground fencing in place!