Identifying Your Burrowing Pest: Pocket Gophers, Voles, Moles, or Groundhogs?

“Gopher” Means Different Animals Regionally

Before choosing a control method, determine which species you have:

Pocket gophers: Plant eaters, create soil mounds with plugged holes. Trap with cinch traps. Video guide.
Voles: Surface runways, eat roots and bark. Control info.
Moles: Insect eaters, volcano mounds. Control info.
Groundhogs (woodchucks): Large burrows, daytime activity. Control info.

Follow all state wildlife laws. Animal damage control carries risks including legal liability and health hazards.

Pests: Protecting California Garden from Squirrels and Gophers; Small Burrowers in California Valley: Ground Squirrels, Not Beavers; Marigolds for Gopher Control: Effective Companion Planting; Mole and Gopher Control in Washington State: Legal Trapping and Effective Strategies; Identifying and Controlling Pocket Gophers, Voles, Moles, and Groundhogs; Protecting Pear Trees from Squirrels: Trapping, Trunk Barriers, and Why Repellents Fail; Gopher Control: Effective Strategies for Protecting Your Yard; Orchid Society and Nurseries in Las Vegas for Visiting Belgian; Rescuing Nepenthes 'Miranda' from Bad Nursery Repotting; Pocket Gophers: Damage and Control

Garden Articles

Plants