Gopher Control Service

Gopher Trapping, Baiting And/Or Fumigation

If you are having problems with gophers on your property, let Go-Pher The Kill help you save your yard. We specialize in gopher control through baiting, trapping, or fumigation, providing service in Riverside, Corona, Norco, Eastvale, and surrounding areas. Go-Pher the Kill is a full-service gopher control company ready to eliminate your gopher problems. Whether you have a single gopher destroying your property, or an entire population tunneling underground, we will get rid of the gophers quickly and professionally.

Gopher Control Service

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Our standard initial gopher service lasts for 30 days. This can vary depending on the size of the yard and the amount of activity. Most residential homes can be gopher free in under 30 days.

In our first visit, we usually set traps. We do this in multiple areas depending on how much activity there is, and place flags indicating where the traps are. We place them well within the burrows and not out in the open, and clean up all of the mounds and fill in any small holes made by the gophers before we leave. We then set you on schedule to check the traps in a few days, and we have typically caught gophers at this point. If any new activity has shown up, we set traps in those areas, and repeat the process. We make about 3-4 visits within 30 days, and if a gopher was not caught, we then implement our carbon monoxide into the burrows. Baiting is also an option for gopher control, and all methods of control are included in our service. 
 
After these first two visits, we come back for a follow-up inspection. If we see any new activity, we will repeat the process.
 
You are covered for 30 days, so if a new gopher mound appears, call, email or text, and we’ll get out ASAP. The steps of treatment can vary depending on the situation. This process is for the average yard.

Treatment Options

Gopher Traps

Our Recommended Method
No Poisons Or Chemicals Used
Know The Gophers Are Gone
Safe For The Environment

Gopher Bait

Quick Control
No Digging Needed
Bait Can Stay Active For Up To 60 Days
Fewer Service Calls Required

Tunnel Fumigation

Safe For Pets
No Digging Needed
Gas Vaporizes Quickly
Leaves No Bait Or Poison Behind

Gopher Traps

We believe that trapping is the best method of gopher control. Go-Pher The Kill’s technicians are trained in the art of trapping and have a proven record of success. Our Gopher Trapping Program is customized to you.
  • We first inspect your property to develop a plan to eliminate your gophers systematically.
  • We carefully dig holes and set the traps so as not to damage your lawn or landscape any more than the gophers already have.
  • We let the traps sit for 12 to 48 hours, then return to remove the captured gophers.
  • We carefully replace the grass we cut out, fill all the holes we dug, and level off or remove dirt mounds the gophers built. (Mounds located in the grass will be removed so the grass beneath will have a chance to regrow.) In most cases, your yard will look better after just one trapping session with us.
  • After trapping, we prefer to leave the bait in the tunnels as an additional control measure. However, we understand that some customers prefer that no baits be used so that we will omit this step at your request.

Gopher Bait

To provide the most effective baiting solution, Go-Pher The Kill utilizes a variety of baits at different stages of the gopher control program. By offering gophers several “flavors,” we significantly increase the probability of consumption. For our gopher baiting program:
  • We apply the bait directly into the gopher’s tunnel with a probe that releases it underground. The bait can stay active for up to 60 days in ideal environmental conditions.
  • We do not bait on the surface where pets or children could gain access, because gophers live their entire lives underground. Even after eating the bait, they tend to stay in their tunnels – we have never found a dead gopher on the surface after treating a property with bait.
  • Bait, by itself, can control gophers quickly if they eat it right away. However, we recommend that bait be used, instead, as a follow-up control to our gopher trapping service – which provides a nice one-two punch for quick control.
  • As a final step, we level off any gopher mounds built-in dirt, and remove those located in grassy areas.

Gopher Tunnel Fumigation

When appropriate, Go-Pher The Kill can use tunnel fumigation to rid your property of gophers.
  • We use a machine that pushes heated smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) from a natural “smoke oil” into the gopher’s tunnel, essentially suffocating any gophers that may be in there.
  • This process does not apply to every property, but it is highly effective in the right situations. Ask your Go-Pher The Kill technician if this is an option for your property.
  • Because no traps, baits, or poison are used, tunnel fumigation is the most authentic “pet safe” method.
  • Finally, we level off any gopher mounds built-in dirt and remove those located in grassy areas.
  • We clean up the gopher mounds after all of our services, not only to leave your property looking its best but also so that we will quickly know if there is new activity the next time we come out.
  • We also offer customized, ongoing gopher control service agreements to fit your needs where continuing management is required. 

Gopher FAQs

We have a few variables that we factor in when pricing gopher control work.

  • How much activity is there? How many mounds and holes?
  • How big is the yard?
  • Is the yard or home next to a field or house with neighboring gopher activity?
  • Are there slopes or hills involved?
  • What’s the soil or turf like(rocks, hard dirt, grass, etc.)? The starting rate for a 30 day gopher control service is $349. Currently we offer free on site estimates for a more accurate price for your particular yard. 

This is a tricky one because there are not many things you can do to keep them from burrowing back into your yard. Gophers are likely to appear in the same spot as before, even after removing them. This is because you now have existing tunnels leading from your neighboring yard right to these spots. When we do your gopher control service, we’ll hand you a few referral cards to offer your neighbors. That way, we can make sure their gophers don’t eventually tunnel over to your property. 

We also offer maintenance services for gophers in which we come out monthly to inspect the yard for any new activity. If we see any new gopher activity, we will take care of it. This service is more of a reactive service but is proven to keep the gophers under control and down to a bare minimum.

Gophers live underground and feed mainly on the roots of plants. They move from root to root by tunneling through the dirt. Eventually, though, the dirt builds up in the tunnels, so the gophers start digging upward to the surface to get rid of the dirt.

A gopher’s tunnel system can be very extensive.  It consists of the main tunnel, which is usually 6 to 8 inches below ground, and numerous cross tunnels that lead to the surface – where they make the mound. The gophers also dig separate chambers to store their food and raise their young. The main tunnel can be as long as 200 yards, and the chambers as deep as 6 feet!

The gopher’s powerful front legs and long pick-like claws create the perfect tunneling tool. But, they will sometimes hit a pipe, utility cable, or other large objects that they can’t dig around, so they use their large teeth (incisors) instead. The pocket gopher’s incisors never stop growing, so they have to use them regularly to keep them controlled.

Probably not. Gophers are very territorial and usually live alone in a tunnel system – except during breeding season and when a new litter is born. There can be up to 10 baby gophers in a litter, and a female can have up to 3 litters a year in irrigated areas. Young gophers will stay with their mothers for about two months, then leave to start their own tunnel system. They can start their own families when they are a year old and live for about three years.

Gophers spend most of their lives underground, so you are more likely to see their mounds than to see the gophers themselves. But, you may see them poking their heads above ground when clearing their tunnels of dirt. Gophers are usually about 6 to 9 inches long with tawny brown fur and short tails, but their large teeth are the most obvious way to identify them. Gophers have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell – so if you see an animal of this description running backward very fast – it is likely a gopher!

By gnawing and eating of plant roots, the gophers not only weaken the foliage, but they can also kill trees, shrubs, and other plants. They also dig at, and chew on utility and irrigation lines that get in their way, destroying these. Additionally, the holes they burrow to the surface, and the ground that is weakened by their tunneling can cause falls and injury to people and animals. And, if you have a dog, those holes will likely be dug even further as it tries to get at that underground pest!