Gopher Vs. Mole: Which Pest Is Destroying Your Backyard?

Understanding the distinctive behaviors of moles and gophers may also help you sort out your backyard woes extra successfully. So, what units these critters aside? Let’s begin with gophers. The mounds they construct typically have a singular form, generally resembling a crescent. The entrances to their burrows sit off to 1 facet of their mound, which might vary from 25 to 50 centimeters in diameter. Gophers aren’t simply avid diggers; they’re additionally infamous for his or her damaging capabilities. They will munch via cables, erode soil, and feast on plant roots.

Not like gophers, moles produce mounds that appear to be mini-volcanoes, often with a gap within the center. Their mounds sometimes have a diameter of 5 centimeters, which is considerably smaller than these of gophers. Their potential to construct tunnels is one other defining characteristic — their tunnels often seem as raised ridges on the floor of your garden. Step on one, and you will discover a spongy texture beneath your ft. As for feeding, moles aren’t plant eaters; their food regimen primarily consists of worms and bugs. 

Nonetheless, their relentless tunneling can loosen the soil round plant roots, stunting their progress. In abstract, whereas moles could spoil your yard’s aesthetics with their elaborate networks of tunnels and piles, gophers are likely to trigger extra sensible harm and are usually extra dangerous to your backyard.