Gopher control for Long Beach lawns and gardens torn up by fresh mounds

Gophers have a well-earned reputation for frustrating homeowners, and many popular remedies waste time. Flooding tunnels with a hose usually just pushes the gopher deeper or into another branch, and it can soften soil near foundations and walkways. Vibrating stakes and sonic devices have not been shown to work in testing; gophers live with constant vibration from traffic and mowers.

Castor oil repellents may push a gopher to another part of the yard briefly, but it returns. Gas cartridges and smoke bombs often fail because the tunnel system is large and gophers plug tunnels quickly. Chewing gum, human hair, glass and planted plants said to repel gophers are folklore.

• Flooding tunnels rarely removes a gopher
• Sonic and vibrating stakes are not reliable
• Repellents move gophers temporarily at best
• Smoke bombs often fail in large tunnel systems
• Household remedies like gum or hair do not work

Trapping removes the gophers in a yard today, but if your property borders a park or open area, new animals can arrive in months. For gardens and planting beds you care about, physical barriers give lasting protection. Raised beds built with galvanized hardware cloth stapled across the bottom keep gophers out completely. Pre-made wire baskets set into each planting hole protect roses, shrubs and young fruit trees while the roots establish.

For a new lawn, mesh laid under the sod before installation is the strongest option, though it is more work. Choose galvanized wire rather than plastic mesh, which gophers chew through. Leave the top of each basket an inch or two above the soil line so a gopher cannot climb over it at the surface.

Gopher baits are poisons, and they can harm dogs and cats that dig up a treated tunnel or eat a poisoned gopher. Owls, hawks and other predators that feed on gophers can also be affected. In yards with pets and near parks with raptors, trapping is the safer and more certain method because you know exactly when the animal has been removed.

Barn owls are natural gopher predators and are often seen hunting over parks and open spaces around Long Beach. Some homeowners install owl boxes near large lots and open areas, which can help keep gopher numbers lower over time, though owls alone will not clear an active infestation from a single yard. Avoiding poisons protects the predators that help.

Most gopher calls in Long Beach come from homes that border parks, schools, golf courses and river channels, where large areas of irrigated turf keep gopher populations high. El Dorado Park Estates and the neighborhoods around El Dorado Park and the San Gabriel River see steady activity. The Plaza and Park Estates, with large lots and deep lawns near Cal State Long Beach and the Recreation Park golf course, are also common.

Lakewood Village and Los Altos homes near Heartwell Park and the Long Beach Airport open areas get regular visits from gophers moving out of the grass. In Bixby Knolls, Los Cerritos and along the LA River near Rancho Los Cerritos, larger yards with fruit trees and vegetable gardens are a draw. Gophers dig most actively in spring and after winter rains, when the soil is soft, but irrigated Long Beach yards can see mounds in any month.