Ground squirrels and pocket gophers damage crops and their burrowing creates safety hazards. There are important differences between ground squirrels and pocket gophers that affect their control.
The Richardson’s ground squirrels (also known as flickertails) are by far the most common ground squirrel pest on the Canadian Prairies. Ground squirrels and pocket gophers are often mistakenly called gophers and confused for each other, along with their relatives, such as the thirteen-lined ground squirrels, chipmunks, Columbian ground squirrels, the tiny voles, the very large groundhogs (woodchucks), and the increasingly-rare Franklin’s ground squirrels.
Pocket gophers are also mistakenly called moles, but out of the Prairie provinces, only Manitoba has a mole, and it is the unique-looking, semi-aquatic star-nosed mole.
We explain the risks of having ground squirrels and pocket gophers, what signs of activity to look for, and why professional control is the safest, most effective way to protect your property.
How Ground Squirrels and Pocket Gophers Harm Health and Cause Property Damage
- Holes are safety hazards: Humans, pets, livestock, and other animals could step in burrow holes and become injured, causing closures of public fields.
- Garden and crop damage: Ground squirrels and pocket gophers eat and burrow into gardens and farm crops, causing losses to income and food production. Richardson’s ground squirrels cause damage to grain crops, pocket gophers damage to alfalfa, and both damage rangeland.
- Damaged equipment: Burrowing causes holes and mounds that can damage mowers, farm equipment, and create aviation hazards.
- Attracting predators: Ground squirrels are a common source of food for coyotes, and the presence of these predators can lead to human-coyote conflict and harm to livestock.
Ground Squirrel and Pocket Gopher Differences
Ground squirrels and pocket gophers are often mistaken for each other, but there are differences. Knowing which pest is present makes it easier to get faster results with appropriate control methods.
- Size: They can be 30 centimetres long (12 inches) and their weight varies from 200 to 750 grams (0.44 to 1.6 pounds).
- Lifestyle: They are social and live in colonies.
- Burrows: They dig visible burrow holes that can extend under sidewalks and roads, and they prefer areas with ground cover under 30 centimetres (1 foot).
- Activity: They are diurnal (active during daylight) and hibernate as early as July and as late as October; males both awaken and hibernate one to several weeks earlier than females.
- Diet: They are omnivorous and eat plants, bugs, and sometimes other small animals.
- Size: They range from 15 to 25 centimetres (6 to 10 inches) including the tail and their weight varies from 85 to 170 grams (3 to 6 ounces).
- Lifestyle: They are solitary except during breeding season or when rearing young.
- Burrows: They make crescent-shaped mounds with no visible entrance around yards, gardens, bushes, and trees.
- Activity: They are active year-round at any time of day or night and rarely go aboveground.
- Diet: They are herbivorous, mostly feed underground, can pull plants down by the roots, and survive winter by eating stored food, roots, bark, and other plant parts.
Professional Pest Control Methods for Ground Squirrels and Pocket Gophers
Biological control methods and repellents are not reliable enough for fast or long-term control, and some control methods are only available with a licence or in certain areas. There are traps available for ground squirrels and pocket gophers, but some people may find it difficult to set them or lack the time. The timing matters and the best time to control ground squirrels and pocket gophers is in the spring before vegetation begins to grow.
Poulin’s Pest Control uses Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which is a combination of methods to stop current activity and prevent reinfestation. Our licensed technicians protect properties with a practical plan and use tools that minimize risk to people, pets, and non-target wildlife. What we do:
- Inspect sites and identify pests and pest activity
- Assess risks to structures and the property
- Stop further pest damage with site-specific methods such as trapping, targeted baiting, and fumigation
- Plan for the future and set up a service schedule, and suggest pest habitat adjustments and exclusion methods
Professional Pest Control For Ground Squirrels And Pocket Gophers
Protect your property with professional ground squirrel and pocket gopher control from Poulin’s Pest Control today. We’ll help you keep your landscape safe and looking its best. Poulin’s Pest Control delivers fast, customized commercial pest control services with ongoing prevention.