Gopher and Mole Control
Something is pushing up mounds in your lawn, and the first thing worth knowing is which animal it is. Gophers and moles are not the same problem and they are not trapped the same way. Dr. Pest treats both, across Long Beach, Orange County and the South Bay. Free inspection and a written quote before any work starts, and same-day service on weekdays.
Call (562) 488-7455 for a Free Inspection
Which one do you have?
You can usually tell from the mounds before anyone sets a trap.
| Pocket gopher | Mole | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A burrowing rodent | An insect eater, not a rodent at all |
| Mound shape | Crescent or horseshoe shaped from above | Rounder, often volcano shaped in profile |
| The hole | Off to one side, usually plugged | In the middle of the mound, often indistinct |
| What it eats | Roots and fleshy parts of plants | Earthworms, insects and other invertebrates |
| Giveaway | Chewed drip and sprinkler line | Raised surface ridges, mounds in a line along the tunnel |
Mole mounds tend to appear in a line, because they follow the tunnel connecting them. Gopher mounds scatter. If the holes you are looking at are open, with no mound and no plug at all, you are probably looking at ground squirrels, which we do not treat.
What the damage actually costs you
Gophers do the expensive damage, and most of it is out of sight. They feed on roots, so the first thing you notice is often a plant that wilted for no reason. They also gnaw flexible plastic water line, particularly drip irrigation, so a wet patch in the lawn or a sprinkler zone that stopped working is frequently a gopher problem rather than a plumbing one.
Moles rarely eat roots. Their damage is collateral: the tunnelling lifts plants and dries the roots out, and the surface ridges and mounds wreck a lawn cosmetically. A mole is a sign the soil is full of worms and grubs, which is to say a healthy lawn.
How we treat it
- We identify the animal first. Trapping the wrong species wastes a visit. We read the mounds and open a run to confirm before anything is set.
- We find the active runs. Most of a burrow system is abandoned at any given time. Setting traps in the main active tunnel is the whole job.
- We trap. Trapping is the method UC IPM recommends first for both animals, and it is what we use. We tell you exactly what we are setting and where, and how long to keep children and pets off those areas.
- We check the irrigation. If gophers have been in the lawn a while, there is often chewed line. We look while we are there and tell you what we find.
- We come back and check. Burrowing pests move in from neighbouring property, so the follow-up matters more here than with most pests.
We are licensed in California, license #9212, and we use registered products applied by licensed technicians. You are told what we are using and what to do before we do it.
Lawns, greenbelts and HOA common areas
Gophers and moles are a turf problem, so the properties that get hit hardest are the ones with the most irrigated ground: large lawns, shared greenbelts, planted medians and common areas. One property treated on its own rarely holds for long when the lawn next door is untreated, which is why this is work that suits a recurring schedule rather than a single visit. We do offer recurring service, on a schedule you choose. If you manage a community or a commercial property, call and we will walk the grounds.
If pests come back between scheduled visits, so do we, at no extra cost.
Gopher and mole control questions we get
How long does it take?
It depends on how established the system is and whether there is pressure from neighbouring property. We will tell you what we are seeing after the inspection rather than quoting you a number up front.
Will they come back?
Burrowing pests recolonise from open ground nearby, so a property backing onto a greenbelt, a field or an empty lot will see pressure again. That is the honest answer, and it is why we check the runs on a return visit instead of treating once and leaving.
Is it safe around my dog?
We tell you exactly where everything is set and what to keep animals away from, and for how long. If you have a dog that digs, say so when you call and we will work around it.
Do you treat the whole street?
We treat the property you call us about. If the pressure is coming from next door, we will tell you, and neighbours often book together.
What about ground squirrels?
We do not treat ground squirrels, and we do not do wildlife trapping. If that is what you have, we will say so rather than sell you a visit.
How much does it cost?
The inspection is free and you get a written quote before any work starts. Call (562) 488-7455.
Mounds in the lawn? Let us take a look.
Free inspection, written quote before any work starts, same-day service on weekdays.
Call (562) 488-7455 for a Free Inspection
Identification and control methods above follow UC IPM Pest Notes: Pocket Gophers (UC ANR Publication 7433, revised 06/2025) and Moles (UC ANR Publication 74115, revised 11/2024), University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.