Gopher Pest Control That Protects Your Irrigation System

Pocket gophers are one of the most damaging pests for Southern California irrigation systems. As gophers tunnel through residential and commercial properties, they chew through drip irrigation tubing, poly pipe, PVC fittings, and underground wiring — often creating dozens of leaks and breaks before the damage is discovered above ground through dead plants or soggy soil patches.

Chemical control methods like rodenticide bait treat the symptom — the gopher — but do nothing to prevent the irrigation damage that accumulates while the infestation continues. Professional trapping eliminates gophers quickly, stopping irrigation damage at the source. For properties with complex irrigation systems, early trapping is significantly less expensive than irrigation repair following an extended gopher infestation.

How Gophers Damage Irrigation Systems

Gophers chew on irrigation components for two reasons: to access the moisture inside plastic tubing and to create openings in their tunnel walls. Drip irrigation tubing is particularly vulnerable because it runs at shallow depths and delivers the moisture that gophers seek. A single gopher can create 10 to 20 punctures in a drip system within weeks of establishing on a property.

Signs of Gopher Irrigation Damage

Dead plant patches appearing despite normal watering schedules. Soggy areas in unexpected locations where water is escaping through punctured tubing. Unexplained increases in water usage. Above-ground mounds appearing near plant beds or along irrigation line paths.