DIY Gopher Control vs. Professional Service — An Honest Comparison
Many homeowners try DIY gopher control before calling a professional. This is understandable — hardware stores sell traps, bait, and repellent products at accessible prices, and the instinct is to try the cheaper option first. This article gives you an honest assessment of what works, what does not, and when professional service makes sense.
DIY Trapping: Can Work, But Has a Learning Curve
Hardware store gopher traps — the Macabee trap is the most common — can be effective when placed correctly in the primary tunnel. The key word is correctly. The trap must be placed in an active main tunnel at the right depth, oriented correctly, and set with appropriate tension. Tunnel identification is the part that takes experience. A trap placed in a lateral feeding branch or in a collapsed tunnel section will sit untouched indefinitely. Most homeowners who try DIY trapping report inconsistent results — sometimes it works, often it does not — because tunnel identification is harder than it looks.
If you want to try DIY trapping, the Macabee trap is the right tool. Probe for the main tunnel rather than placing traps in mound openings. Set traps in pairs at opposing tunnel directions. Check traps every 24-48 hours.
DIY Bait: Effective but Carries Serious Risks
Rodenticide bait products are available at hardware stores and are effective at killing gophers. However, the risks are real and significant. Dogs that find bait — which is formulated to be palatable — can be seriously harmed. Cats and dogs that eat poisoned gophers risk secondary poisoning. Raptors that eat poisoned gophers die from secondary poisoning. In Southern California's wildlife-rich landscape, these are not remote risks — they are documented outcomes of residential bait use. We do not recommend bait for residential use and do not use it ourselves.
Repellents and Deterrents: Do Not Work
Gopher repellent products — vibration stakes, castor oil granules, ultrasonic devices, plants claimed to repel gophers — do not have meaningful evidence supporting their effectiveness and are not recommended by professional pest managers. Gophers establish in areas with reliable food and moisture. Vibrations and scents do not override a gopher's access to a productive root system. Save the money and skip repellent products entirely.
When DIY Makes Sense
If you have a single, recently arrived gopher with a contained mound cluster, and you are comfortable with the learning curve of trap placement, DIY trapping with a Macabee trap is a reasonable first effort. If you resolve the problem in a week or two, great. If activity continues or spreads, call a professional.
When Professional Service Makes More Sense
Professional service makes sense from the start when: you have an established infestation with extensive mound activity; you have dogs or cats that would be at risk from bait; you have a property near open space with high reinvasion pressure; you have valued plants, mature trees, or a complex irrigation system at risk; or you have tried DIY and the problem has not resolved. The cost of professional service is predictable and includes a guarantee. The cost of a gopher left untreated through unsuccessful DIY attempts accumulates in plant and irrigation damage.
Related Articles
- Gopher Control Cost Guide — What to Expect
- Trapping vs. Poison — Why Chemical-Free Control Is Better
- How to Choose a Gopher Control Company
Frequently Asked Questions
Professional technicians often use the same Macabee trap available at hardware stores. The difference is in knowing how to find and access the primary tunnel where traps are effective.
No. Plants marketed as gopher repellents — gopher spurge, castor bean — have not been shown to prevent gophers from establishing in areas with a good food supply. They are not an effective control method.
Call us. We frequently get calls from homeowners who have tried DIY for weeks or months without resolution. Professional service typically resolves the problem in two to four weeks from the first visit.
Call 909-599-4711 — if DIY hasn't worked, professional service will.