Common Arizona Lawn Pests and the Problems They Cause

There are many animals that can often find their way into our Arizona yards. But only a few of them damage our lawns, trees, and landscaping. Those are the critters we’re going to focus on today. We’ll take a look at what these animals look like, how to identify the damages they cause, and most importantly, what you can do to protect your lawn from them.

Pocket Gophers

These medium-sized rodents grow to between 6 and 13 inches in length and range in color from black to brown. They have a big, rounded snout, tiny ears, visible incisors, tiny black eyes, and large claws on their front paws that they use for digging. It’s important to know what pocket gophers look like, but you’re unlikely to actually see these pests as they rarely come above ground. Instead, you’re more likely to see signs of their presence. When determining whether or not you have pocket gophers living on your property, look for mounds of dirt without a tunnel entrance and indented patches of dirt littered about your lawn.

Moles

Moles are small rodents with brownish-black coats, stocky bodies, and large front feet with long, rounded claws that they use for tunneling underground. They have round heads, pointed snouts, very small eyes that provide them with very poor eyesight, no visible ears, and grow to be about 6 to 7 inches long. These insectivores live almost entirely underground and, like pocket gophers, rarely show themselves. If you’re dealing with moles on your property, you’ll see visible tunnel entrances. Sometimes, these tunnel entrances will be surrounded by a volcano-like mound of dirt, but not always. You should also see raised tunnels and areas of dead or dying grass if moles have taken up residence in your yard.

Voles

These little rodents look very similar to mice but are actually quite different. Voles only grow to about 5 to 8 inches long, making them the smallest of the three rodents we’ve mentioned in this article. These pests have short, stocky bodies, dark brown or black fur, powerful legs, small eyes, and partially hidden ears. Again, you’re not likely to see these rodents, but not because they live underground. Voles are very skittish creatures and prefer to stay hidden. But if these rodents are living on your property, you are likely to find pathways chewed through your lawn turf. You may also see bare spots on the base of the trees around your property as voles love to chew on bark.

Control Methods

All of these lawn pests can be controlled by trapping methods, but trapping is difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing. And if you fail to remove them, it can lead to significant frustration and continued damage to your lawn. There are also other issues that can arise, even if you manage to capture the offending lawn pest. For instance, moles leave behind a scent in their tunnels to keep other moles from using them. When a mole is removed, that scent will fade and new moles, which are drawn to pre-existing tunnels, will move in. Therefore, that issue must be addressed in order to resist future infestations. This is where a pest control professional comes in. Before you decide to take matters into your own hands, we highly recommend you reach out to your local pest control company. Wildlife control professionals know how to track and will be able to remove the invading animals from your yard humanely. By partnering with an expert pest control provider, they will address the whole problem, not just the removal of the animal or animals in your yard. That’s really the best way to go! For assistance removing pocket gophers, moles, voles, or other wildlife pests from your Kansas property, reach out to us at Schendel Pest Control for help! You’ll be happy you did.