Seasonal Changes to Pest Activity

How do the seasons affect critter activity? What changes will you notice throughout the year?

Spring

(an example of baby gopher activity)

Springtime is breeding season for most of these critters so this is when we start seeing an uptick in activity! Gophers and moles are usually territorial but during breeding season they will cohabitate. They also kick their young out pretty early on so they go off to look for their own territories. This means you are more likely to encounter multiple critters on your property at a time.

If you live near open space, those areas are still nice and lush. This means that these critters are less likely to come searching for food in our landscapes. There is also a higher chance of a critter moving off of a property back into the nearby open space.

Summer

This is when we get the most calls about critter activity! Our landscapes are nice and hydrated unlike the surrounding open space. This means critters will move into our properties in search of food during the hot, dry months.

The baby gophers from springtime have now matured into young adults so they have moved out and developed their own territories.

During this time of year we are also limited by the dry soil. We risk collapsing tunnel systems if we try to set traps or place bait in dry, unirrigated areas. Because of this we can only do work in well irrigated areas of the landscape.

Fall

We continue to see a lot of activity throughout the earlier fall months because we stay pretty hot and dry here in California.

We also see a spike in activity with other critters like raccoons and boars. They tend to check lawns for white grubs during this time of year. Grubs are large and close to the surface so they are easy pickings for these other animals. You will often see chunks of lawn rolled or torn up and can often see the grubs themselves. Moles are also fond of grubs so there can be an increase in their activity as well.

Winter

While it doesn’t get cold enough for any of these animals to hibernate during the winter we do see a dip in their activity on people’s properties. This is because once the temperatures drop and the rains begin the open space becomes nice and lush again. So their food sources are readily available outside of our landscapes.

They do still come into our yards but less frequently compared to the summer months.

During this time of year we also are able to place bait into any nearby open space for customers on our ongoing program! Doing this can help reduce the overall gopher population which can lower the activity in the warmer months.

 

Since these critters are active all year round we are here to offer our services all year too! If you think you have a gopher, mole, or vole issue please contact us!