Buried Trouble: The Wild, Destructive Lives of Voles and Pocket Gophers in Colorado
- qualitypestsolutio
- Oct 8
- 3 min read
Freaky Fact: Voles can have up to 100 babies a year—from a single female. It only takes one to start a full-blown lawn crisis.
If your backyard looks like a battlefield of chewed roots, tunnels, and soil mounds, you’re probably not imagining things. In Colorado’s high country, two pint-sized pests do some outsized damage: voles and pocket gophers.
They’re stealthy, relentless, and surprisingly common at elevation. This blog breaks down what they are, why they thrive in the mountains, how to identify their destruction, and most importantly—how to fight back.
The Rodents Beneath Your Feet
Voles look like chunky mice with short tails and small eyes. They’re herbivores with a big appetite for roots, bark, and bulbs. And they reproduce faster than you’d believe—one female can have multiple litters a year, with up to 10 young per litter.
Pocket Gophers, on the other hand, are solitary tunneling pros. They use massive front claws and teeth to chew through roots and soil, creating deep, elaborate tunnel systems. You'll recognize their work by the signature crescent-shaped mounds they leave behind.
Why the Mountains Are Prime Real Estate
The mountain environment isn’t just scenic—it’s rodent paradise. Here’s why:
Heavy snowpack provides insulation so voles can tunnel and feed all winter.
Short summers mean aggressive feeding during growing months.
Residential lawns and gardens offer soft, irrigated soil for easy digging.
Few predators in neighborhoods allow populations to grow unchecked.
Telling Them Apart
Use this cheat sheet to figure out which pest you’re dealing with:
The Damage They Do
Lawns & Landscapes:
Gophers create mounds and kill grass from the root up.
Voles leave gnawed paths and destroy root systems under the snow.
Gardens:
Root vegetables, bulbs, and flowering plants are frequent targets.
Voles also chew bark from shrubs and young trees, often girdling them.
Structures & Irrigation:
Gophers sometimes tunnel under foundations or chew through underground drip lines, leading to costly repairs.
Winter Warning: Don’t Wait for the Snow
Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re gone.
As snow season approaches, many homeowners assume pests go dormant. But here’s the kicker—voles and gophers do NOT hibernate.
In fact, winter is when much of the hidden damage happens.
Voles stay active under the snowpack, feeding on your grass, shrubs, and tree bark without you knowing.
By spring, you’ll discover dead patches, gnawed trunks, and chewed roots that never had a chance.
This is why fall is a critical window for prevention and control. Don’t let the first snow trap you in a losing game.
DIY Tips: Spot, Prevent, Defend
Walk your yard weekly. Fresh mounds? Trails in the grass? Chewed bark? Early detection is key.
Trim and clear. Voles love dense cover. Keep lawns short and clear brush near structures.
Physical barriers. Bury mesh hardware cloth around gardens and tree trunks.
Try repellents. Castor oil-based gopher repellents and vole deterrents may help—but don’t count on them alone.
Don’t forget snow season. Vole trails often appear in spring as snow melts—don’t assume winter means pest-free.
Why DIY Isn’t Always Enough
These pests aren’t casual diggers—they’re committed. If you’ve got fresh gopher mounds every morning or your yard is turning patchy despite good care, it’s time to call in help.
At Quality Pest Solutions, we use high-elevation-tested trapping and control techniques that go beyond what you can buy at the hardware store. We locate active tunnels, disrupt breeding cycles, and reduce long-term damage.
Best Time to Act
NOW through fall is ideal. Don’t wait until everything’s covered in snow.
Voles will stay active all winter. Getting ahead of them now prevents unseen damage.
Mountain-Tested. Locally Trusted.
We’re not some giant chain that Googled your ZIP code. We live here. We deal with the same pests, the same altitude, the same weather swings. That means we actually understand what works—and what’s just marketing fluff.
We serve Summit County and surrounding mountain towns with real solutions that fit your yard, your terrain, and your lifestyle.
Think you’ve got gopher or vole problems? Let’s fix that before the snow flies—or before your yard becomes a crater field.
📞 Call us today or book online for your fall pest checkup.
We’ll bring the backup. You enjoy the season.
Thank you for joining us on this informative journey through the world of Pocket Gophers and Voles in Colorado's mountainous terrain. For more information or to schedule a pest treatment, contact Quality Pest Solutions at 970-485-4843 or visit our website
www.qualitypestsolutionsco.com Let us help keep your home and business pest-free, no matter the season.
Quality Pest Solutions - Your Trusted Partner in Pest Management in Mountainous Colorado.
Comments