Animals To Watch Out For In Your Garden

Written By Carli Holas

You work hard on your garden and your lawn to make sure that it survives the year-long heat waves and the deadly droughts. You even go the extra mile to keep it conveniently pathed to make it not only safe but aesthetically pleasing to your eye. Then you find random holes in your garden, the edging destroyed, and something scurrying across the ground in the corner of your eye. Arizona pests may not have the fame of New York City’s rats, but they can cause you problems all the same.

Finding out what’s likely digging under your garden and hiding between your plants is the first step to protecting what you’ve worked so hard to develop. Knowing will allow you to both protect yourself from Arizona pests, and get rid of them. Some may look cute, some may be disgusting, but you can send them all packing.

ARIZONA PESTS THAT DESTROY YOUR YARD EDGING

Arizona’s pests are the kind of animals that will make a feast of your garden when your back is turned. Few dogs and cats are going to catch them as these pests will see them coming and head back into their holes in the ground.

  • Pocket gophers - These small rodents can cause massive damage to property by creating a network of tunnels hundreds of feet under the ground. It would be impressive if it weren’t so costly. Commonly feasting on the roots of plants and grass, anyone with a lawn should want them gone.
  • Rats - These famed rodents will contaminate a garden, which makes them worse for anyone trying to grow anything edible. To make matters worse, they’re famous for how fast they multiply so watch out.
  • Prairie dogs - There are two types of prairie dogs. For those unfamiliar, despite their name, they are not large animals, but small rodents who burrow into the ground. The Gunnison prairie dog is common across northern Arizona, while the black-tailed prairie dog is common across southeastern Arizona.
  • Badgers - These large weasels not only dig large holes in the ground, namely your lawn, they also do it when they won’t be seen. Being nocturnal creatures, they’re one of the most difficult to catch and get rid of because they damage your yard while you’re sleeping.
  • Ground Squirrels - Most of the country may know of these pests from how they hide in trees, but not in Arizona. These Arizona pests dig into the ground to retreat to safety after eating your seeds. Luckily, most plants don’t make up their diet, but seeds do, so be on the lookout when planting something new.

HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM

Arizona pests are no joke for anyone with a yard. If you want to get rid of them, you have a couple of options, depending on if it is to protect your lawn or a garden. We have a few favorites:

  • Exterminators - The most costly but effective way to get rid of any rodent or weasel infestation. These are trained professionals who can get rid of a litany of animals infecting your yard for a price. This is perfect for those with money to spend and who don’t want to do the exterminating or treatment themselves.
  • Lawn Treatments - Treating your garden or your lawn to regular treatments of rodent killer or homemade mixes can help to make your garden inhospitable for Arizona pests. This includes ones deep in the ground.
  • Artificial Grass - If you don’t have plants to protect from Arizona pests, Arizona pests won’t come. Replace the yard with artificial grass from your closest Pioneer Landscape Center to wash your hands of any lawn pest problems. This is only a solution for anyone who only has to protect a yard and not a garden.

PIONEER LANDSCAPE CENTERS OFFER THE SOLUTIONS

For more assistance, talk to our representatives at your local landscaping center to get the wide breadth of products available. We may just have some out-of-the-box solutions to protecting your lawn and your gardens from the rodents and weasels who feast off of them.

Carli Holas