Around Virginia
Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.
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Local gopher information
Gopher control in Virginia
Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.
Gophers in Virginia: what to know
What to note
Where you see gophers, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.
A useful next step
Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.
Local research
Gophers in Virginia: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which gophers actually live in Virginia, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
None
Pocket gophers in Virginia
The Department of Wildlife Resources mammal species list includes no pocket gopher; the burrowers listed are the eastern mole, hairy-tailed mole and star-nosed mole.
Virginia Department of Wildlife ResourcesEastern mole statewide but less common above 2,000 feet; star-nosed mole mainly northern Piedmont, Coastal Plain and Tidewater; hairy-tailed mole along and west of the Blue Ridge, often above 2,500 feet
Virginia's three moles
Elevation and region, not gopher species, explain what is digging where.
Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia TechAny product used on moles must carry an EPA registration for moles and be approved for use in Virginia
Pesticide rule
A national EPA registration alone is not enough; using a product not certified in Virginia is illegal.
Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia TechWhen gophers are busiest in Virginia
Moles surface-tunnel year-round; above-ground movement is rare and mostly spring and fall at night.
No pocket gophers occur in Virginia. Moles are insectivores and improve soil aeration, which shapes extension guidance toward tolerance and trapping.
Rules that apply in Virginia
For context, nationally
- 14 species in 3 genera (Thomomys, Geomys, Pappogeomys) — Pocket gopher species in the U.S.. Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
- 200 to 2,000 square feet — Botta's pocket gopher burrow system. UC IPM (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources)
Sources: Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources; Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech; Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management; UC IPM (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources). Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Explore Virginia cities
Alexandria
Humid Subtropical · urban setting
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Blacksburg
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Charlottesville
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Danville
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Fredericksburg
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Harrisonburg
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Leesburg
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Lynchburg
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Manassas
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Petersburg
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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Richmond
Humid Subtropical · urban setting
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Roanoke
Humid Subtropical · urban setting
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Winchester
Humid Subtropical · suburban setting
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