Discover 14 Smells That Gophers Absolutely Hate

With over 40 species that natively live in North and Central America, gophers can be a nuisance for anyone. As sweet and innocent as these critters look, they cause major damage to yards and gardens everywhere. With small eyes and ears, much of their search for food involves their strong sense of smell. If you want to keep them away from your yard, consider these smells that gophers hate for your perimeter.

1. Castor Oil

One of the most common remedies to get rid of gophers and moles includes castor oil. Like many of the smells on this list, gophers hate the strong odor. Rather than putting it directly along the edge of your property, dilute it with dish soap and water to create a spray.

2. Coffee Grounds

Starting your day with coffee can have a dual purpose if you have a gopher problem. The notable and pungent aroma of coffee is another overstimulating fragrance for gophers. The grounds overwhelm their senses and deter them from entering your yard. Fresh coffee grounds are much more potent than old grounds, which is why gophers sometimes wait for the smell to dissipate before trying again.

3. Dryer Sheets

When you go shopping for dryer sheets to keep your laundry smelling fresh, stay away from the unscented ones. These sheets have to be potent to distribute the aroma to laundry, which is exactly why it is one of the smells that gophers hate.

4. Fish

If you have ever gone fishing, you know the intense smell that comes with it. The remnants of these fish are another natural smell that keeps gophers away. As these fish deteriorate in the air, the smell becomes even more potent. While the smell deters some people, it’s an effective and non-toxic way to tell gophers to keep away.

5. Geranium

Every solution to an active gopher issue doesn’t have to smell bad for you, too. Geraniums come with a potent fragrance, which is part of the reason that so many perfumes and essential oil brands use them. Scented and zonal geraniums are some of the most gopher-resistant flowers to add to your garden.

6. Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus plants are one of many different smells that gophers hate because of their intensity. Even though the leaves are naturally fragrant, some people choose to use it as an essential oil instead. Diluting the oil with a cup of water gives you an easy spray on any gopher hole in your yard.

7. Pine

No matter what strong scent you include, gophers have many aromas that they can’t stand, and pine is no exception. Leaving disinfectants with a pine scent might be a warning to gophers to stay away, but they are also highly damaging to your garden. If you want to use pine as a deterrent, consider the concentrated aroma of its essential oil.

8. Lavender

Even for humans, lavender can be an overpowering smell, so it comes as no surprise that Gophers are equally overwhelmed. Even when used as an essential oil, the pungent aroma often needs to be diluted to be bearable without causing a headache. This strong-smelling flower is the perfect complement to any garden that needs protection from gophers.

9. Peppermint Oil

Most people relate the smell of peppermint to a refreshing and festive fragrance, but it engulfs a gopher’s sinuses. If you want to use it as a barrier for your yard or garden, peppermint oil is often the most effective variation. The minty scent leaves a fresh aroma behind you, but it irritates a gopher’s sinuses. Many natural sprays use it as a natural rodent deterrent for gardens.

10. Rosemary

Anything that makes a plant less appetizing is going to make a gopher take a second before they eat, like rosemary. Rosemary is just one of the many herbs with a bitter flavor and an irritating texture for gophers. Like eucalyptus and thyme, gophers cannot handle the naturally overwhelming smell in the air.

11. Sage

Even though Gophers tend to plow through any food in their path, sage and similarly scented perennials slow them down significantly. There is no guarantee that sage will protect a garden from an invasion of gophers, but they may slow down their progress.

12. Thyme

Most people already have thyme in their cabinet to use in different recipes, offering a gentle but distinct addition to any flavor profile. While humans find it to be sweet and refreshing, gophers struggle with the smell. Natural herbs are often left alone in gardens, helping to protect other plants that may seem appetizing.

13. Mothballs

The best part about using mothballs as a deterrent for any pest is the broad spectrum of animals they repel. Gophers are only one of the many rodents that can’t handle the smell, along with mice and rats. The best way to use them is by placing them in a tunnel.

14. Hot Sauce

Using Tabasco or any other hot sauce to keep gophers away is a simple and non-lethal way to eliminate this pest. While each animal is different, having a hot sauce with a high concentration in a repellent mixture can reduce food consumption by up to 50%. To magnify the effects, combine a teaspoon of Tabasco sauce with peppermint oil, castor oil, and some water. The intensity of the capsaicin in the sauce overwhelms their olfactory senses.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Vadim Serebrenikov/ via Getty Images