Homeowners take pride in their homes and their landscapes. Many houses have brick pavers in their yards. These pavers create manicured pathways and routes of travel trough the landscape. Some homeowners will notice their brick pavers are sinking into the soil. Other homeowners will notice their pavers wobble when stepped on. Can burrowing critters be the cause of sinking pavers?
In short, yes. Yards from coast to coast across North America host critters with an appetite to burrow and dig. These critters usually include moles, voles, skunks, ground squirrels and gophers. Digging is in their nature. Some homeowners notice the majority of the burrows and tunnels around cement slabs and brick pavers. Why are critters drawn to these areas?
Many critters that burrow are equipped with poor eye sight. To help navigate their surroundings these critters travel along borders using them as guides. Pavers not only offer a map, critters will also be attracted to pavers and concrete slabs to build protected houses.
At the end of the day all living things will need a place to call their home. Concrete and brick pavers act as roofs for critters burrowing down below. The solid roofs are ideal for critters. Concrete and brick roofs offer protection from the elements and predators.
As a result of the soil below being tunneled and bored out the bricks and concrete above begin to sink down. In order to prevent the damages from worsening effective critter management and exclusion practices should be implemented simultaneously.
Moles, voles, skunks, ground squirrels and gophers can all be evicted with live trapping methods. Once the current critters are tamed the area should be modified to prevent new occurrences. An effective way to modify an area to prevent burrowing includes the installation of trench screening/rat walls. These exclusion practices will prevent future burrowing by adding protection around the perimeter of the affected areas.
There are a variety of reasons for pavers and concrete to begin to sink. If there’s tunneling and large piles of excavated dirt around chances are critters are accountable. In order to identify which critter is on site and the best way to prevent reoccurrences a tailored consultation for that specific yard should be conducted.
For more information on evicting and excluding critters from burrowing under pavers/concrete contact the wildlife professionals at Critter Evictors!