Beavers can be very beneficial but they can be harmful too.
Proper beaver control can be a very important wildlife management tool if you live in areas where beavers
can become a problem, this includes homes with neighboring creeks and ponds, farms where proper irrigation is key,
even luxury vacation lake homes.
Beaver Control The Humane Way
Successful beaver control practices don't have to be painful or inhumane.
As a matter of fact, it is the humane beaver management methods that offer the most effective
solutions and long term results.
Traditional methods such as beaver trapping won't solve your problem for long, trap one and
other beavers will quickly move in to fill the void - you'll find yourself trapping repeatedly again and again.
When discussing humane wildlife management methods it is important to remember that wildlife basically wants
three things from their environment - food, water and shelter. Take away their food and shelter,
and they will move on to greener pastures. In the case of beavers, wood and trees are not only their
shelter, but also their food. You can make your property less appealing to beavers by controlling the
food source - by smarter tree management methods.
Trees And Beaver Control: If you are concerned about current or potential beaver issues one of the first things you
can do is take a look at your property's tree scape. Beavers tend to prefer
faster growing tree varieties such as poplar, willow, cottonwood and alder. They
also tend to go after trees within five yards of
their shoreline habitat. While beavers prefer certain trees, they do not necessarily take
them in order of preference. When planting trees along a shoreline, consider less palatable varieties,
such as spruces in the eastern U.S. and cascara in the West, and plant them ten yards or more from the shore when possible.
Cylindrical tree cages are the best way to protect valuable shoreline trees already in place that you do not want to remove.
It is important to point out that you do not want to use chicken wire to construct your tree cage,
instead use 19 gauge hardware cloth or sturdy 2x4 welded wire fencing. You can paint your hardware cloth
with a flat brown spray paint to make it blend in with surroundings. When the time comes to install the cage,
encircle the trunk, leaving a space of about six inches between the tree and the wire –
this is very important to allow the tree room to grow. On one end of the cage, bend every other horizontal wire into hooks
to connect with the other side.
Painting trees is one of the
newer tree related beaver control methods practiced today. Mature tree trunks are coated with a
mixture of sand and paint to help prevent gnawing. And for aesthetic purposes, the paint can be
color-coded to match the trees. Your local paint store can color match exterior paint to the
color of your trees if you bring them a 6" piece of the bark. Trees should only be painted
about four feet high and young trees should not be painted at all. Instead, you can use the
tree cages described above to protect trees too young to be painted. The paint used
on your trees should be a specific mixture of sand to paint.
Paint Formula:
Use 32 ounces (4 cups) of sand to one gallon of outdoor latex paint and stir often while painting.
This is important because too much sand will cause the mixture to roll off the tree.
Also, make only small batches at a time, only as much as you can apply on that one day.
If you plan to use a gallon of paint, have one gallon custom mixed. Pour ½ of it into a spare,
new gallon paint bucket from the store. Add 2 cups of sand to each gallon can, and have
them mixed it in their shaker machines. Do not use your favorite expensive paint brush,
because this sand formula is rough on brushes. Instead, buy a large, thick paint brush just
for this special tree project and clean it well between jobs.
Chemicals And Beaver Repellents:
100% of our clients with beaver problems have reported incredible success with an all natural beaver repellent.
They claim that it worked and has saved them all a lot of trouble when it came to beaver trapping,
which can easily unintentionally kill many "non-targeted" animals too. When used in combination
with exclusion method(s) we have never had a repeat beaver problem.
Fencing And Electric Wire: Low fencing around groups of trees
can sometimes prove helpful as a means of beaver control. For beaver management purposes,
fencing does not normally need to surround the entire stand, because the beavers are mainly worried
about being separated from the water, you can sometimes leave the fencing open on the end farthest from the shoreline.
Just the same, you will want to have the fence fit tightly to the ground
and trail each end toward the water creating a barrier between the water and the trees.
Monitor your beaver fence often in the beginning for burrowing. If digging occurs, two concrete blocks tied together
can be used to block the tunnel.
An electrified wire strung 4-6" off the ground can serve the same purpose as a low fence. Many farm and ranch
stores carry solar powered energy sources and electric fencing supplies that can be very useful for beaver control
in remote locations without electricity.
Other Humane Beaver Control Methods: Depending upon your unique situation and property layout, there are other humane
beaver control methods that you may wish to try, ranging from the simple to the more complex.
For instance, habitat modification can often make a big difference. Sometimes it is simply a matter of
eliminating the sound of running water on your property. This is because
beavers are attracted to the sound of running water. Eliminate the sound and beavers will not
be as tempted to fulfill their natural, irresistible instinct to
block the water flow with dams. Another habitat modification that might help is
the application of simple pond leveling systems.
These systems can be made out of common wire grids and inexpensive PVC. They work
by draining water to the other side of the beaver lodge, which allows the beavers to do what they want -
without having to remove dams which would otherwise flood properties, roads and homes.
Another management method is the beaver deceiver, a kind
of in-the-water setup
designed to allow beavers to build dams in undesirable locations without flooding surrounding areas.
The Skunk Whisperer Knows What To Do: As with many wildlife issues, each
situation and solution will be very unique. Consequently, there are countless
methods that can be utilized and the advice of a knowledgeable, humane practices
wildlife control professional is always preferential.
If you're in Oklahoma, the professionals at The Skunk Whisperer®
can help solve your beaver control problems the humane way - without harming, killing or trapping the beaver.
We offer consultation services, beaver prevention
planning for homes, properties and developments, pond alterations,
beaver deceivers, painting, tree cages and more.
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Effective beaver management begins with understanding the behavior, skills, instincts and reproductive habits of beavers.
We've also got important information for you on the benefits and hazards that can result
from beaver activity and the dams and lodges they build.
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The Beavers Wetlands And Wildlife Website
A sizable portion of the material in our beaver section is
based on the insightful and interesting to read information found
on the BWW website - http://www.beaversww.org. The BWW is
dedicated to humane, non-lethal beaver control methods and is very interesting to browse. It is full of
information including incredible facts about beavers and ways to control beaver & human conflicts
in a humane manner. They accurately describe their site as
"created to help people live in harmony with beavers and other wildlife".
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