How to Get Rid of Beavers
Do you have a beaver problem in or around your home? Contact us today to get treatment and get rid of unwanted wildlife!
ABOUT BEAVERS
Common Name: Beaver
Scientific Name: Castor canadensis
To learn more about wildlife removal, take a look at our Wildlife Removal & Trapping page.
Beaver Facts & Identification: What Do Beavers Look Like?
Beavers can be anywhere from 30 to 70 pounds. They are stocky, stout, dark brown, and have paddle-like tails that they use for swimming.
Beavers have large front teeth that never stop growing—because of this, they have to constantly wear down their teeth by gnawing on trees and other wood structures.
BEAVER BIOLOGY
- Adult body length (without tail): 25 to 30 inches
- Adult body weight: 30 to 70 pounds
- Gestation period: 128 days
- Litters per year: 1
- Litter size: 1 to 8 young (usually 3 to 4)
- Breeding season: January to March
- Birthing season: April to June
- Age at which young are weaned: 6 weeks to 3 months
- Activity period: Night, pre-sunset through post-dawn
- Range: 1/2 to 2 square miles
- Primary foods: Live bark, herbaceous and aquatic plants and crops
Beaver Damage: Do Beaver Dams Cause Problems?
Beavers are problematic to humans as a result of their behavioral tendency to gnaw and fell trees, and build dams in water systems, like streams and culverts. They also damage property made of wood by gnawing on them.
Beaver dams have been responsible for water systems overflowing, therefore flooding the surrounding areas. Beavers are also known to gnaw on bottomland and hardwood timber and other high-value ornamental trees, causing the tree to fall or die.
How to Get Rid of a Beaver Dam
If you have a beaver dam causing problems in a culvert or stream near your property, you probably want it gone. You can remove a beaver dam by:
- Using a backhoe. Only do this if you are experienced using large machinery.
- Removing it by hand. This technique takes time and needs to be done in stages. Remove the dam bit by bit every day until water can flow through.
- Hiring a professional wildlife control company. This is the safest and most reliable way to remove a beaver dam.
How to Get Rid of Beavers: Beaver Control and Prevention Services
To get rid of beavers and prevent any future problems, Varment Guard offers:
Physical/Mechanical Beaver Prevention
Trees can be protected from beavers by encircling the trunks with protective metal barriers or fences at least 36 inches high.
Beaver Live-Trapping
Beaver leg traps work well when placed strategically (concealed) along beaver trails
Beaver Snare Trapping
Snares, consisting of staked steel cable (3/32-inch diameter) can be placed in the same settings as beaver leg-hold traps.
Beaver Lethal-Trapping
Several types of lethal traps are effective for reducing beaver populations in problematic situations.
To learn more about beaver removal, take a look at our Wildlife Removal & Trapping page.
Looking for Professional Beaver Control and Prevention Services? Call Varment Guard!
Wondering how to get rid of beavers near creeks or how to discourage beavers from chomping on your wooden structures? Get in touch with Varment Guard today!
If you have beavers gnawing on your trees or building dams in your river, we can help. The team at Varment Guard has the knowledge, experience, and tools to get and keep problem aquatic rodents away from your space.
