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Beaver Removal
Call for beaver removal in Springfield before the beavers have a chance to create a lot of damage 413-454-2711. Beavers are the largest of the rodents in the U.S. They can be a big problem for homeowners and property owners. As a beaver builds its nest it will destroy trees and potentially cause flooding.
If left on their own beaver can cause significant damage to the land. The best solution is to hire a professional for beaver removal. We can control the beavers that already exist on your land. We also have some preventative methods to keep the beavers off of your land and out of your waterways in Hampden County, Massachusetts.
Beaver Trapping
The most effective way to clear beavers from you land is beaver trapping in Springfield. We know the best methods of beaver trapping. We know the best placement of traps based on the nests and the water flow. There are often several beavers working together to build their nest. We will determine the best trapping methods to remove them all. Once trapped, we will remove the beavers from your property.
Beaver Dam Removal
One of the challenges left after the beavers are gone is beaver dam removal. Depending on how long the beavers have been left unchecked, that damn could become quite large in size. As a trained wildlife specialist in Springfield we know the best methods of dam removal. The beaver builds dams from felled trees, sticks, mud leaves and anything else they can find. These damn can be quite solid and can affect the waterways. They can cause potential flooding with the rising level of water. We can help you to destroy the dam and restore the flow of water.
How to Tear Down a Beaver Dam
Beavers are fascinating creatures. Although beavers are just rodents, they are second only to humans in their ability to manipulate their environment through the dams they build. To learn more about beavers visit howtogetridofbeaver.com.
Beaver dams play a crucial role in the ecosystem as they help to create ponds. These ponds function as important habitats for other wetland animals, including fish and birds. These ponds also reduce flooding and control soil erosion.
But to create these dams, beavers need raw materials. In their quest for branches, they cause damage to trees that are estimated to be worth millions of dollars annually. Many homeowners have even experienced beavers destroying their homes, barns, and sheds.
Hence, in certain scenarios, having beavers around can become unbearable. Tearing down beaver dams is a good way to reduce their activity and deter them from that vicinity. But how exactly do you go about it?
This article explores all you need to know about beaver dams: what they are, their importance, and most importantly, how to tear them down.
Let’s get right into it.
What Are Beaver Dams?
Beaver dams are dams built by beavers using trees and branches, grass, rocks, and mud. Contrary to what you might think, beavers do not live in these dams. Instead, the dam serves as a barrier that is used to create a pond of deep water. It is in this pond of deep water that they construct their real home, which is referred to as a lodge.
The pond also serves as protection against predators such as wolves, coyotes, and bears. They also provide easy access to food during the winter.
Problems With Beaver Dams
In recent years, beaver/human conflict has been on the rise. This is due to human encroachment into wild habitats as well as the expanding beaver population.
When a beaver settles in a new area, the first thing it does is build its dam. Nearby homeowners will start to notice smaller trees disappearing, oftentimes finding them later in the stream bed, where they serve as the foundation for a beaver dam.
Asides from this damage to trees caused by beavers, they also cause flooding that results from block structures.
Structure of a Beaver Dam
Beavers build their dams intricately, so they remain rigid. How? They weave sticks and branches and then cover the entire layer with mud. Then on top of that, they weave a new set of sticks and cover it with mud. They continue this process until they attain the desired height.
Steps to Tear Down a Beaver Down
At Nuisance Wildlife Pros, we’ve helped several clients tear down beaver dams. First things first, check with your local wildlife authority for the legality surrounding the removal of beaver dams. And if it is allowed, what are the available options?
Tearing down a beaver dam can be accomplished in several ways. We now take a look at some of the most common options:
Method 1: Removal by hand
This is the most labor-intensive method for removing a beaver dam. However, it is the least expensive and most user-friendly option. To get started, you will need a pick, ax, and shovel. Here are what to do:
Start by cutting several 6-inch-deep notches in the dam to let water flow through. This helps to weaken the overall structure.
Then use your hands to remove the sticks present at the lower dam side. Then slowly work your way from the bottom to the top.
Once you remove the layer of sticks, then you will see the mud wall, which will be holding water. Starting from one side of the wall, use the shovel to create a spillway to allow surplus passage of water. Then slowly pull the mud into the current.
Continue this process until you’ve cleared the entire dam.
Pro tip: Ensure that you break the sticks before disposing of them. And more importantly, dispose of the sticks downstream and in bits, so the beaver doesn’t have access to them to rebuild.
Method 2: Using a Backhoe
If financial constraint is not an issue, then this might be the best option for you. A backhoe is an excavation machine that utilizes a digging bucket at the end of a two-part arm.
But as you can guess, you have to know how to use a backhoe for this to work. If you do, you can easily rent one. Because you’re harnessing machine power, a backhoe can help you tear down a dam more quickly.
But note that the sudden removal of a dam with a backhoe can result in drowning and flooding. It can also destroy other dams downstream.
Method 3: Use of Explosives
Explosives can also be used to blow up beaver dams. But for this to work, you need to be knowledgeable about the use of explosives. Most people make use of Tannerite because it is a stable explosive and widely available.
Wrap Up
Tearing down a beaver dam is no piece of cake. That’s why involving a professional will go a long way in making the process stress-free, effective, and relatively affordable. Nuisance Wildlife Pros is up to the task when it comes to that.
What Diseases Do Beavers Carry
Beavers are incredibly adorable creatures. They are also industrious – you just need to watch them studiously build their dams. However, beavers can also be a nuisance to humans. In developing and maintaining their habitat, beavers may damage trees, block watercourses, resulting in excessive flooding.
One commonly overlooked drawback of beavers is the health risk they pose. That’s right! Beavers carry some zoonotic diseases that are potentially harmful to humans and pets. Take a deep breath while we explore some of these diseases.
- Giardiasis (Beaver fever)
Giardiasis is a parasitic infection of the digestive system caused by the microscopic parasite Giardia duodenalis.
Beavers are one primary carrier of this parasite. Hence, they are a potential source of Giardia contamination of reservoirs, lakes, and streams. Humans become infected by accidentally swallowing the Guardia parasite in contaminated water or airborne contaminated poop. Humans also help to spread the parasite through their fecal matter.
Symptoms typically appear after one to three weeks of infection, and they may include light fever, watery stool, foul-smelling diarrhea and gas, fatigue, and nausea.
Testing stool samples commonly diagnose the disease. And thankfully, the disease can be treated with antibiotics like metronidazole, tinidazole, or nitazoxanide.
- Tularemia
Tularemia is a bacterial infection that often affects wildlife. Humans typically become infected through the bite of infected insects (most commonly, deer flies and ticks). However, humans can also get infected by handling sick or dead animals like beavers, inhaling airborne bacteria, or drinking/eating contaminated water/food.
Common symptoms of tularemia include fevers and chills, headaches, joint pain, diarrhea, dry cough, sore throat, open sore, and pneumonia. Most people typically begin to see these symptoms three to five days after exposure to the bacterium. But sometimes, it can take as long as 14 days.
Antibiotics – like streptomycin, doxycycline, and ciprofloxacin – are commonly used to treat tularemia. However, treatment must start as soon as possible after infection. When left untreated, tularemia can result in severe cough, chest pain, difficulty in breathing, and about a 30 to 60% chance of death.
- Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease found in beaver, muskrats, and several other wildlife in the United States. It is caused by the bacteria of genus Leptospira, which is highly infectious and dangerous to humans and pets. It is commonly transmitted when an unhealed break in the skin meets water or soil where infected animal urine, fur, bodily fluid, or blood is present. The bacteria can also enter through the eyes or mucous membrane.
Mild symptoms of leptospirosis include fever, coughing, headache, diarrhea, rash, jaundice, and irritated eyes. If left untreated, leptospirosis can affect vital organs, leading to kidney or liver failure, respiratory distress, meningitis, and maybe even death.
Because early-stage leptospirosis shares many symptoms with other diseases like flu, diagnosis can be challenging. But if the doctor suspects severe leptospirosis, the patient will undergo specific diagnostic tests.
But thankfully, leptospirosis can be treated with antibiotics, such as doxycycline or penicillin.
How to Avoid Diseases Carried by Beaver
Humans only get infections from beavers in rare instances, but it’s better to err on the side of caution. Some of the things our experts at Nuisance Wildlife Pros suggest you do include:
1) Avoid direct contact with beavers
2) Do not handle dead beavers or their droppings
3) Ensure you wash your hands regularly with soap and water.
4) Ensure you resolve beaver infestations promptly.
Wrap Up
While beavers are undoubtedly adorable, they pose several health risks. To ensure your safety, avoid direct contact with beavers, their droppings, and bodily fluid. And if you need help getting rid of a nuisance beaver on or near your property, promptly contact us today at Nuisance Wildlife Pros.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
How to Keep Beavers Away
By and large, beavers are commonly accepted as great assets for our environment, thanks to their strong teeth, and their inane ability to take down a tree single-handed. However, in some instances, a beaver can become quite a nuisance for your personal yard and garden and can endanger crops, and damage your property.
If you’re struggling to control beavers in your area, or have even started noticing damage to your trees, crops, and even your home, then read on to find out how you can keep beavers away.
Keep in mind that this article focuses on prevention, rather than fixing a beaver problem. If you’re dealing with a persistent beaver problem, and are requiring beaver removal, the best choice is probably to call a professional wildlife removal company, as they’ll know what to do.
- Put up a fence. Or several.
If you’re worried about beaver damage to your trees or garden, then why not put up a fence around these items? A great option for fencing against beavers is woven wire mesh, attached to metal rods or poles.
A great thing about this type of fencing is that it’s not rigid, and can be molded to fit any type of plant, tree, and so on, without taking up additional space.
- Change up your plants.
What you want to remember here is that beavers are notorious omnivores, and are most likely bothering you because they’ve found a plant they really like. So sometimes, beaver prevention may be as simple as just removing that plant.
Beavers feed on small herbaceous twigs, and some of their favorite snacks include maple, cottonwood, willows, poplar, aspen, birch, and alder trees. While this may limit your options for trees to quite a serious extent, simply removing these types of bark from your property can make a huge difference for your beaver situation. Alternatively, you may also want to cut down on some of your favorite crops, as these may also be what’s attracting the beavers. Crops like soybean, corn, and peanuts are all highly yummy for beavers, and may well be what’s causing an invasion on your property.
- Remove shrubs and plants…
… only from around the water. If there is a pond or some other open water form that beavers might inhabit on your property, you may want to cut down any shrubs or plants from the edge of the water. Clearing the trees and shrubs from around a water form can significantly reduce the beaver population on your property, so that’s worth trying if you’re worried about beaver invasions.
- Water leveling solutions.
If you’ve got a water source nearby, and beavers are causing a ruckus, you may also want to look into popular water leveling solutions. These are great, as they maintain the water at the desired level, without raising suspicion from the beavers. Perhaps even more importantly, commercial water leveling solutions work without damaging the beavers or their dams, which is definitely something you want to avoid, since beavers are, as we saw, beneficial for the environment.
- You can try beaver repellents.
While some people have had moderate success using DIY beaver repellents like ammonia, garlic, mothballs, and the live, most experts will tell you that beaver repellents aren’t overly effective for this purpose.
Generally, the only successful beaver repellent you can use is predator urine (which will also serve to keep other wildlife away). Common beaver predators include foxes, coyotes, or even dogs, and their respective urine can be purchased at specialty stores, or online.
If the beaver smells the urine, they’ll assume a predator is nearby, and avoid your property.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]