Beavers can be seen as a cute and mammal version of the little engine that could, go-getters who take down small chunks of forest and build themselves a tiny mansion with their own hands/paws. But, beavers can also be seen as North Carolina’s largest rodent that puts some homes and properties at risk by building dams that can cause severe flooding or just be a general nuisance to the property owners.

The average adult beaver weighs between 35 to 40 pounds, and large beavers of 70 pounds have been reported, and when they reach approximately 2.5 years old, they mate for life (ok, it’s kind of cute that they get “married” and build a home together).

Impact: Beavers leave an impact in two ways – flooding and taking down trees.

•      Flooding: Beaver’s dams can cause flooding, especially in agricultural fields and residential areas. Flooding can become a crisis after unusually heavy rain or a snowmelt that brings on water that has nowhere to go.

o   Sometimes, dams don’t just show up on ponds or creeks – sometimes beavers will dam large drainage ditches, which can be devastating to a home once the ditch suddenly overflows.

•      Trees: Beavers destroy timber by felling trees. The good news is that damage to trees in urban and suburban areas is likely to be noticed before it becomes critical but maybe not before a valuable tree or two have been lost.

o   Operators of commercial forests, especially in the southeast United States, attribute millions of dollars of timber loss annually to beavers.

o   It’s possible, if not unlikely, that a beaver felled tree can fall on a home, causing damage and even risking injury.

Dealing With Beavers

One effective way to manage beavers is to take away elements of a habitat they find attractive. If you have a farm pond on your Johnston County property, consider taking down trees that border the pond. Without timber to build their dam, beavers will likely settle elsewhere.

What’s the most effective way to handle beavers? Contact a licensed trapper to trap and remove the animals. You can find a list of licensed trappers for North Carolina at this link, provided by the N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission. This list has a drop down menu for many animals in the state, not just beavers, making it a valuable resource for people in the piedmont whose suburban homes are bordered by wooded areas or undeveloped land.

If you’ve got a problem with beavers damaging your property or putting your home at risk of flooding, give Critter Control a call at 919-382-0651, and we’ll come out and provide humane and safe eviction of the animal.