Beavers are incredible engineers, capable of transforming landscapes overnight. While their dams create wetland habitats that benefit many species, their construction projects often conflict directly with human property.

In Jefferson County, beavers are active in waterways like Floyd’s Fork, Harrods Creek, and Beargrass Creek, as well as countless private ponds and drainage ditches. When a beaver decides to build a dam on your property, the consequences can be swift and expensive.

Why Do They Build Dams?

Beavers don’t live in the dam. They live in a lodge or a bank burrow. They build dams to create a deep-water pond.

• Safety: Beavers are clumsy on land but agile in water. Deep water allows them to swim to food sources without being exposed to predators like coyotes.
• Food Storage: They store branches underwater (a “food cache”) to eat during the winter when the surface freezes. The water must be deep enough so the cache doesn’t freeze into the ice.
• Underwater Entrance: They need the water level high enough to cover the underwater entrance to their lodge.

The Damage to Property

1. Flooding A beaver dam can raise the water level of a creek by several feet in a matter of days.

• Yards and Basements: Water can back up into backyards, flood basements, and saturate crawl spaces.
• Septic Systems: Rising water tables can flood septic drain fields, causing sewage backups.
• Roads: Beavers are notorious for plugging culverts (pipes under roads). A plugged culvert acts like a perfect dam, washing out driveways and roadways.

2. Tree Loss Beavers eat the cambium layer (inner bark) of trees and use the wood for building.

• Felling: They can chew down a large tree overnight. They often target expensive ornamental trees or large hardwoods near the water.
• Girdling: Sometimes they just chew the bark all the way around the base, killing the tree standing.
• Safety Hazard: Chewed trees can fall on houses, fences, or power lines.

The Solution: Trapping vs. Breaking

Homeowners often try to solve the problem by breaking the dam with a shovel or a backhoe. This is almost always a waste of time.

Beavers are nocturnal workaholics. The sound of running water triggers their instinct to build. If you break a hole in the dam during the day, the beaver will hear the trickling water and repair it that night—often making it stronger than before.

Effective Control Strategy:

1. Trapping: The resident beavers must be removed first. We use humane underwater traps to catch the beavers.
2. Dam Removal: Once the animals are gone, the dam can be breached to lower the water level. This should be done gradually to avoid downstream flooding and siltation.
3. Exclusion (Beaver Deceivers): In some cases, where beavers cannot be permanently removed (like large public waterways), we can install flow devices. These are pipes installed through the dam that allow water to flow freely while tricking the beaver into thinking the dam is holding.
4. Tree Protection: Wrap the trunks of remaining trees with heavy wire mesh (hardware cloth) up to a height of 3-4 feet. Chicken wire is too weak.

Managing beavers requires a strategic approach. If you are losing trees or your yard is turning into a swamp, contact Critter Removal of Louisville.