Living with Beavers
in Manitoba
A Bit About Beavers (Castor canadensis)
lodges and dams, and they all share food with each
other. Juvenile beavers leave their family units when
they are about two years old to form new colonies
- usually downstream.
Beavers are herbivores (plant eaters) and their diet
varies with the seasons. During the spring and summer,
beavers prefer aquatic plants and other tender green
plant shoots. As winter approaches, they become
increasingly dependent on woody vegetation and
will collect and stockpile green woody vegetation
extensively. They store this vegetation in an underwater
feed pile near their lodges, from which they will feed
over the winter. Beavers prefer hardwood tree species
such as poplar, birch, alder, maple, willows and their
particular favourite, trembling aspen.
Beavers are found throughout Manitoba, wherever
suitable aquatic habitats exist. They are typically
found in larger bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers,
streams, ponds and wetlands. Often, they also live
in roadside ditches, drainage ditches and sewage
ponds. However, as semi-aquatic animals, beavers
need a combination of wetland and upland habitats
to survive. Water gives them a location for shelter
(their lodges), protection from predators and a
place to store food, while land gives them food
and materials for building dams and lodges.
Beavers are social animals. They usually live in family
units, consisting of two to 12 animals, including the
parents, kits and yearlings born the previous spring.
All family members help to build and maintain
Beavers are well-known for the structures they build.
They create their own shelters, typically by constructing
a lodge formed from a pile of branches, sticks and
mud. Alternatively, they may create a bank den by
digging holes in the banks of a lake, pond, river, creek
or even ditch in which they live. The ability to build
beaver dams is an instinctive survival skill for the
species, which is stimulated by the sound of running
water. The dam forms a pond and stabilizes the level
of a flowing body of water to the beaver family’s
preference. This pond provides protection from
predators, and because it usually doesn’t freeze
to the bottom during winter, provides access to
the food supply they’ve stored underwater.
Beaver Benefits
Human-Beaver Conflicts
Beavers provide many ecological,
economic and aesthetic benefits.
Conflicts with beavers can happen if their eating habits or dam/den
building cause damage or flooding on people’s property (ex: trees,
fences, roads and crops) or when they transmit disease to people.
• Beavers create significant riparian
and wetland habitats that support
a variety of wildlife. For example,
resident wildlife use beaver
ponds as a water source.
• Many migratory birds rely on
these critical wetlands for
nesting and foraging areas.
• Increased wildlife in the area
means hunting and wildlife
viewing opportunities increase.
• The deeper pools of water
formed behind beaver dams
can often support year-round
fish populations, leading to food
sources for many mammal and
bird species and increased
fishing opportunities for people.
How can I protect my trees?
Several methods are available to protect your trees from beaver
damage. These methods include tree wrapping, fencing and abrasive
tree painting. Tree wrapping involves using wire mesh fencing to form
a cylinder around the base of the tree. You can use an abrasive paint
mixture (mason sand mixed with exterior latex paint) to keep beavers
from gnawing on mature trees, not saplings. However, abrasive
painting may not be as effective as the tree wrapping technique.
If a number of trees need protection in a reasonably small area,
it may be more cost-effective to fence around the stand of trees.
Because beavers are good diggers, the entire fence must be installed
in contact with the ground, so there are no gaps for the beavers to
exploit. For uneven terrain, or a more pleasing look, you can build
electrified fencing at a height of 10 centimetres above the ground.
• Beaver-created wetlands retain
water for the area in which
they’re located. The storage
area and resulting vegetation
act as a filtration system that
traps sediments and improves
water quality.
• These wetlands can maintain
more surface water over a longer
period of time, which improves
access to water for livestock
and helps with drought resilience
for farm production. The sediment
left behind when the beavers
abandon the area can increase
the soil fertility in the
resulting meadow.
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Abrasive Tree Paint
Abrasive Tree Paint Close-up
Tree Wrap
Tree Wrap Close-up
What can I do about beaver dams causing unwanted
flooding damage to my property?
You can consider two options for beaver dam
management when beaver activities are flooding
your property: installing a pond leveler or removing
the dam. In both cases, you need authorization
from Manitoba Sustainable Development before
undertaking these activities. Contact your local
Manitoba Sustainable Development district office
to request authorization. You need to provide a
legal land description of where the dam
management activity is to occur.
A pond leveler reduces and maintains pond water
to a desired level. It can be inserted through a beaver
dam or a culvert. The multiple holes on the pond
lever intake end allow for the slow, quiet movement
of water, and discourage damming behaviour by
a beaver. Because beaver damming behaviour is
stimulated by the sound of running water, studies have
shown that by removing that sound, the beaver is not
motivated to build or repair a dam. The screened
intake area of the leveler keeps debris out and
discourages plugging. However, the device may
need some maintenance to ensure the screened
intake area stays sufficiently clear of debris to
allow adequate water-flow.
Removing a beaver dam is generally a temporary
solution and should only be considered after other
techniques have been tried, or if they are unsuitable
for the area. In most cases, removing a dam will
also mean the beavers associated with the dam will
need to be removed. If dam removal is necessary,
it is important to exercise extreme caution to prevent
downstream flooding, damage to natural habitats
and property damage. If you remove a dam, you
may be held liable for any property damage that
occurs downstream because of your actions.
You will need a permit to remove a dam. Further,
if activities are to be conducted on Crown land,
a Crown Land Work Permit may also be required.
Consult your local Manitoba Sustainable
Development district office to find out what
permits and conditions apply.
Federal laws require that projects do not cause
serious harm to fish. If you are considering beaver
dam management activities on fish-bearing waters,
consult with the federal Department of Fisheries,
Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard to ensure you
are complying with all federal regulations:
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/pnw-ppe/index-eng.html
Installed Leveler
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What can I do to prevent or clear beaver blockage in a culvert?
In Manitoba, clearing beaver debris from a culvert
does not require prior authorization. Once cleared,
or for culverts with a high potential for beaver
blockage, installation of a beaver deceiver or
pond leveler is recommended. Numerous design
options for both devices are available. Where site
conditions allow, the most effective beaver
deceiver is the trapezoidal (four-sided) fencing
system, with a minimum total length of 14 metres,
plus a top and bottom side. You should also think
about the substrate on which the deceiver will be
installed. If it’s on uneven ground, leveling the
ground will allow for easier installation.
This type of beaver deceiver is generally
built on-site and adjusted as needed
to meet the site’s requirements.
WATER FLOW
CULVERT
Diagram of a trapezoidal (four-sided) Beaver Deceiver showing the fencing above the water line.
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Why not live trap and relocate
beavers?
Relocating trapped beavers can create a new set of
problems for the beavers, other wildlife and people:
• Beavers may be released in an area where other
beavers already live.The resident beavers may attack
and seriously injure or kill the relocated beavers.
• Relocated beavers may carry diseases to wildlife
in the release area.
• Trapping and relocating animals late in the season
may not leave them enough time to build their lodges
and store enough food to survive the winter, leaving
them vulnerable to death by starvation or exposure.
• The relocated beavers may cause conflicts
with new, surrounding landowners.
For more information about managing human-beaver
conflicts, please visit www.manitoba.ca/human-wildlife
and click on Beaver.
What is the Growing
Assurance – Farmland Beaver
Damage Control Program?
This program provides funds to rural municipalities,
Northern Affairs Community Councils and First
Nation Community Band Councils for assistance in
preventing beaver flooding damage to agricultural
land. Eligible program activities include beaver
removal, beaver dam removal and the construction
and installation of pond levelers and beaver
deceivers. The Farmland Beaver Damage Control
program is funded through Growing Forward 2,
a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
For access to the program application, and for
more information about the Growing Assurance –
Farmland Beaver Damage Control Program,
please visit www.manitoba.ca/agriculture
and click on Growing Forward 2.
What can I do to prevent transmission of disease from beavers
to people?
Beavers may carry parasites and diseases such as
tularemia and giardia (commonly known as beaver fever)
that can be transmitted to humans. It is recommended
that you take proper precautions when you’re in contact
with beavers or the waters in which they may be found.
Use good quality rubber gloves when you’re handling
beavers and thoroughly wash your hands with soap
and water after handling beavers or coming into
contact with water where they may be present.
Do not consume water in which beavers may be found,
without having first boiled it for a minimum of one minute
or ensuring it has been adequately filtered or chemically
treated. If you suspect you may have become infected,
see your doctor or health care provider.
For more information on communicable disease control,
please visit:
www.manitoba.ca/health/publichealth/cdc/index.html
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