Beavers and Overflows

Been doing a couple beaver jobs lately that the landowners are OK with the beavs just not ok with them blocking the overflow pipe. My solution is to trap the beavers and they go for it, everyone is happy except the beavers. Now I'm curious about these pond leveler devices. Does anyone use and recommend them?

NO

I have been using these with excellent success for more then 10 years. Like anything that is man made it requires some maintenance. I suggest that if you are interested in adding these to your business, you get and watch and video by Beaver Solutions. It can be found at Wildlife Control Supplies. My partners husband made it. It will tell you everything you need to know and is the best on the market. I suggest you offer a maintenance plan with it. These can make you good money over time. We do only beaver work full time through out New England. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Don LaFountain CWCP
Integrated Wildlife Control

Just to throw an unbiased opinion in for the video Don suggested. We were offered some work a couple of years back in line with this and wanted more info. Don is an awesome resource for this and the video is one of the best videos I've ever seen in terms of clearly explaining everything being done. It wasn't shot in the way we've all seen so many are where you might as well be on a roller coaster in terms of steadiness.

If I was going to do this type of work I'd be using this video resource and Don's years of experience to help me in any way possible.

I know everyone isn't into this type of thing and yes there are tools and techniques that can fail, but this is someone who makes a living doing this and is busy doing it every year!

There is a market for this even in states where traditional removal methods are available and acceptable.

Just .02

Justin

Don, touched on the main reason I am not in favor of them.

Maintenance. Maybe the culture is different in the New England states than it is down south but nobody down here is willing to pay someone to install much less maintain pond levelers. And if they do they think it's just a simple install without the need for maintenance.

Pond levelers do nothing to stop beaver reproduction and the spring dispersal so trapping is still required. Water still flows through levelers so beaver still plug them, the water doesn't back up as fast, and that's the rub with pond levelers.

The uneducated public is looking for and see pond levelers as one shot magic bullets to permanently solve beaver problems. Maybe we have failed to educate the public but most folks think wildlife issues can be dealt with on a case by case basis and fail to grasp the term wildlife management.

I was waiting for this. All you all down there in the south don't change your oil in your car either??
I had a DPW guy say the same thing as he was changing the fluids in his backhoe. What the !@#$% is wrong with you guys.
Think about it. TRAPPING IS JUST MAINTENANCE OF THE POPULATION. Here in the NE we sell sell sell our services and make an excellent living doing it. Charge what is best for the area you are in. We all live in different income areas. If they can pay for trapping services over and over and over when does that exceed the cost of a fence and maintenance service. From 15 years of first hand experience I can say very shortly.
I have the records to prove it
I knew this was going to be said and its one of the reason I stopped adding my 2 cents here, or is that to expensive?
My view from the box seats. Because I can afford them
Don LaFountain

Thank you Justin

Don, I'm not knocking you or your services. On the contrary I look forward to hearing from you and consider you a model for how beaver control should be done.

My issue is with the counties and road departments that got the circular out of Clemson and thought they finally had the solution and then went and jury rigged a facsimile and threw it into the swamp. They ended up with a bigger mess than they started with.

To me pond levelers are just a tool for use in certain conditions on specific sites. And then only with the understanding that is a part of a greater whole within the watershed and the watershed must be maintained to hope to reach an acceptable stasis.

Forgive me but when I get asked about pond levelers and dig a little into the questioner's understanding which led to the question I find that for many pond levelers are the equivalent of snake away and sonic bat repellers. Again probably my bad for failure to educate.

In my area every pond or lake is man made and typically 5 acres or less. Most are around 1-2 acres and built by blocking off a deep draw with a large earthen levee and a steel/pvc drain pipe in the middle. Im sure this is the standard construction around the country. I could see how the leveler devices wouldn't be beneficial to roadside drainages in my area(they prefer them to be dry if possible) but would be useful with most private ponds, although they are unsightly from the pictures I have seen so far on the net. How often do they typically need to be checked on or maintained? Thanks everyone for the replies.

Tyler

Warrior
I was not ranting at you just the thought put forward. Its been a lot of years hearing the same thing. As for what you said about the bad cheap installation, I see that all the time also. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Why is that so hard for these people to see. We do installations and offer maintenance agreements after one year. It took about years to sell the first one. I now have a proven track record to keep pushing them. I try to get every WCO to push for the same thing. Its what will keep these guys in business and our industry strong. I would push the sell and get rejected over and over and someday someone will listen. These things don't work everywhere, but where they do work they are great. Nothing is 100% so it goes. Like evey chimney needs a cap, I feel every culvert needs a fence. Easier to clean a fence then replace a culvert. Why is that so hard for so hard for the HWY guys to see? Because common sense is a lost art form.

Don LaFountain

Tyler
If you would like to send me some photos maybe I can help you.
don.iwc2011@gmail.com
Don LaFountain

Don, you are so right. I guess I'm just tired of hearing no when I tell a customer what they need isn't a one time trapping but a plan for the future. We got beaver everywhere here but no watershed plan to deal with them. We got one water authority doing half arse control to justify their positions and WS in bed with tax program agencies to keep the money flowing and highway departments sending half trained guys out to clear culverts. It's purely hit and miss with zero coordination. I keep seeing the same problem areas but no one is addressing the watersheds that keep producing these beaver.
If a few good beaver men could get access to entire watersheds alot of the wasted efforts and cross purpose would end.

Yes and NO .
They will work but are very tricky to install correctly and in my experience even harder to sell. People like the idea but don't like to pay and deep down most don't believe it will work. I experimented with several designs over the past 15 years. I found one that if done correctly will work. ( going on 8 years and still working )


In my area every pond or lake is man made and typically 5 acres or less. Most are around 1-2 acres and built by blocking off a deep draw with a large earthen levee and a steel/pvc drain pipe in the middle. Im sure this is the standard construction around the country. I could see how the leveler devices wouldn't be beneficial to roadside drainages in my area(they prefer them to be dry if possible) but would be useful with most private ponds, although they are unsightly from the pictures I have seen so far on the net. How often do they typically need to be checked on or maintained? Thanks everyone for the replies.

Beavers in any man made lake/pond need to be trapped completely out because when left alone long enough will tunnel the levee causing it to wash out.
For this reason I usually don't recommend a leveler here. (but there are exceptions , like a vast 1000+ acre swamp or lake that is over run with beavers. )

Tyler