Beavers in Winston-Salem
Beavers are the largest rodents in Winston-Salem. They have thick fur, webbed feet, and scale-covered tails. Their powerful jaws and teeth allow them to use trees in order to build homes and dams, often changing their environment in ways few other animals can. Beavers don’t just build homes from trees, but they eat them as well. Beavers are one of the few mammals that can digest cellulose, a major component of their diet.
Beaver Habitat
Beavers require water to survive and live in or around freshwater ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes, and swamps. Beavers build dams across streams to create a pond where they can build a “beaver lodge” to live and raise their young. Lodges are little dome-shaped houses made from woven sticks, grasses, and moss plastered with mud. Beavers live in family units called colonies, which range in size from two to eight beavers.
Beaver Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers
Beavers are problematic to humans as a result of their behavioral tendency to gnaw and fell trees as they build dams in water systems and cause flooding. Beaver dams have been responsible for water systems overflowing their banks and causing flooding. They also destroy woody plants and their favorites include willow, maple, poplar, beech, birch, alder, and aspen trees. If you are having an issue with beavers, it is best to consult a professional wildlife control company for removal.
