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Beavers cause great chewing damage to trees

An electric fence to deter beavers? These rodents are particularly and strictly protected in line with the Federal Nature Conservation law. Beavers are also listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive, meaning that you must comply with certain protective provisions. Nature conservation authorities, beaver managers and beaver consultants can provide information on the legal requirements and possible support measures for the use of an electric fence as a preventive measure against damage.

In many places, the damage caused by beavers is an issue: chewing damage to trees, the construction of beaver dams in sensitive flood areas, the construction of tunnels under fields and dams or even railway lines. In addition, these rodents cause chewing and moisture damage to agricultural crops (food crops, fruit, vegetables, special crops) or even damage to fish farm ponds.

Bevorzugt werden gewässernah gelegene Maisfelder durch Biber geschädigt.

Electric fences have been successfully used to ward off beavers for many years now, keepingm them away from arable land and gardens and to prevent new or rebuilt beaver dams.

Beavers prefer to damage maize fields close to water.

Beaver defence fence

White-blue TopLine Plus fence wire
Blue TopLine Plus fence tape
Fence connection cable with alligator clips
Warning sign
Signal light
Insulators

Our product tips for beaver defence

We know from practical experience that a 12 V AKO battery unit with a fence voltage of around 3000 to 4000 volts and a pulse energy of 1 Joule to around 4 Joules is sufficient for supplying the power to a two-wire fence. Optimum earthing must be ensured.

AKO plastic posts with a total height of 70 cm (with ground nails) at intervals of around 5 m are used to construct the fence. A wooden post is driven in at the corners to be able to tension the wires and insulators screwed in. To prevent the construction of a new dam, two AKO fibreglass posts, preferably with two height-adjustable plastic eyelets, are sunk as deep as possible into the base of the body of water or the beaver dam above the removed or worn out beaver dam. The fence should be continued for 5 to 10 m on the banks above and below the dam. Two any colour AKO TopLine Plus fence tapes should be attached at 10 and max. 30 cm from the ground, the dam or water surface and electrified.

Important:
the electric fence should be set up along the water course. At the ends of the agricultural land to be protected, it is continued for 20 to 30 m at a right angle (U-shape). This prevent beavers from circumventing the fence. If they undermine it, you must set up the electric fence around the exit.

Please note:
it is essential to consider uneven terrain (either lift the lowest wire or pull it down with an additional post). As the lower wire is so close to the ground, special attention must be paid to ensure that vegetation is kept short along the fence. In general, but especially when it comes to water, never forget to set up warning signs. It is usually sufficient to energise the electric fence for one to two weeks. Beavers will then keep away from the protected areas for some time.

“Beavers are very flexible vegetarians and tend to help themselves wherever agriculture ‘provides’ energy-rich crops. An electric fence can help to avoid damage and prevent beavers tunnelling under the arable land used for food or building dams in smaller trenches. It’s very effective – beavers are wet when they come out of the water. Electric fences can also be used to prevent the building of new dams or to keep beavers out of gardens.”

GERHARD SCHWAB – M.Sc. Wildlife biologist, BN-Beaver Manager Southern Bavaria