Hoytvectrix
5 year old buck +
It is pretty obvious that EHD is location and weather dependent. Last year was a particularly hard year for EHD in our neck of the woods in northern Missouri. We own a few properties along the same creek and in sections of this creek beavers have begun to dam it up and slow the water movement down.
I've been debating with my brothers and our neighbors about whether the beavers might encourage or discourage the frequency of EHD. In one sense, they slow water movement down so there are more opportunities of water to pool up. Maybe this slowing of water movement down also creates opportunities for the midges? The pools would also allow fish and other creatures that feed on the midges to be able to survive the drought periods, possibly cancelling the negative impacts of slow/stagnant water.
Depending on your property and your goals, beavers could certainly be a nuisance, but I'd be curious if anyone has any thoughts on what they might mean for EHD.
I've been debating with my brothers and our neighbors about whether the beavers might encourage or discourage the frequency of EHD. In one sense, they slow water movement down so there are more opportunities of water to pool up. Maybe this slowing of water movement down also creates opportunities for the midges? The pools would also allow fish and other creatures that feed on the midges to be able to survive the drought periods, possibly cancelling the negative impacts of slow/stagnant water.
Depending on your property and your goals, beavers could certainly be a nuisance, but I'd be curious if anyone has any thoughts on what they might mean for EHD.