It can. Here are some methods for you. Land that is well-drained and free of dense, weedy vegetation is generally unattractive to nutria. Use of other good farming practices, such as precision land leveling and weed management, can minimize nutria damage in agricultural areas.
Draining and Grading
Any drainage that holds water can be used by nutria as a travel route or home site. Consequently, eliminate standing water in drainages to reduce their attractiveness to nutria. This may be extremely difficult or impossible to accomplish in low-lying areas near coastal marshes and permanent bodies of water. Higher sites, such as those used for growing sugarcane and other crops, are better suited for this type of management.
On poorly drained soils, contour small ditches to eliminate low spots and sills and enhance rapid drainage. Use precision leveling on well-drained soils to eliminate small ditches that are occasionally used by nutria.
Grading and bulldozing can destroy active burrows in the banks of steep-sided ditches and waterways. In addition, contour bank slopes at less than 45° to discourage new burrowing. Sculpting rice field levees to make them gently sloping is similarly effective. Continued deep plowing of land undermined by nutria can destroy shallow burrow systems and discourage new burrowing activity.
Vegetation Control
Eliminate brush, trees, thickets, and weeds from fence lines and turn rows that are adjacent to ditches, drainages, waterways, and other wetlands to discourage nutria. Burn or remove cleared vegetation from the site. Brush piles left on the ground or in low spots can become ideal summer homes for nutria.
Water Level Manipulation
Many low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast are protected by flood control levees and pumps that can be used to manipulate water levels. By dropping water levels during the summer, stressful drought conditions that cause nutria to concentrate in the remaining aquatic habitat can be simulated, thus increasing competition for food and space, exposure to predators, and emigration to other suitable habitat. Raising water levels in winter will force nutria out of their burrows and expose them to the additional stresses of cold weather. Water level manipulation is expensive to implement and has not yet been proven to be effective. Nevertheless, this method should be considered when a comprehensive nutria control program is being developed.
Other Cultural Methods
Alternative field and garden sites should be considered in areas where nutria damage has occurred on a regular basis. New fields, gardens, and slab-on-grade buildings should be located as far as possible from drainages, waterways, and other water bodies where nutria live.
Late-planted bald cypress seedlings are less susceptible to damage by nutria than those planted in the spring. For this reason, plant unprotected seedlings in the early fall when alternative natural foods are readily available.
Resources: (online)
Nutria
