Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

Reproduction Inhibitors For Bird Control, M. R. Woulfe

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 4th (1970)

Reproduction inhibitors are intended to maintain or control a population at a desired level; toxicants aim at elimination of the population. Azocosterol hydrochloride (SC-12937; 20,25-diazocholestenol dihydrochloride) is a long acting inhibitor of ovulation in the pigeon (Columba liyia) by interfering with cholesterol synthesis and egg yolk formation. Corn impregnated with SC-12937 at the 0.1% level by weight and fed for 10 days has been found to inhibit or diminish reproduction for 5-6 months. Population turnover rate, mortality and longevity of the feral urban pigeon are also discussed.

House Finch (Linnet) Control In California, Thomas K. Palmer

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 4th (1970)

The house finch or linnet, Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis (Say) is a protected migratory nongame bird indigenous to California and found abundantly in all but the northern and mountainous areas. These finches attack more than twenty different crops and damage is demonstrated by fruit pecks, seed removal, and disbudding. When house finches cause agricultural damage control measures must be carried out under the general supervision of a county agricultural commissioner. Control practices involve the use of toxic baits, trap-decoy stations, and bio-acoustical devices. Most importantly, these control methods have been demonstrated to be safe, selective, and successful when employed by persons …

Importation Of Wildlife, Holger S. Larsen

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 4th (1970)

The importation of live birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians into the United States is a growing problem to law enforcement agencies of the Federal and State governments. Importation of the above types of animals into the United States is supervised by the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, of the U. S. Department of the Interior. The function is of a regulatory nature: 1. to insure that no prohibited species enter the United States; 2. to enforce compliance with certain Federal Acts such as (a) the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, (b) the Lacey Act, Title 18 USC, Sec. 42, …

Current Work On Bird Hazards To Aircraft, Victor E. F. Solman

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 4th (1970)

Collisions between birds and aircraft have caused loss of human life and millions of dollars worth of property damage. The advent of even larger planes may reduce airframe damage, but it seems doubtful that engine damage will be significantly reduced. Dealing with the problem biologically, involves combating the hazards caused both by birds on or near the ground at airfields, and by birds on mass migrations at altitudes up to several thousand feet above ground. Airports can be designed or altered to minimize their attraction to birds. The chance arrival of a flock of birds must be treated as an …

The Organisation Of Rabbit Control (Oryctolagus Cuniculus) In Western Australia, A. R. Tomlinson, C. D. Gooding

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 4th (1970)

ABSTRACT: Under Western Australian legislation, landholders have an obligation to control rabbits on their properties; local authorities the responsibility to supervise their work whilst the Agriculture Protection Board has a Statewide supervisory and co-ordination role. Prior to 1950 (when the Agriculture Protection Board was formed) the central role was in the hands of a Government department which, through lack of staff and money was unable to provide adequate supervision, and rabbits were in plague proportions. Since 1950, the Board has actively engaged in a vigorous policy aimed at tighter control and supervision. To enable this, the Board has entered into …

Rodenticides - Problems And Current Research, F. P. Rowe, J. H. Greaves, R. Redfern, A. D. Martin

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 4th (1970)

Regarded from both the economic and health aspects, the control of rodents is a pressing world wide problem. Continued improvements in food storage facilities, crop husbandry and environmental control are likely to do much in the long-term to help reduce rodent populations and damage. Looking ahead again, it is possible that biological control methods involving for example the use of reproduction inhibitors or rodent predators or diseases may ultimately be developed for rodent control purposes. In the immediate future however it is likely that rodent control operations will continue to be based on the use of rodenticides.

A Permanent Type Poison Station For Porcupine Control, William A. Neitro

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 4th (1970)

A method has been devised to protect the poison strychnine-salt blocks used in controlling porcupines, Erethizon dorsatum, from the weather, killing of non-target animals and vandalism. An aluminum poison bait station has been developed which is light weight, durable, camouflaged, and safe. These structures are easily constructed and are relatively inexpensive when longevity is considered. Porcupines are controlled effectively and economically using this method

Conference Participants -- 4th Vertebrate Pest Conference,

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 4th (1970)

The Fourth Vertebrate Pest Conference was the largest ever, with 275 registered participants and an estimated additional 50 to 75 persons who attended portions of the conference but did not register. The attendance was made up of individuals having varying interests in vertebrate pest problems, including foresters, agriculturalists, conservationists, pest control operators, vector control specialists, health officials, wildlife specialists, product distributors and manufacturers, instructors and researchers from twenty nine states plus the District of Columbia. Participants from Canada, England, Germany and Japan provided an international touch which contributed greatly to the success of the conference.

Carbamate Baits Discourage Blackbirds From Using Feedlots, Paul P. Woronecki, Joseph L. Guarino, Jerome F. Besser, John W. De Grazio

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 4th (1970)

Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) have been discouraged from using cattle feedlots near Denver, Colorado, by baiting alleys with cracked corn treated with an aversion-producing immobi1izing agent, DRC-736 [4-(methylthio)-3,5-xylyl N-methylcarbamate]. In three studies, large populations of redwings were reduced 70% - 98% within a few days and protection lasted about a month. In a fourth study, simultaneous baiting of three heavily used feedlots reduced redwing use by more than 90% within hours and was apparently responsible for these birds abandoning their roost and relocating in areas where they caused little trouble. Mortality was low (less than 5% of affected redwings in …

Closing Remarks - Fourth Vertebrate Pest Conference, Rex E. Marsh

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 4th (1970)

On behalf of the California Vertebrate Pest Committee, which sponsors these conferences, I wish to thank all of the speakers for their contribution to the program and the session chairmen who kept the meeting moving so smoothly. We would like to extend a special thanks to the speakers and participants who have come from other countries to share with us some of their knowledge concerning vertebrate pest problems and their solutions. Hopefully, the acquaintances made here and the exchange of information with our colleagues from distant places will be the beginning of long-lasting friendships and will foster better communications between …

Surfactants As Blackbird Stressing Agents, Paul W. Lefebvre, John L. Seubert

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 4th (1970)

Applications of wetting-agent solutions produce mortality in birds. The exact cause of death is undetermined, but it is believed that destruction of the insulating qualities of the plumage permits ambient cold temperatures and evaporation to lower the body temperature to a lethal level. The original concept of using these materials as bird-control tools was developed in 1958 at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, Laurel, Maryland. Early field trials by personnel of the Division of Wildlife Services and the Denver Wildlife Research Center indicated that ground-application techniques had promise, but limitations of the equipment precluded …

Closing Remarks - Third Vertebrate Pest Conference, Richard H. Dana

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

The record of this meeting will stand as a tribute to all of those who participated in the Third Vertebrate Pest Conference. It should remind them for years to come of their worthwhile contributions.

Opening Remarks - Third Vertebrate Pest Conference, Maynard W. Cummings

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

To open this Third Vertebrate Pest Conference is a real privilege. It is a pleasure to welcome all of you in attendance, and I know there are others who would like to be meeting with us, but, for one reason or another cannot be. However, we can serve them by taking back the results of discussion and by making available the printed transactions of what is said here. It has been the interest and demand for the proceedings of the two previous conferen- ces which, along with personal contacts many of you have with the sponsoring committee, have gauged the …

Proceedings: Third Vertebrate Pest Conference -- Frontmatter & Contents

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

Sponsored by the California Vertebrate Pest Technical Committee

Maynard W. Cummings - Chairman

Richard H. Dana - Vice Chairman

Rex E. Marsh - Secretary-Treasurer

GENERAL CHAIRMAN OF CONFERENCE - Maynard W. Cummings, Assistant State Director, Agricultural Extension Service, University of California, Davis, California. VICE-CHAIRMAN OF CONFERENCE - Richard H. Dana, Vertebrate Pest Control Specialist, California Department of Agriculture, Sacramento, California. PROGRAM CHAIRMAN - Charles C. Siebe, Vertebrate Pest Control Specialist, California Department of Agriculture, Sacramento, California. PUBLICITY CHAIRMAN - Rex E. Marsh, Associate Specialist, Department of Animal Physiology, University of California, Davis, California. ARRANGEMENTS CHAIRMAN - Jerry P. Clark, Agricultural …

Aircraft As A Means Of Baiting Ground Squirrels, Rex E. Marsh

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

Aircraft might soon become an important tool for baiting ground squirrels (Citellus beecheyi beecheyi and C. b. fisheri) on California rangeland. Until recently, almost all squirrel control has been conducted by the hand-baiting method, with grain bait scattered from horseback in spoon-size amounts near squirrel burrows. Ground squirrels are considered a major pest of rangeland in many parts of the West. They not only compete with livestock for forage but also are responsible for substantial losses to cereal and other crops. The magnitude of the problem is exemplified by the fact that, in California alone, over 6,000,000 gross acres of …

Problems In County-Wide Rodent Control Programming, Loring White

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

Vertebrate pest control is recognized and sanctioned as a legitimate function of county government in California, not only by statute but also by a century of tradition. This is an anomaly. Ordinarily, regulatory agricultural pest control programs are part of our plant quarantine system, undertaken against newly introduced pests or those which are not of common occurrence. Programs against vertebrate pests, on the other hand, are carried on where the species involved are common, usually are abundant and often are indigenous. The reason for this lies buried in a bit of history that is very pertinent to my subject.

The Current Status Of Plague In California, Keith F. Murray

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

At the first Vertebrate Pest Control Conference in 1964, I traced the history of plague control in California and outlined a revised approach, based on newer concepts of plague ecology. In our state of relative ignorance, this required a number of unproved assumptions about plague occurrence in California that verged on crystal ball gazing. These were principally that (1) plague persists in relatively resistant rodent species in certain favorable locations, (2) ground squirrels and chipmunks experience periodic epizootics, but are not permanent reservoirs, (3) plague "foci" of the past were merely sites of conspicuous epizootics, they did not necessarily correspond …

The Current Status Of Wild Animal Rabies In California, George L. Humphrey

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

During the 15-years 1952-1966, a total of 3504 cases of animal rabies were reported in California, an average of over 230 cases annually (Table 1). Of these 3504 cases, 2255 or nearly 65 percent were reported in wildlife species. An estimate sometimes used is that for every reported or recognized case of wild animal rabies, 10 cases probably occurred without recognition. Using the foregoing "rule-of-thumb", it can be hypothesized that during the 15-years 1952-1966, an estimated 22,600 or more cases of wildlife rabies occurred in California. The addition of the over 1200 cases of rabies reported in domestic animals during …

Good Practice In Vertebrate Pest Control, Philip J. Spear

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

Good practice in pest control is a responsibility of several elements in our democratic, free-enterprise society. Most notably, these are: (1) the general public, (2) responsible government agencies and (3) industry. Before I comment about the responsibilities of each of these three groups, let me tell you about the work of structural pest control operators and their interests in vertebrate pest control. The pest control industry which I discussed in detail at the Second Vertebrate Pest Control Conference (1) continues to grow and expand its fields of activity. At the present time, it is our estimate (2) that 26,700 persons …

Review Of Animal Repellents, Jack F. Welch

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

A review of the literature on this subject reveals there is considerable confusion regarding the meaning of the word "repellent" as it relates to animal control. Some people make a liberal interpretation and include any material or device that will alter the pattern of activity of an animal through response to sight, sound, taste, odor, or touch. Although such an interpretation may be valid, for this paper I would like to confine my discussion to "chemical repellents" -- materials that, when applied to seeds, plants, or other materials being damaged by animals, will reduce depredation through taste, odor, or possibly …

Animal Control - Progress, Problems And Professionalism, Robert M. Sutton Jr.

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

I want to take some liberty with my title as it is rather general. Specifically, I want to discuss some matters of mutual concern, and I will touch lightly upon our Division's activities and the status of our reorganization and redirection. In so doing, I do not propose to rehash the several talks that have been previously given and the papers written on what's new in animal control. Rather, I shall use this opportunity to examine a few problems that confront our Division, and in many cases, that confront everyone concerned with vertebrate pest control. We are now, in a …

Rats, Bombs, And Paradise - The Story At Eniwetok, William B. Jackson

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

At Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands, rats have been involved in an intriguing story. Polynesian rats were probably the only rodents present until after World War 11 when roof rats were brought in along with supplies and equipment for the atomic test program in the late 40's or early 50's. Some islets of the atoll, originally covered with coconut plantations, were denuded by heat, shock, and tidal waves following the detonation of devices. Initially radiation levels were high, but radioactive decay and dilution reduced the radiation hazard, and today the background radiation is well within the safe range. Many …

Blackbirds - Depredation, Research And Control In Ohio And The Midwest, Thomas M. Stockdale

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

The earliest settlers in Ohio and the Midwest suffered losses to birds. First it was animal losses to birds of prey, then crop losses to passenger pigeons. Today it is blackbirds! In 1900, F. E. L. Beal conducted an analysis of the digestive tracts of blackbirds collected in the Midwest and found that the preferred food in the summer months was soft seeds. A similar study which I conducted on redwinged blackbirds in 1959 showed that 90% of their diet was composed of soft seeds, primarily milk and dough stage corn during the late summer and early fall. Presently we …

Blackbird Damage Control With Chemical Frightening Agents, Paul P. Woronecki, Joseph L. Guarino, John W. De Grazio

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

Birds involved in damage or nuisance situations also have beneficial qualities, and most species are protected by State and Federal laws. Programs designed to alleviate bird problems, particularly those involving blackbirds, should first seek to discourage the birds from using problem areas and not to eliminate populations by direct reductional control. Habitat manipulation and mechanical frightening devices are useful techniques for discouraging bird activity, but certain chemical frightening agents have distinct advantages in some situations. We have found these agents particularly effective when used to control blackbird damage. Chemical frightening agents can be divided into two groups, the lethal and …

Measuring Bird Damage To Corn, John T. Linehan

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

When corn is damaged by birds, kernels are eaten or "milked" and the affected ears are left with fewer intact kernels. The resulting damage, or loss, can be expressed in terms of the number, weight, volume, or value of the kernels that were removed or pecked. Assessment of loss thus frequently entails measuring, counting, or estimating from evidence of kernels lost. Estimates of loss resulting from the activity of birds should express the difference in value between a crop grown under the conditions that prevail and the value under the hypothetical condition of no adverse bird activity. To offset the …

Blackbird Behavior, Gordon W. Boudreau

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

A knowledge and understanding of a bird's habits and behavior patterns is prerequisite to any intelligent approach toward solving problems created by that species. This also applies to associated species commonly observed with it. Since my subject today is blackbirds I will confine my observations to species in this group, particularly red-winged blackbirds. The Red-Winged Blackbird, (Agelaius phoeniceus) is numerically and economically the most important. Several sub-species or races are recognized and in California the most important of these is the Bi-colored Blackbird, (A. p. californica). The ranges of subspecies commonly overlap, particularly in the Southeast, and field identification is …

Population Control Of Herring Gulls By The Embryocide, Sudan Black*, David K. Wetherbee

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

The purpose of this experiment was to test the application of a biochemical method proposed to control the hatching of herring gull (Larus argentatus) eggs in a wild population. Sophistication was considered in terms of practicality, effectiveness, selectivity, economy, humaneness, remote application and hazards to and in the environment. The herring gull, which at the turn of the century was unknown as a breeding bird in northeastern United States, now nests abundantly along the Atlantic coast as far south as Virginia. Its phenomenal increase in numbers has resulted in conflicts with several human interests, including competition with other desirable nesting …

Control Of Nuisance Pests In Suburbia, Howard A. Merrill

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

To a rancher or high-rise apartment dweller, problems with vertebrate pests in suburbia may seem insignificant. But when one stops to consider that last year over 2 million acres of farmland were converted into urban and industrial use, then it takes a different perspective. Some mammals are protected—game animals and fur bearers are usually protected by Fish and Game Departments. Cottontail rabbits, deer, and tree squirrels are examples of game animals, and muskrats, foxes, badgers, and raccoons are examples of fur bearers. In California a number of birds and mammals have no protection; these are English sparrows, American or black-billed …

Birds And Airports, Erwin W. Pearson

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

For all practical purposes, research in this country on the problem of bird hazards to aircraft began in 1960 with the crash of an Electra turboprop that carried 62 people to their deaths and was attributed to ingestion of starlings into the engines. In this paper I intend to review the problem and present some of the answers found by investigators in this country and, to lesser extent, abroad. The discussion will be roughly divided into two parts: 1) what: causes the problem, when, and where; and 2) what has been and is being done at airfields to reduce it. …

Role Of The Agricultural Extension Service In Vertebrate Pest Control, Marvin D. Davis

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

Frankly, I often wonder what our role is in vertebrate pest control. It seems to me that we in A.E.S, are frequently treading in the "twilight zone" of pest control. This is because of the wide diversity of problems which arise within an area such as I represent. I feel it is most significant that our county was invited to cover the role of A.E.S. in vertebrate pest control and discuss the tremendous variations and considerations necessary to serve an urban/semi-urban to rural county. Those of you familiar with San Mateo County readily recognize the potential problems due to population …