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Control of Small Mammal Pests. Bruce Warburton, Graham Nugent, Phil Cowan, Penny Fisher. Where did the programme come from?. Multi-Species Pest Control Programme Developing a Local Elimination strategy Optimising aerial application of 1080 Detection and mop-up (Chewcards)
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Control of Small Mammal Pests Bruce Warburton, Graham Nugent,Phil Cowan, Penny Fisher
Where did the programme come from? • Multi-Species Pest Control Programme • Developing a Local Elimination strategy • Optimising aerial application of 1080 • Detection and mop-up (Chewcards) • Stoat species-specific toxins and stoat baits • DNA applications for wildlife management • Invasive ants (biology and control) Graham Nugent Grant Morriss
Control of Small Mammal Pests$444K – 3 years Obj 1: • What application of bait (amount, frequency anddistribution) reliably puts all individuals at risk for least cost? • How can conventional control be best integrated with RHD to develop effective integrated pest management? Obj 2: • What are the residue profiles and pathways of pesticides (especially the anticoagulants) in wildlife species and livestock? • What is the extent of genetic and behavioural resistance to anticoagulant toxins (rats and mice)? Penny Fisher
Why rabbits? • Carrot bait: • 2000-2006: None (or very little) 1080 carrot bait used. • 2007: 125 tonnes • : 790 tonnes • : 685 tonnes • (Data provided by G. Sullivan, Ecan.)
Environmental fate of pesticides (Penny Fisher) Aim: To develop a national database of residues in wildlife: (Monitor environmental contamination & linking use patterns to research of adverse effects). • Hawks as environmental indicators: • ‘Top of the food chain’ predator/scavenger • Opportunistic collection of road-killed hawks • Building tissue sample bank for analysis of pesticide residues • e.g. anticoagulant rodenticides, agricultural herbicides & insecticides, and persistent contaminants
Invertebrates & anticoagulant residues Some invertebrates eat bait & cantransfer anticoagulant residues toinsectivores/environment. • Research questions: • How long do arthropods & molluscs retain anticoagulant residues in their bodies? • Lab trials with locusts & snails • Do larval stages retain anticoagulant residues through metamorphosis to adult stage? • Lab trials using mealworms as an invert model
Anticoagulant resistance in Rats(Phil Cowan & Dianne Gleeson) • Anticoagulant resistance in rodents has been detected in many countries. • A gene (VKORC1) codes for a protein in the vitamin K complex (coagulation mechanism). • Resistance is linked to a single mutation of the tyrosine aminoacid at position139 in the VKORC1 gene. • Rat populations in NZ are being screened for this mutation using PCR (Ecogene, Auckland) andfor additional mutations of the VKORC1 gene.
Behavioral avoidance by mice(Brian Hopkins) • Inconsistent kills of mice in 1080 operations • Mice can detect 1080 in baits • Pilot trials of prefed micro-encapsulated 1080 showed 100% efficacy • Further trials planned to determine optimum pre-feed and toxic loading conditions Scanning Electron Microscope images of microcapsules (N=6) against mice in two-choice trials over 2 days
Other Landcare ResearchFRST-funded vertebrate pest projects Control of Small Mammal Pests Invasive Mammal Impacts Nga Manu images Species-selective toxins(Brian Hopkins: $311K) Possums and mice Possum biocontrol (immunocontraception) Stops Oct 2010 • Sustaining TB freedom (Graham Nugent: $444K) • Simultaneous application of toxins and vaccines • Using spatially explicit data for POF