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Control of Small Mammal Pests

This program focuses on developing integrated strategies for controlling small mammal pests, including stoats, rats, mice, and rabbits. It includes research on bait application, residue profiles of pesticides, genetic and behavioral resistance to toxins, and environmental monitoring of pesticide residues.

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Control of Small Mammal Pests

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  1. Control of Small Mammal Pests Bruce Warburton, Graham Nugent,Phil Cowan, Penny Fisher

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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.)

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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.

  8. 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

  9. 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

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