Wildlife 1 February 2006

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Wildlife1 February 2006

• Land Care Stewards
• Sharon Corbin
• Leslie Paulson
• Frank Reilly

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Wildlife Damage

• Is it really unacceptable?
• What is really doing the damage?
• Can you minimize the damage?
• Can you exclude the critter?
• Can you frighten the critter?

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Who you gonna call?

• It bit me The Doctor
• Its in my house You scare it out dont get
  bit
• Its living in my house - Pest Control Company
• Im afraid it will bite my kids Educate them
• Im afraid it will give me a disease Educate
  them
• Its rabid Health Department or Animal Control

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What can I do?

• Learn about habitat and food preferences.
• Change the local habitat
• Exclude the animal
• Frighten the animal
• Check the Pest Management Guide

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What else can I do?

• Call Game and Inland Fisheries and or animal
  control
• Call a service
• Never trap and release
• Mostly you cannot kill the animal
• Except house mouse, rats, coyotes, feral hog,
  nutria, woodchuck, starling, sparrow, pigeon

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Fox Red, Gray

• Red Fox
• Canine family
• Reddish coat, black leg stockings, white tip
  tail
• Length 22-32 inches
• Tail 14-16 inches
• Weight 6-15 lbs.
• Gray Fox
• Canine family
• Gray coat, rusty-red on ears, ruffs and neck
• Length 40-44 inches
• Tail 12-15 inches
• Weight 8 lbs. (southern states)

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Foxes

• Habits
• Mating occurs in February and March
• Gestation is 61 days for the gray fox and 51 days
  for the red fox
• 4-9 young per litter
• Nocturnal hunters but activity varies - night or
  day
• Does not hibernate
• Gray fox will climb trees

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Foxes

• Food
• Omnivorous
• Opportunistic feeder
• Primary diet is
• Small rodents, squirrels, rabbits, birds, cats
• Eggs, insects
• Vegetation, fruit, carrion
• The damage the do
• Attack pets and livestock
• Vocal howls, barks, whines

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Foxes

• How to prevent them from being pests?
• Dont feed them!
• Secure garbage
• Ensure compost piles are contained but vented
• Keep your pets safe and feed them indoors
• Keep bird feeder areas clean and elevated
• Close off crawl spaces and under sheds
• Foxes and other animals will use as a resting
  place or den
• Cut back brushy edges of yard
• Dont be intimidated
• Loud noise, bright light and water will scare
  them off

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Coyotes

• Coyotes
• Canine family
• Mottled shades of gray/brown
• Height 20 inches _at_ shoulder
• Length 4 feet nose to tail tip
• Weight 30 - 40 lbs.

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Coyotes

• Habits
• Mating occurs in February and March
• Gestation is 61 days
• 4-9 young per litter
• Travel in packs or alone
• Nocturnal hunters
• Does not hibernate

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Coyote

• Food
• Opportunistic feeder
• Will eat anything
• Mice, rabbits, skunks, pets and other carrion
• Fruit, birds, insects
• The damage the do
• Attack pets and livestock
• Vocal howls, barks, whines

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Coyotes

• How to prevent them from being pests?
• Dont feed them!
• Secure garbage
• Keep your pets safe and feed them indoors
• Keep bird feeder areas clean and elevated
• Close off crawl spaces and under sheds
• Foxes and other animals will use as a resting
  place or den
• Loud noise, bright light will scare them off

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Ground Hogs

• Groundhogs
• Brown in color with brownish-black tail
• Length 26 inches and 6 inch tail
• Weight 14 lbs.

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Groundhogs

• Habits
• Mating occurs in spring gestation period is 31
  days
• 4-5 young in a single liter
• Does hibernate
• Ground-dwelling
• Great ability to dig and burrow
• Food
• Vegetarians
• Primary diet is green crops
• Green beans, peas, melon shoots

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Groundhogs

• The damage they do
• Damage gardens, lawns, and hay lots
• Insatiable appetite
• Dig many, many holes
• How to prevent them from being pests?
• Fencing 3 feet high with 10-12 inches buried in
  dirt
• Bend top edge outward to a 45 degree angle
• Human activity is a deterrent

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Skunks

• Skunks
• Length
• Body 15 inches
• Tail 17 inches
• Weight
• Black w/white stripe down back
• Offensive odor
• Young skunks can spray
• Males are more aggressive and apt to spray

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Skunks

• Habits
• Mating occurs in February or March gestation
  period is 56 days
• 2-16 young in a single liter
• Nocturnal
• Not true hibernators
• Go into a drowsy state during extremely cold
  weather
• Generally live in old woodchuck burrows but seek
  shelter
• Under buildings
• In woodpiles and stone walls
• When frightened can spray up to 10 feet away, up
  to 4 times before running out of its odorous
  liquid
• Food
• Grubs, earthworms, larva of ground hornets
• Chicken eggs

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Skunks

• The damage they do
• Emitting a bad smell
• Turn over sod and dig small holes looking for
  grubs
• Pinpoint grubs using their keen sense of smell
• Holes are usually 1 ½ inches wide by 3 inches
  deep
• Rip open garbage bags
• How to prevent them from being pests?
• Eliminate protective cover and food source
• Cannot totally eliminate food source
• Secure garbage and compost piles
• Continually check crawl spaces and under sheds,
  porches

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And if the unthinkable happens?

• Skunk spray
• Thiols and thioacetates
• Delayed reaction just add water!
• Tomato juice will not work
• Time adequate ventilation
• On pets
• 1 qt H2O2
• ¼ cup baking soda
• 1tsp Liquid Detergent
• Do not store
• Bathe for 5 minutes
• Rinse
• Changes fur color!
• On stuff
• 1cup bleach per gallon
• Check to make sure it wont damage

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Bats

• Bats
• Little brown bat
• Can live 34 years
• Big brown bat
• Indiana Bat
• Myths
• Attack people or pets
• Feed on blood
• Dirty
• Not a member of the rodent family

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Bats

• Habits
• Some live in colonies
• Mating occurs in fall
• Have only 1 baby in the spring
• Start to fly 3 weeks after birth
• Roost in caves, hollow trees, old buildings,
  chimneys, attics and behind shutters
• Roosting bats are quite noisy
• Food
• Night flying insects

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Bats

• The damage they do
• Tend to frighten people
• Known carriers of rabies
• Bat manure (guano) can damage vehicles and carry
  disease, odor and parasites
• How to prevent them from being pests?
• Bats are actually beneficial
• Only major predator of night flying insects
• One brown bat may eat 600 mosquitoes per hour!
• Keep slits and cracks sealed
• Can squeeze through openings as small as 3/8
  diameter

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Snakes

• Snakes
• 30 species in VA
• Poisonous
• Triangular head
• Elliptical pupils
• Pit between eye nose
• Copperhead
• Nonpoisonous
• Narrow head
• Round pupils
• No pit
• Black snake

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I have a Poisonous snake?

• Timber Rattlesnake
• Canebrake Rattlesnake
• CottonMouth

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I have a Poisonous snake?

• Northern Copperhead
• Sluggish
• May quiver tail when threatened
• Avoidance is best

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I killed a snake in my yard what kind is it?

• Why do you care its dead!
• What was it doing that threatened you?
• Snake killing is illegal in Virginia.

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Snakes

• Habits
• Common livebearer or egg layers
• Seek warm, concealed spots
• Wood/lumber piles
• Brush piles/thickets
• Tall grass
• Your house
• Hibernate
• Food
• Mice and rats
• Other small animals

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Snakes

• The damage the do
• Can overpopulate
• Some create a foul odor (Garter snake)
• Snakes are actually beneficial
• Control small rodents
• Just afraid of you as you may be of them
• Do NOT kill them
• It is against the law to kill any reptile in VA
  unless you are in imminent danger
• If in your house, they can be hand captured

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Snakes

• How to prevent them from being pests?
• Discourage them by
• Eliminating food source and cover
• Mow closely around house and outbuildings
• Store firewood away from the house
• Reduce mulch layers around shrubs
• Discourage small animals
• Dont leave bird seed out
• Eliminate rock piles
• Keep your house sealed tightly
• Close cracks and crevices
• Have tight fitting screen doors and windows

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Woodpecker

• More than 22 species
• Only 7 regularly cause problems for humans
• Sapsucker
• Pileated
• Downy
• Hairy
• Red-bellied
• Flicker
• Red-headed

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Woodpecker

• Habit
• Mating in April and May
• Incubation is 12 days
• Both sexes keep eggs warm
• 4 young per year
• Strong, pointed beak and long tongue
• 2 toes extend forward and 2 extend backward
• Sapsucker and flicker are migratory
• Nest in trees, telephone poles, fence posts,
  orchards and buildings

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Woodpecker

• Food
• Tree-boring insects, sap, seeds, berries and nuts
• Sapsucker is most noted for drilling into fruit
  and nut trees
• The damage the do
• Noisy (usually related to mating behavior)
• Drum on trees, metal pipes, flashing, siding and
  even glass windows
• Damage to trees and houses
• More likely to attack softwood
• Drill holes for food and nests

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Pileated Damage can be drastic
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Woodpecker Damage can be confusing
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Woodpecker

• How to prevent them from being pests?
• Protected by federal law
• Eliminate food source
• Install suet feeders a considerable distance from
  problem areas
• Try to repel them with
• Model owls or hawks
• Scarecrows
• Windmills
• Mirrors and Mylar tape
• Cover eaves and holes

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Effigies, Mirrors and Mylar tape
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Rabbits

• Typical Damage
• Life Cycle
• Habits
• Control
• References

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Life Cycle

• Begin to reproduce in early spring
• 3-4 litters per year
• 4-6 per litter

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Life Cycle

• Begin to reproduce in early spring
• 3-4 litters per year
• 4-6 per litter
• So over 5 years a single pair 350,000!

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Habits

• 90 of diet is grass
• They get the blame for more damage than they
  really do
• They will strip off bark
• ID damage as clean angled cut at end of leaves
• And look for tracks
• Active at dawn and dusk
• Remain in an area less than 20 Acres
• Until they diminish the food!

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Damage
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Control

• Exclusion
• Remove good cover

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Mole or Vole?

• 7 species but most common is Eastern Mole
• hairless, pointed snout
• Small eyes and the opening of the ear canal are
  concealed in the fur there are no external ears.
  
• Forefeet are very large
• Toes are webbed to the base of the claws, which
  are broad and depressed.
• Hind feet are small

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Habits

• Litter of 3-4 in March April
• Swim through the soil
• Also maintain tunnels
• Search for grubs and worms

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Damage

• Unsightly digging
• No real plant damage

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Control

• Not a real need they move on
• Exclusion not generally practical except in small
  high value areas
• Removing Grubs only marginally successful
• Toxicants and fumigants by registered applicators
  only
• Traps dangerous not for you to recommend

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Voles or field mice

• 7 species most are Eastern Vole

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Habit

• Breed throughout the year
• Up to 12 litters 1-11 young
• Nest in grass tussocks and clumps
• Active in summer-night winter-day

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Damage

• Plant and root eaters
• Diggers
• Tree girdling
• Do the apple check

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Control

• Move mulch from around trees
• Reduce vegetative cover
• Alter habitat no grass and weed tussocks
• Exclusion in small areas ¼ mesh 12 above to
  10 below ground
• Cages around trees
• Bulbs in wire cages
• PMG

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Squirrels

• Several species but mostly gray squirrels
• Litters of 3-4 early spring late summer

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Damage

• Excessive Fruit harvest
• Bark Damage
• Structural damage

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Control

• Limit food
• Exclude
• Loud radio near nesting squirrels
• Taste repellents

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References

• Internet
• The Homeowners Guide to Controlling Crafty
  Critters, Dan Hershey
• Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
• A Guide to the Snakes of Virginia