INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT - RODENTS

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INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT - RODENTS

• Presented by
• Monty Sullins
• Vertebrate Pest Specialist
• Montana Department of Agriculture

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Cultural Practices
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Cultural Practices

• Soil tillage/cultivation
• Crop Rotation

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Cultural Practices

• Irrigation

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Cultural Practices

• Burning / Debris Removal
• Grazing Management

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SHOOTING
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Shooting

• 1. Ground squirrels, prairie dogs, marmots
• 2. Can be effective on small areas/localized
  problems
• 3. Expensive, time consuming ineffective on
  large areas

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TRAPPING
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Trapping

• Types
• Pocket gopher pincher and box traps
• Conibear
• Live traps
• Ground squirrel traps

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Trapping

• Can be effective on small areas
• but labor intensive

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DISEASES
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Diseases

• Plague, Tularemia, etc. occur naturally but
• cannot be used as a managed control

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BUILDING REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE
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Building Repair Maintenance

• Prevents access of rodents into buildings

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FUMIGATION
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Fumigation

• Expensive and labor intensive

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Fumigation

• Ignitable gas cartridge
• a. General use
• b. Lighter than air may not filter
• throughout burrow
• c. May be a fire hazard in dry conditions

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Fumigation

• Aluminum phosphide
• a. Restricted use
• b. NEW RULES AND REGULATIONS
• c. Requires good soil moisture
• d. Used primarily for ground squirrels and
  prairie dogs

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RODENTICIDE BAITS
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Rodenticide Baits

• Zinc Phosphide grain baits
• Registered (restricted Use) for controlling all
  field rodent pests in Montana
• Formulated on grain
• Must be prebaited in all applications except for
  voles
• Single dose no antedote
• May be spot baited, broadcasted, or used in
  burrow machines
• Special requirements for broadcast application
  contact Montana Dept. of Agriculture
• Cannot be used in bait stations

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Rodenticide Baits

• Rozol
• Anti-coagulant Chlorophacinone
• Registered for controlling ground squirrels,
  pocket gophers, and voles NOT prairie dogs
• Antedote Vitamin K
• Can be used in bait stations also Ra,ik Green
• MUST follow application instructions completely
  2 applications 2-3 days apart
• Spot application only cannot broadcast

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Rodenticide Baits

• Strychnine
• Illegal to use except for pocket gopher control
  ONLY applied underground by hand or in burrow
  machine
• Formulated on oats or milo

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PREDATION
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Predation

• 1. Rodents are a food base for hawks, owls,
  eagles, coyotes, foxes, badgers, etc
• 2. Help reduce rodent numbers but may not be
  enough to adequately reduce damage

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OTHER CONTROLS
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Other Controls

• 1. Oxygen/propane exploders
• a. Expensive, labor intensive, poor results
• 2. Gum
• a. No evidence that it works