Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Wildlife …•Identify species causing damage •Develop...

Integrated Pest Management

Strategies for Wildlife Management

NJ Agricultural Experiment Station

Madeline Flahive DiNardo, County Agricultural Agent

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Joseph Paulin, Program Associate, Wildlife Mgt.

Snyder Farm-Center for Wildlife Damage Control

Keys to Success

• Identify species causing damage

• Develop a wildlife damage

management plan

Male bears weigh 300 – 400 lbs.

Females weigh 150 -200 lbs.

Black Bear Ecology

• Habitat

– Mixed hardwood forests,

dense swaps, forested

wetlands

• Food habits

– Berries, nuts, tubers,

wood fiber, insects, small

mammals, eggs, carrion,

ag crops, livestock,

beehives, garbage

Black Bear Ecology

• Females give birth every 2 years.

• Cubs stay with their mother for 11/2 to 2 years.

• Home range– 2 to 60 square miles

Place livestock pens, beehives, and

crops at least 50 yards from protective

cover.

Identifying Black Bear Damage

• Broken trees and limbs

(especially in orchards)

• Chewed or clawed bark,

sometimes hanging in strips

• Large, localized areas of

trampled crops

Identifying Black Bear Damage

• Scat– 2 to 6 inch segments

– May contain insects, grass, leaf litter, berries, wood, and hair

• Tracks– 5 toes and claws, and large heel pad

– Track can be up to 6 to 7 inches long and 4 inches wide

Black Bear Damage Prevention and

Control• Exclusion

– Portable electric fences

– Permanent welded-wire fence

– Bear-proofing buildings and containers


Control

• Frightening

– Lights, loud noises,

dogs

• Repellents

– Capsaicin spray


Control

• Trapping

– Culvert traps

– Contact NJ Division

of Fish and Wildlife

• Shooting

– Depredation permits

– Contact NJDFW

• Public education

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer

• Deer population in NJ went from nearly

extinct in 1900 to over 150,000 in the 1990’s !

• Females usually have twins.

Deer Ecology

• Habitat

– Mixed woods, fields

brushy areas

• Home range

– 0.5 to 3 square miles

Deer Ecology

• Deer eat 5 to 7 pounds of forage a day !

• Food habits

– Browse: fruits, nuts, crops, landscaping plants

Deer Ecology

• Habitat

– Mixed woods, fields

brushy areas

• Home range

– 0.5 to 3 square miles

Deer and Traffic Safety

Pay close

attention to

deer crossing

signs !

Identifying Deer Damage

• Browse damage

• Trampled or

flattened vegetation

• Look for tracks and

droppings

Buck Rub

Management Strategies

Protect trees with

cylinder cages !

Fencing

• Control or preventative method

• Portable, temporary, and permanent

• Inexpensive ($0.12/ft) to expensive ($8.00/ft)

• Low to high maintenance

I’m not sure I can

clear

that fence !

Fencing

I’m not sure I can

mow underneath

that fence !

Fencing

• At least 8 feet high

•Posts 10-15 feet apart

•Reinforced

Fencing

Repellents

• Contact vs. area

• Intended to reduce-not eliminate-wildlife damage

• Intended primarily for ornamentals, garden, etc…– Majority not labeled for

food crops

Repellents

• Start using repellents before problems start.

• Alternate the types of repellents used.

• Use the correct formulation for the time of year.

• If hiring someone to apply repellents, the applicator must have a NJ DEP pesticide applicator license.

Repellents

• Bars of heavy

smelling deodorant

soap hung off trees

and shrubs 30

inches above the

ground and 20 feet

apart can be used

as an area repellent.

What’s that

smell ?

Deer-resistant Plants

Don’t become the local Smorgesboard !


• Variable success

• Use as a general guide

• What grows in immediate area?


Common

Characteristics

• Rough texture

• Naturally poisonous

No list is fool-proof !

Scare Devices

Hunting

• Most efficient and cost-effective control method

• Important to harvest the proper ratio bucks:does

• Can generate additional income from leasing land– Liability insurance

– Leasing agreement

Legalities of Deer Control

• Seasons and bag limits

set by NJ Divison of

Fish and Wildlife

• Community-based deer

management

• Depredation permits

available

Deer Management

Contraceptives for Deer Management

Coyotes

Estimated population

is 3,000 in NJ, found in

every county !

• Usually nocturnal, but may be seen / heard during the

day, especially during their mating season, January –

March.

• Protect livestock with electric fencing.

• Keep property well-manicured.

• Motion detector lights / radios at night.

TrappingHome-made

or commercial

live traps

Must have

written

permission

from a private

property

owner to

release an

animal.

Rabies

• Virus that affects

the part of the brain

that controls

aggression.

• Found in the saliva

of infected animal.

• Transmitted by bite

or contamination of

an open wound.

Symptom of Rabies

• Abnormal activity

• Aggressiveness

• Foaming at the mouth

• Sluggish Behavior

Rabies

• First aid for person:

– Wash site with soap and water.

– Get medical attention immediately.

– Report incident to the local health department.

• Rabies Treatment:

– Day 1: Immune globulin shot

– Day 1,3, 7, 14, 28 Human Diploid Vaccine

Rabies

• Domestic animals must be held for a 10 day observation period.

• Livestock animals are held for a 14 day observation period.

• Wild animals are tested by the State Health Department.

Rabbit Ecology

• Habitat– Brushy areas, old fields, woods, landscaped

areas

• Home range– 1 to 14 acres

(5 acres average)

• Food habits– Grasses, flowers, fruits, berries, vegetables,

woody vegetation

Identifying Rabbit Damage

• Vegetation cleanly snipped at 45

oangle

• Woody vegetation may be girdled

• Look for round sawdust-like droppings

Identifying Rabbit Damage

Bark may be gnawed at the snow line !

Rabbit Damage Prevention and

Control

• Exclusion

– Fencing• 2 foot high non-

plastic material

• 1 inch or smaller mesh


Control


Control

Tree Guards

• Hardware cloth

• 0.25-0.75 inch mesh

• Place 1 to 2 inches away from tree


Control

Repellents

•Contact (Thiram-based) or

area (Naphthalene)

•Variable effectiveness

•Can be costly

•Much vigilance required

Rabbit Damage Prevention and Control

• Habitat modification– Remove cover

– Manage habitat for predators

Skunks

• Omnivores

• Member of weasel

family

• Good rodent predator

• Feeds on grubs, insects

• Damage: cone shaped

holes

• LOOK OUT !!!

What to Do about Skunk Odor ?

• Special shampoos for pets

• Tomato juice

• Cleaning products with Neutroleum

Alpha as an active ingredient

Who Else Could be Ruining the

Lawn?

Mole Ecology

• Habitat

– Eastern mole• Open fields, lawns, gardens, sometimes

woods

• Well-drained loose soils

– Star-nosed mole• Wet woods, fields, swamps

Mole Ecology

• Home range– 0.5 to 2 acres

• Food habits– Eastern mole

• Worms, grubs, and insects

– Star-nosed mole

• Worms, grubs, insects (terrestrial and aquatic)

Identifying Mole Damage

• Eastern mole– Surface and deep tunnels

• Star-nosed mole– Burrows in muck, with 2 to

2.5 inch openings into streams, ponds, and lakes

– Openings surrounded by dirt mounds

Mole Damage Prevention and

Control

• Exclusion– Not very practical

– Use sheet metal, wood, brick

– Bury fences at least 12 inches deep

– Bend bottom of fence outward at 90 degree angle


Control• Habitat modification

– Pack soil

– Reduce soil moisture content

– Reduce food source (IPM, insecticides, etc…)


Control

• Fumigants

– Aluminum phosphide

– Gas cartridges

Follow label instructions very carefully !

DO NOT USE BY BUILDINGS !


Control

Trapping

•Very successful and

practical

•Scissor-jawed,

harpoon, or choker

loop traps

•Live trapping is

possible

Vole Ecology

• Habitat

– Meadow vole• Wet meadows, grasslands

– Pine vole• Deciduous and coniferous forests, abandoned

field, orchards

Vole Ecology

• Home range– 0.25 acres

• Food habits– Grasses, seeds, tubers, bulbs, flowers, bark,

vegetables, crops (root, leafy, grain)

Watch Out!

These guys

are very

prolific !

One to five litters a year, averaging 3 – 6 young.

Identifying Vole Damage

• Girdling and gnawing of woody vegetation

• Meadow vole builds surface runways– 1 to 2 inches in diameter

– Vegetation in tunnel clipped short

– Feces and grass clipping found in runways

• Pine vole builds underground tunnels

Vole Damage Prevention and

Control

• Exclusion

– Hardware cloth cylinders protect seedlings

– 0.25 inch mesh or smaller

– Bury bottom of cylinder 6 inches deep


Control

Habitat Modification

•Eliminate weeds and heavy

ground cover

•Mow grassy areas regularly

•Clear mulch away from

trees


Control

Trapping

Leave the traps unset for a few days !

Squirrel Ecology

• Habitat

– Hardwood/mixed forests with nut trees

• Home range

– 1 to 3 acres

• Food habits

– Fruits, nuts, buds, berries, seeds, flowers, cones

Identifying Squirrel Damage

• Chew bark and nip twigs on woody ornamentals

• Eat planted seeds, fruits, or grains

• Eat bird seed from feeders

• Dig holes in yard

• Look for tracks, physical presence, food signs

Identifying Squirrel Damage

Enter buildings and nest in attics !

Squirrel Damage Prevention and

Control


Control

• Exclusion

– Metal collars around trees, poles, etc…

• 2 foot wide

• 6 feet above ground

– Close openings to buildings

• 0.5 inch wire mesh

• 1 way doors on squirrel excluders

– Custom mesh fencing with electric wire(s)


Control

Contact your utility company if squirrels are on utility lines.


Control

Repellents

• Moth balls,

• Ro-pel

• capsaicin

• Polybutenes

Bulb Garden Marauders !

Desperate times do not have to call for

desperate measures !

Protecting Bulb Gardens

• Plant bulbs

that are

naturally toxic

or repel

animals.

• Chicken Wire

Groundhog Ecology

• Habitat

– Woods, meadows, fields, landscaped areas

• Home range– 0.5-0.75 acres

• Food habits– Grasses, vegetables, landscaping, crops

Identifying Groundhog Damage

• Browse damage– Circular to semi-circular

pattern

– Typically eat vegetation to ground level

– Gnaw or claw woody vegetation

• Physical presence

• Look for burrow

Identifying Groundhog Damage

Burrowing Damage

1 to 1.5 foot diameter hole

Mound of dirt near entrance

Legalities of Ground Hog Control

• May kill ground hogs any time damage occurs

• Depending on local ordinances may be legal to use:– Shotguns 10 ga. or smaller

– Bow

– Centerfire/rimfire rifle

– Muzzleloading rifles/shotguns

Ground Hog Control

• Fumigants (carbon monoxide, aluminum phosphide)

– Gas cartridges present a potential fire hazard

– Aluminum phosphide is a registered use pesticide

– Aluminum phosphide for outdoor use on noncropland / orchards

Ground Hog Control

Woven wire fencing

Should be at least 3 feet

high and buried 10-12

inches deep

Bend bottom and top of

fence outward

Garden

Ground Hog Control

• Electric fencing

• Trapping

– Only live traps legal in NJ

– $58.00-$86.00 per trap

Raccoons

Raccoon Control

Opossum

Opossum Ecology

• 10 to 12 day gestation period

• Clear at birth, only the size of a bumble bee!

• Nurse in mother’s pouch for 2 months

• Stay on mother’s back another month

• Only marsupial native to North America

Bats Exclusion

Snakes

Poisonous Snakes in NJ

•Timber Rattlesnake

•Yellow Phase has black chevron pattern

•Dark Phase, almost black, hard to distinguish

chevron pattern

•7 to 12 young are born in September

Snakes

Poisonous Snakes in NJ

•Northern Copperhead

•Triangular brown/reddish blotches,

base of the triangle on ground

Snakes

• Find

entrances to

buildings and

seal

Rats and Mice

Problems with Rats and Mice

• Gnaw on insulation

wires

• Eat stored foods

• Damage furniture

(use as nesting

material)

• Carry lice, ticks and

other insects

Rats and Mice Control

Sanitation is key !


• Rats leave 25 to 150 pellets a day and

1/3 to 2/3 oz. of urine.

• Mice urine, feces or saliva carries the

Hanta virus, which causes serious

respiratory problems.


• Clean droppings with a WET mop with detergent or bleach.

• Dispose of the mop.

• DO NOT SWEEP or VACUUM ! AIRBORNE !


Sticky traps are not popular !

Bird Control

• Prune

trees

• Permits

for using

starter

pistols

Bird Control

Bird Control

Netting may

provide

temporary relief !

Bird Control

Mylar tape in a vegetable garden

How to Keep your Property from

Becoming a Honky-Tonk

Goose Ecology

• Habitat– Lakes, ponds, bays, fields, parks, yards

• Home range– Migratory or resident

• Food habits– Submergent vegetation, grass, crops

Identifying Goose Damage

• Grazing damage

• Fecal load

• Water contamination

• Physical presence

• Look for tracks, feathers, and droppings

Exclusion Techniques

• Fencing around water can prevent geese from

landing on water and walking on land

– $150.00 per 500 feet

• Overhead grids (mylar tape, fishing line, wire) can

deter geese from landing on water or fields

– $8.00-$700.00 per 500 feet

• Netting can protect high value crops

– $0.09-$0.14 per square foot

Frightening Devices

• Pyrotechniques (propane cannons, bangers,

screamers)

– $70.00-$600.00

Frightening Devices

• Balloons and kites (mylar, eye-scare, avikite, silhouettes)– $4.00-$180.00

Frightening Devices

• Visual deterrents (flagging, owls, dead goose

decoys, scare crows)

– $4.00-$100.00

Frightening Devices

• Miscellaneous (strobe lights, distress calls, audio

deterrents, dogs)

– $30.00-$1650.00

Repellents

• Taste vs. visual

• Applied to vegetation and water

• Liquid or aerosol

• $7.00-$200.00 per gallon

Additional Sources of Information• Rutgers Cooperative Extension

– Refer to the blue pages of your local phone book

– www.njaes.rutgers.edu

– www.deer.rutgers.edu

• New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

– General Information - 609-292-2965

– www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/

• USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services

– 908-735-5654

• US Fish and Wildlife Service: Migratory Bird

Permits

– 413-253-8643

http://www.njaes.rutgers.edu/

http://www.deer.rutgers.edu

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/

Additional Sources of Information

• “Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage”

Cooperative Extension University of Nebraska

Great Plains Agricultural Council

USDA-APHIS-Animal Damage Control

– http://icwdm.org/handbook/index.asp

We’re all here

together, so we

must get along !

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