Research on IPMs, Rodenticides, & Related Topics

Alternatives to poison work - ecologically based rodent management:

Rodent management and cereal production in Asia: Balancing food security and conservation “ecologically-based rodent management (EBRM), its adoption in field studies significantly increased rice yields (6–15%) and income (>15%) in seven Asian countries.” https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.6462 

Integrated management to reduce rodent damage to lowland rice crops in Indonesia https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167880904002932 “The economic benefit of integrated rodent management was equal to or better than that achieved by conventional management based on synthetic rodenticides.”

ECOLOGICALLY BASED MANAGEMENT OF RODENTS IN THE REAL WORLD: APPLIED TO A MIXED AGROECOSYSTEM IN VIETNAM “Therefore, ecologically based rodent management was equally effective as typical practices for rodent management. “ https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/1051-0761%282006%29016%5B2000%3AEBMORI%5D2.0.CO%3B2

Changes in farmers' knowledge, attitudes and practices after implementation of ecologically-based rodent management in the uplands of Lao PDR “There was a significant reduction in the yield loss from pre- to post-treatment, “https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261219409003366

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Grant-Singleton/publication/304921310_Ecologically-based_management_of_rodent_pests_reevaluating_our_approach_to_an_old_problem/links/5fa4ab79458515157bef986a/Ecologically-based-management-of-rodent-pests-reevaluating-our-approach-to-an-old-problem.pdf Britain eradication: (Gosling and Baker 1989 Other studies: Macdonald et al., Chapter 3; Leung et al., Chapter 14)

Ecologically-based Management of Rodent Pests—Re-evaluating Our Approach to an Old Problem “Integrated pest management (IPM) is simply the integration of a range of management practices that together provide more effective management of a pest species than if they are used separately.” https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Grant-Singleton/publication/304921310_Ecologically-based_management_of_rodent_pests_reevaluating_our_approach_to_an_old_problem/links/5fa4ab79458515157bef986a/Ecologically-based-management-of-rodent-pests-reevaluating-our-approach-to-an-old-problem.pdf 

Ecologically based management of rodents in lowland irrigated rice fields in Indonesia “Overall, there was a reduction in mean crop damage when EBRM was applied (4.4 ± 0.4% in treatments v. 2.5 ± 0.4% in experimental controls), which translated into 6% higher rice production.” https://www.publish.csiro.au/wr/wr10030 

Ecologically based rodent management in Africa: potential and challenges “Intervention actions including community-based intensive trapping of rodents, habitat manipulation and sanitary measures demonstrated that the impacts of rodents on communities could be drastically reduced. “ https://www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR10147 

Predators help control rodent populations:

Predation by small mammalian carnivores in rural agro-ecosystems: An undervalued ecosystem service? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212041617301699 

Local Effects of Nest-Boxes for Avian Predators over Common Vole Abundance during a Mid-Density Outbreak “We found that vole abundance was significantly lower near occupied nest-boxes at distances less than 180 m, where vole abundance increases progressively with increasing distance to the nearest nest-box. “ https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/10/1963 

Labuschagne, L.; Swanepoel, L.H.; Taylor, P.J.; Belmain, S.R.; Keith, M. Are avian predators effective biological control agents for rodent pest management in agricultural systems? Biol. Control 2016, 101, 94–102. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Are avian predators effective biological control agents for rodent pest management in agricultural systems? “Majority of studies suggest that avian predators seem to have an effect on agricultural rodent pests.”  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2016.07.003

Perch-Mounted Camera Traps Record Predatory Birds in Farmland https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-21-00001

Poisons make problems worse in the long run:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Grant-Singleton/publication/304921310_Ecologically-based_management_of_rodent_pests_reevaluating_our_approach_to_an_old_problem/links/5fa4ab79458515157bef986a/Ecologically-based-management-of-rodent-pests-reevaluating-our-approach-to-an-old-problem.pdf

In China, chemical rodenticides, mostly anticoagulants, are still the routine weapons for controlling rodents in farmland and grassland. However, such rodent control campaigns in the absence of a sound ecological knowledge of the pest species have generally only achieved short periods (6–9 months) of respite from the ravages of the rodents. In the rice fields of southern China the effects have been even shorter (Huang and Feng 1998). Indeed, many studies (Liang 1982; Liang et al. 1984; Zhang 1996; Huang and Feng 1998; Qi et al. 1998) have shown that the response of rodent populations after chemical control is nonlinear. Killing some individuals may reduce the population numbers initially, but the remaining animals compensate with better survival and better breeding performance. For example, following an 88% reduction in a population of the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus), the body mass at first pregnancy was reduced from 58 g to 35–50 g (Wang et al. 1998). 

In Malaysia, populations of the Malayan wood rat (R. tiomanicus) also showed a rapid population response after control, with a full recovery in population density occurring over 12–18 months. In this case, knowledge of the population dynamics and factors limiting population growth resulted in an effective management program of rats in oil palm plantations. Management consisted of an intensive baiting campaign followed by recurrent placement of baits every six months (see Wood and Liau 1984a).

Huang, X.Q. and Feng, Z.Y. 1998. Ecology and management strategies for Rattus losea. In: Zhibin Zhang and Zuwang Wang, ed., Ecology and management strategies of rodent pests in agriculture. Beijing, China Ocean Press, 178–194 (in Chinese)

Liang, J.R. 1982. Population recovery of Chinese zokor (Myospalax fontanieri) and plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae). In: Wuping Xia, ed., Alpine ecosystem. Gansu, Gansu People’s Publishing Press, 93–100 (in Chinese).

Liang, J.R., Zhou, L., Wang, Z.W. and Song, R.Y. 1984. Mathematical model of population recovery of Chinese Zokor (Myospalax fontanieri) and plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae). Acta Ecologica Sinica, 4, 1–11 (in Chinese).

Zhang, Z.B. 1996. Techniques and strategies for rodent control by contraception. In: Zuwang Wang and Zhibin Zhang, ed., Theory and practice of rodent pest management. Beijing, Science Press, 367–368. 

Qi, G.X., Yao, W.L., Wang, J. and Yang, B. 1998. Research on population dynamics and control strategies for rodents in cities and towns of southern China. Acta Therio-logica Sinica, 18, 226–230 (in Chinese).

Wang, M.J., Zhong, W.Q. and Wan, X.R. 1998. Ecology and management strategies for Mongolia gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). In: Zhibin Zhang and Zuwang Wang, ed., Ecology and management strategies of rodent pests in agriculture. Beijing, China Ocean Press, 225–240 (in Chinese).

Wood, B.J. and Liau, S.S. 1984a. A long term study of Rattus tiomanicus populations in an oil palm plantation in Johore, Malaysia. II. Recovery from control and economic aspects. Journal of Applied Ecology, 21, 465–472.