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Location
Jackson, Mississippi
Start Date
5-11-1995 12:00 AM
Description
Meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and pine voles (Microtus pinetorum) cause extensive damage to apple trees by gnawing and girdling trunk and root systems. In 1991, approximately 70% of Vermont's 90 commercial apple producers were using zinc phosphide (ZP) treated cracked corn to manage vole damage. From November 1991 through January 1992, 36 confirmed wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) deaths were attributed to the broadcast application of ZP treated cracked com in Vermont orchards. As a result of public concern regarding impacts to nontarget wild turkeys, a working group was formed with representation of various state and federal agencies as well as the apple industry to address this issue and review current vole damage management strategies. Since 1992, statewide voluntary compliance with working group recommendations that included shifting to ZP treated rolled oats have reduced the risk of wild turkey exposure to ZP. In this paper we discuss the effectiveness of the working group recommendations as measured by a mail survey of apple producers as well as a preliminary 4-year analysis of statewide rodenticide sales.
Recommended Citation
Chipman, R. B., Slate, D., Duke, A. J., Berkett, L., & Blodgett, D. (1995). Apple production, vole control, and wild turkeys: Finding a balance in Vermont. In Armstrong, J. B. (Ed.), The Seventh Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference (pp. 96-99). Jackson, MS: Mississippi State University.
Included in
Apple Production, Vole Control, and Wild Turkeys: Finding a Balance in Vermont
Jackson, Mississippi
Meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and pine voles (Microtus pinetorum) cause extensive damage to apple trees by gnawing and girdling trunk and root systems. In 1991, approximately 70% of Vermont's 90 commercial apple producers were using zinc phosphide (ZP) treated cracked corn to manage vole damage. From November 1991 through January 1992, 36 confirmed wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) deaths were attributed to the broadcast application of ZP treated cracked com in Vermont orchards. As a result of public concern regarding impacts to nontarget wild turkeys, a working group was formed with representation of various state and federal agencies as well as the apple industry to address this issue and review current vole damage management strategies. Since 1992, statewide voluntary compliance with working group recommendations that included shifting to ZP treated rolled oats have reduced the risk of wild turkey exposure to ZP. In this paper we discuss the effectiveness of the working group recommendations as measured by a mail survey of apple producers as well as a preliminary 4-year analysis of statewide rodenticide sales.