Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings collection
Date of this Version
February 1962
Abstract
Shortly after the passage of the Federal Insecticide Act of 1910, mammal control specialists in the Bureau of Biological Survey began to consider a similar law to cover the chemicals with which they were concerned. Work on the project went slowly and spasmodically, but reached the point of having a Federal Rodenticide Act available for study and possible revision in 1928. At this time, the mammal control chemicals in use were limited to strychnine--alkaloid and sulphate-arsenic, barium carbonate, thallium sulphate, phosphorus, sodium and calcium cyanide, carbon disulphide, and red squill. Strychnine alkaloid was about the only predatory animal control agent, while the alkaloid and thallium sulphate dominated field rodent formulas, and calcium cyanide and carbon disulphide were the only burrow fumigants. That left strychnine sulphate, arsenic, barium carbonate, thallium sulphate, phosphorus, and red squill for rat and mouse control agents. This was not a long list, but it was long enough to have raised many problems.