U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications
ORCID IDs
Rafael A. Garcia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5452-3929
Shane R. Siers https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7961-5072
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
10-1-2021
Citation
Biol Invasions (2021) 23:3175–3185
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02567-
Abstract
Dead neonatal mice are currently used as bait for delivery of toxin to invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Guam; once deployed in the field the mice are highly attractive to the snakes but only for about four days. An artificial bait containing a mixture of fats mimicking those in skin of the mice is also highly attractive to the snakes and remains attractive 2–3 times longer. The artificial bait, however, costs more than the mice, and is more difficult to attach to the capsules of a novel aerial bait delivery system. This paper describes a reformulation of the bait which reduced the ingredient cost to 11% of its former value, without compromising its attractiveness to free-ranging snakes. Three lipid formulations using different source materials to produce the same fatty acid profile target were tested along with two levels of pork fat to yield six test formulations. No differences in bait disappearance were noted in field testing of the baits, indicating that decisions regarding bait formulation could be made on the basis of cost without sacrificing efficacy. Separately, testing of 17 commercially available adhesives identified five for field testing. Among these, two demonstrated strong, weather-resistant bonds between the oily surface of the artificial baits and the bait capsules as evidenced by only 13.4% and 4.5% of baits falling off suspended capsules. Importantly, neither of these adhesives impacted bait removal by snakes in field trials in comparison to baits with no adhesive. The results represent an advance in technology development for landscape-scale suppression of brown treesnake populations.
Included in
Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Other Environmental Sciences Commons, Other Veterinary Medicine Commons, Population Biology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons, Veterinary Infectious Diseases Commons, Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology Commons, Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health Commons, Zoology Commons
Comments
This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection