Responses of blackbirds to aerial application of Flight Control bird repellent to ratoon rice in Cameron Parish, Louisiana

Authors

M L. Avery, USDAFollow
J. S. Humphrey, USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterFollow
E. A. Tillman, USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterFollow

Date of this Version

February 2002

Comments

Published in J. E. Hill and B. Hardy, editors. Proceedings of the Second Temperate Rice Conference. International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Philippines.

Abstract

Blackbird damage to ripening rice is an economically important problem for many producers in Louisiana and elsewhere. Currently, management options for dealing with this problem are limited and generally ineffective. One possible option is the application of a chemical feeding deterrent. in October 1998, we tested the commercial bird repellent Flight Control, which has anthraquinone as its active repellent ingredient. Blackbird use of a 4-ha plot of ratoon rice treated with Flight Control at a rate of 18.7 L ha-I declined dramatically and birds stayed off the plot for 7 d postspray. These results corroborate those obtained in a similar trial in 1997 and suggest that Flight Control can be an effective component of blackbird damage reduction strategies in ripening rice.