Pesticides alternative strategy for Replacement of Animal (Possum)
Subject Keywords
Pesticides, Chemicals
Sponsors
Description
Identifiers
Code
Effective date
Review year
Alternative Strategy
Oral poison based upon Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol). In a larger trial (on 100 ha) it reduced brushtail possum, (an invasive species) by 93.7%, mice by 100%, and rat numbers by 95.5%. A lower content of cholecalciferol (0.4%) was as effective as 0.8%, which reduces costs. However, there are some palatability problems and degradation can reduce effectiveness in damp weather. Cholecalciferol can be applied in a gel bait to prevent the chemical from getting wet. It is also relatively expensive .
Alternative Type
Specific strategy
Pest Type
Animal
Alternative Trial
No
Coverage Country
New Zealand
Method
Replacement