The Strategic Use of Rodenticides Against House Mice (Mus Domesticus) Prior to Crop Invasion.

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of baiting refuge habitats around irrigated soyabeans with bromadiolone to control house mice and reduce their invasion of crops. Generalized linear models were constructed and used to predict changes in mouse abundance over time in both refuge and crop habitats of treated and untreated plots. Compared with untreated plots, bromadiolone significantly reduced the number of mice inhabiting the refuge habitat and reduced the rate at which mice invaded and colonized the adjacent crops. Despite this, no significant reductions in damage were detected as mice numbers failed to reach critical densities for crop damage on the untreated plots. This indicates a need for short-term predictive models when considering control strategies.