-4- 



TRAIL-BUILDER BAITING INFORMATION ; 



(a) 1 Acre requires 5-1/2 quarts of apples only. 



(b) 1 Acre requires 6 pounds of oats only. 



(c) 1 Acre of combination baits requires 3 quarts of apples and 3 pounds of 

 Zinc Phosphide -treated Steamed-crushed oats. 



BROADCASTING BAITING INFORMATION ; 



ZINC PHOSPHIDE-TREATED STEAMED-CRUSHED OATS 



Use 6-10 pounds per acre for tractor- drawn equipment. 



Travel at a moderate speed, approximately 3 m.p.h. Dry grass conditions 

 will insure penetration of oats into mouse trails. IN ANY BROADCAST METHOD, 

 THE OATS SHOULD NOT BE PLACED ON OPEN, BARE GROUND. 



Use 6-10 pounds per acre for broadcast by hand. 



Another product of the machine age that can be used to distribute bait for mouse 

 control Is the airplane. This method of distribution is the most expensive out- 

 lined here and produces the most varied results. Penetration to surface mouse run- 

 ways is generally good, and adequate coverage is easily obtained. However, caution 

 must be used in selecting the day of application — more so than for any other broad- 

 cast method. A calm, warm day with dry ground cover is very desirable. The Improved 

 Zinc Phosphide-treated Steamed-crushed Oats broadcast by airplane In a field test 

 last year gave favorable results. An average of 717. control was obtained. 



Zinc Phosphide-treated Corn is another bait that has been broadcast by airplane. 

 Here again under ideal conditions Meadow Mouse control has been effective but the 

 results have not been consistent. Perhaps the strongest reason for its failure to 

 achieve good control is that corn is not a highly preferred mouse food compared to 

 oat and apple bait. This would have considerable bearing in orchards where drop 

 apples are numerous. Another reason for failure is that in treating corn, only the 

 hard, outer shell of the kernel is coated with poison; the inner portion, which is 

 eaten by the mice, has very little. 



Pine Mice spend most of their lives underground; thereby, they are very difficult 

 to control. For the control of Pine Mice , it is recommended that both poisoned 

 apple and poisoned oats be used . They may be placed side by side in active trails, 

 or the apple bait may be placed in active trails on one side of the tree, and the 

 poisoned oats placed in active trails on the other side of the tree. Since Pine 

 Mice store food during the F^ill to supplement their winter food supply, it is 

 advisable to make additional bait placements and to use more bait at each placement. 

 The broadcast method of bait distribution for Pine Mouse control is not recommended . 



Field tests will be conducted this Fall by the personnel of the U. S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service using the improved Zinc Phosphide-treated Steamed-crushed Oats 

 as a broadcast bait for Pine Mouse control. 



Edward R. Ladd 



Supervisory Animal Control Biologist 



I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 



