File:Controlling field rodents in California (1953) (20665660886).jpg

Title: Controlling field rodents in California
Identifier: controllingfield434stor (find matches)
Year: 1953 (1950s)
Authors: Storer, Tracy I. (Tracy Irwin), 1889-1973
Subjects: Mammals; Rodents
Publisher: (Berkeley, Calif. ) : Division of Agricultural Sciences, University of California
Contributing Library: University of California, Davis Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: University of California, Davis Libraries

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Fig. 20. Burrows and runways of meadow mice in an alfalfa field heavily infested with these rodents. The mice kill many plants by cutting the roots and eating the stems and leaves. County), in the delta region of Sacra- mento and San Joaquin counties, and locally elsewhere. Preventive treatment, where it can be used, consists of clean cultivation. Or- chards with covercrops should be watched for signs of damage by meadow mice, and steps taken at once to control them if necessary. Otherwise, clean cultivation in orchards and the removal of grass and weeds along fences, about farm build- ings, and around piles of lumber will reduce the shelter and food for these ani- mals. Control methods. Meadow mice may be controlled either by traps or by poison. For a small area or a few mice the best plan is to use mousetraps baited with oat- meal, rolled oats, or bits of apple or car- rot or other root vegetables, and set with the triggers of the traps across the run- ways. The traps will then be effective on mice running in either direction along the surface paths. Sometimes unbaited traps will serve. Traps should be visited at fre- quent intervals, since these mice are ac- tive by day as well as at night and the efficiency of individual traps is increased by frequent attention. When meadow mice are present in large numbers or over a large acreage, it is necessary to use poison. Formerly strychnine on alfalfa leaves was em- ployed (formula 10), but recently zinc phosphide on rolled barley or oats or oat groats (formulas 7 to 9) has been used. The poisoned bait—either grain or al- falfa—is broadcast by hand (gloves should be worn) so that it will scatter on the runways and be found by the mice. For heavy mouse infestations, amounts up to 15 pounds of grain bait are used per acre. One man can treat 15 acres a day, walking back and forth across the field and using marker stakes along the field borders to cover the field adequately and evenly. More than one treatment per season may be necessary when the mouse population is large. Recently it has been found that toxa- (38)

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