MOLES POCKET GOPHERS VOLES BEHAVORIAL & ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS for VERTEBRATE PEST MANAGEMENT JAY PAXSON EXTENSION EDUCATOR NEVADA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION ELKO, NEVADA

Recognize this critter?

Or this one?

Has this method ever worked for you?

Or this one?

Look familiar?

Carl Spackler tries talking to the animals… (it didn’t work for him either)

Inspired IPM ( = Integrated Pest Management) (Step 1)

Wired “C-4” Bunny

Inspired IPM (Step 2)

Inspired IPM (Step 3)

Extreme IPM

Play is temporarily suspended for…

Very Extreme IPM

NOT the look you want on your customer’s faces…

…or on the faces of the good folks who work here:

-OR-

A FEW THOUGHTS ON PEST CONTROL Positive identification of your pest species is crucial when selecting appropriate & effective management strategies from a host of options. This is important regardless of the type of pest involved–fungus, weed, insect, bird, or mammal. A thorough knowledge of the biology & habits of each pest is necessary; the more you know about the pest, the better able you will be to manage it effectively.

A FEW MORE THOUGHTS ON PEST CONTROL Often pests are not readily seen; identification must be inferred from less tangible ‘sign’, e.g., damage, tracks, scat, mounds, & other indicators of its presence. BE OBSERVANT * BE INNOVATIVE BE THOROUGH * ALWAYS BE SAFE

KNOW YOUR PEST IDENTIFICATION „

ESSENTIAL TO SAFE & EFFECTIVE CONTROL

„

CAN BE DIFFICULT– ESPECIALLY FOR FOSSORIAL SPECIES

„

KNOW THE “SIGN” THAT THE VARIOUS SPECIES MAKE

MOLES

„ „ „ „ „

Evenly conical mounds without a visible plug Fine-textured “tailings” Tailings usually moist & occur on moist sites Mounds will occasionally show soil “packets” Surface runs that look like “veins” under grass

POCKET GOPHERS „

„ „ „ „

Dune-, fan-, or beanshaped mounds with a visible plug Coarse-textured “tailings” Tailings range from slightly moist to very dry Mounds usually occur on drier sites Older mounds can become circular with a central depressed plug

VOLES (AKA Meadow Mice) „

„

„

Wide-open holes: ½” to 1½” (typically ~quarter-sized) Closely cropped “landings” around active holes Above ground– closely cropped runs shrouded under vegetation & run from one hole to the next

VOLES Cont. „

„

Small collections of mouse-sized droppings and grass clippings at openings & along runs Occur in habitats having considerable vegetative cover

Pacific Northwest Mole Species „

Townsend’s mole - Scapanus townsendii

„

Coast mole - Scapanus orarius aka ‘Pacific Mole’

„

Broad-handed mole - Scapanus latimanus aka ‘Broad-footed mole’

„

Shrew-mole - Neurotrichius gibsii

The Primary Troublemakers Townsend’s Mole & Coast Mole COAST MOLE TOWNSEND’S MOLE

Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsendii)

Townsend’s Mole

DISTRIBUTION

Coast or Pacific Mole (Scapanus orarius)

Coast Mole

DISTRIBUTION

Broad-handed mole (Scapanus latimanus) „

Broad-handed mole

DISTRIBUTION

Shrew-mole (Neurotrichus gibbsii) Smallest mole in North America „

Shrew-mole

DISTRIBUTION

Mole skull & dentition Ideal for worms, etc., poor for bulbs, corms, roots

INTERESTING MOLE FACTS

Moles are not rodents– Insectivores „ Moles do not hibernate „ Moles are very solitary, except briefly during the breeding season (late winter) „ Moles are active day & night „ Researchers believe moles have an excellent sense of smell „

PRACTICAL MOLE MANAGEMENT In summer– don’t irrigate „ Toleration– live & let live… if you can „ Trapping (except in Washington) „ Deep tillage (not a good urban solution) „

COMMON MOLE TRAPS OUT O’ SIGHT or ‘SCISSOR’

MOLPRO NO-MOL

CINCH

HARPOON

NASH CHOKER

A FEW MOLE TRAPSETS

MARGINALLY PRACTICAL MOLE MANAGEMENT Mole baits „ Live traps „ Burning sulfur „ Aluminum phosphide (RUP) „ Smoke or gas cartridges „ Exclusion „ Shooting „ Margin trenching „

IMPRACTICAL MOLE MANAGEMENT „ „ „ „ „ „

Insecticides– none are registered for mole or earthworm control Fungicides- none are registered for earthworm control Mothballs– not registered “Ultrasonic” devices, beepers, buzzers, etc. Chewing gum (e.g., Juicy Fruit) Castor oil products

? ??

?

? ??

??

OFF-THE-DEEP-END MOLE MANAGEMENT „

Petroleum products– grease, gasoline, tar, creosote; windmills; bottles with bottoms removed; razor blades; broken glass; flooding; rose canes; vehicle exhausts; human hair; electrocution; soaps; bleach; lye; castor beans; “mole plant”; dead fish; boiling water; road flares and many more too numerous to mention…

POCKET GOPHERS

RODEX’S LOGO

POCKET GOPHERS of the WILLAMETTE VALLEY

„

Camas pocket gopher (Thomomys bulbivorus); 2nd largest gopher in the world Old-timers said “big as cats”; they were right „ Native Americans used them for food „

„

Mountain pocket gopher (Thomomys monticola) on the margins of the valleys & beyond

GOPHER “SIGN”

GOPHER “SIGN” Cont.

MIXED SIGNALS Gopher Sign vs. Mole Sign

MIXED SIGNALS Gopher Sign vs. Mole Sign Cont.

“BIG AS CATS”

GOPHER FACTS „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „

Gophers are rodents– Geomyidae External pouches for carrying food Lips close behind the teeth... keeps soil out Poor eyesight Excellent tactile senses– vibrissae Strict herbivores Extremely territorial Mima mounds are believed linked to gophers

PRACTICAL GOPHER MANAGEMENT „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „

Toleration Control of tap-rooted weeds Baits Burrow builders Trapping Fumigants Tillage Rodenator Pro or Rodex 4000- oxygen/propane blasters Burning agricultural sulfur Vargon

COMMON GOPHER TRAPS

EXAMPLES of GOPHER TRAPSETS

IMPRACTICAL GOPHER MANAGEMENT Exclusion, protective cages „ Smoke or gas cartridges „ Shooting „ “Gopher guns” „ Vehicle exhaust „ Development of adjacent predator habitat „

BURROW BUILDERS

BAITING WITH BURROW BUILDERS

When to Consider Using a Burrow Builder „ „ „ „ „

„

Large fields High density gopher population Cost/benefit analysis Hand baiting was considered Effects of your application can be monitored for several days Few large rocks

Rodenator Pro / Rodex 4000 „ „ „

„ „ „

Propane/Oxygen injector No pesticides Effective on moles, gophers, ground squirrels, prairie dogs Not for use near structures ~$1890 Not for use or sale in Colorado

Rodenator Pro Accessory Kit

Rodenator Pro in Action

VOLES– Meadow Mice

VOLES– Meadow Mice Cont.

Vole Facts „ „ „ „ „ „

Voles do not hibernate Voles are active 24-7-365 The Oregon vole is semi-fossorial & uses existing mole / gopher tunnels Voles live only 2-16 months Voles are related to lemmings. Voles are one of the most prolific mammals on earth. Voles can have as many as 17 litters in a single year with a 21-day gestation period

Vole Facts, Cont. Voles are prey to every known predator „ Female voles can breed at 3 weeks of age „ Litters range from 1 to 11 „ In urban landscapes, loss of plantsbulbs, corms, & tubers etc, can often be attributed to vole activity, not moles „ Voles are rarely seen „

Recognizing Vole Damage

Tooth marks are ~1/16” wide

Recognizing Vole Damage

Recognizing Vole Damage turf & alfalfa

Recognizing Vole Damage Junipers

Practical Vole Monitoring --The Apple Sign Test-„ „

„

IPM– “Apple Sign Test” Monitor using 1-foot square shingles, plywood, or other board, paint to blend with surroundings Scatter shingles along field margins where voles might intrude; best if placed over an existing hole

Practical Vole Monitoring, Cont. „ „ „

„ „

Shape the material to form a slight dome, 3-4” above the surface Leave undisturbed for 5-days, then place 1/2” cube of apple under each shingle Check after 24-hours; if apple is removed or eaten, note a “+” for the location; leave shingle in-place for future monitoring When monitoring is complete, begin treatments where “+” was noted Conduct the monitoring in fall & spring and 2130 days after each rodenticide application

Practical Vole Monitoring, Cont. „ „

„

Trapping for positive identification Try this trapset design using a snaptrap baited with a small piece of apple Trap must be placed at a right angle (perpendicular) to the run

Practical Vole Management „ „ „ „ „ „

Toleration Elimination of vegetative cover Cultivation Baiting Snap traps Fostering the development of nearby predator habitat

Habitat Modification- Voles

„ „ „ „

Reduce vegetative cover Reduce or remove mulches & ground cover near trunks of trees Cultivation Enhance nearby predator habitat

BAITING „ „ „

„

„

„

Bait-of-choice for voles is zinc phosphide or “ZP” Read the label !!! ZP is extremely toxic; most formulations are RUPs Avoid killing non-target species by careful bait placement Best bait formulation is zinc phosphide on oilimpregnated rolled oats– has some waterproof qualities Quintox available for organic growers

Baiting cont.

„ „

„ „ „

„

Place bait down into burrow opening Do not broadcast on the surface unless allowed by the label If label permits, retreat after 3 days Backfill holes after 3 more days If back-fill material is kicked out of holes, retreat those holes again Repeat as necessary; repeat only as permitted by label

TRAPPING „ „

„ „ „ „ „

Use small snap traps, standard or “pro” type Bait with apple slices or peanut butter & rolled oat mixture Not practical for commercial settings Very time consuming Requires many traps Pin down trap Do not live trap— cannot relocate (ODFW)

Impractical Vole Management Repellents „ Shooting „ Fumigants „ Beepers, buzzers, clackers, “ultrasonics” „

Lee, Nevada

Ruby Mountains, Nevada

Contact Info:

Jay Paxson Extension Educator University of Nevada Cooperative Extension 701 Walnut Street Elko, NV 89801 775 738-4722 (Direct) 775 738-7291 (Office) [email protected]