University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Eastern Pine and Meadow Vole Symposia
Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for
3-4-1981
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS OF
CHLOROPHACINONE GROUND SPRAYS
IN NORTH CAROLINA
William T. Sullivan Jr.
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
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Sullivan, William T. Jr., "EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS OF CHLOROPHACINONE GROUND SPRAYS IN NORTH CAROLINA"
(1981). Eastern Pine and Meadow Vole Symposia. Paper 60.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/voles/60
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EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS OF CHLOROPHACINONE GROUND SPRAYS
I N NORTH CAROLINA
William T. S u l l i v a n , Jr.
North' C a r o l i n a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y
Raleigh, North C a r o l i n a 27650
ABSTRACT: F i e l d experiments w i t h chlorophacinone (CPN) ground s p r a y s
seem t o b e more e f f e c t i v e i n c o n t r o l of p i n e v o l e s i n North C a r o l i n a
o r c h a r d s when t h e p e r c e n t a g e g r a s s cover under t r e e d r i p l i n e s i s h i g h .
P r e l i m i n a r y l a b o r a t o r y r e s u l t s seem t o confirm t h i s o b s e r v a t i o n .
Our group h a s c a r r i e d out a number of f i e l d t r i a l s of t h e e f f i cacy of ground s p r a y s f o r c o n t r o l l i n g p i n e v o l e s i n o r c h a r d s . I n r e viewing t h e s e tests w i t h s p e c i a l r e f e r e n c e t o i n c o n s i s t e n c y of r e s u l t s
w i t h chlorophacinone (Hayne 1977) a n a p p a r e n t r e l a t i o n s h i p t o t h e
amount of g r a s s cover was n o t e d , and l a b o r a t o r y t r i a l s were s t a r t e d t o
test t h i s q u e s t i o n .
METHODS: The f i e l d experiments were c a r r i e d o u t i n privately-owned
Each experimental p l o t of about
o r c h a r d s i n Henderson County, N.C.
2.0 a c r e s c o n t a i n e d a c e n t r a l d a t a a r e a and a b u f f e r zone; t h e b a s i c
d e s i g n was d e s c r i b e d by S u l l i v a n and Hayne (1978).
Vole a c t i v i t y was monitored b e f o r e and a f t e r t r e a t m e n t by l i v e
t r a p p i n g and t h e a p p l e s i g n t e s t . Blood c o a g u l a t i o n times were a l s o
recorded b u t a r e n o t r e p o r t e d h e r e . Toxic ground s p r a y was a p p l i e d by
u s i n g a n a n g u l a r boom t h a t d i s t r i b u t e d t h e m a t e r i a l evenly from t h e
t r e e t r u n k o u t t o t h e d r i p l i n e . An o p e r a t i n g p r e s s u r e of 125 t o 135
p s i was used; t h i s i s lower t h a n recommended b u t we f e e l t h a t u s i n g
t h i s lower p r e s s u r e reduces d r i f t and keeps most of t h e t o x i c a n t under
t h e t r e e . The a p p l i c a t i o n r a t e was v a r i e d i n a s t u d y of t h i s f a c t o r .
Laboratory t e s t s were c a r r i e d o u t i n m e t a l boxes u s i n g methods
d e s c r i b e d by Davis e t a l . (1980) w i t h t h e d i f f e r e n c e t h a t i n some
boxes sod w i t h a v i g o r o u s growth of g r a s s was used i n s t e a d of b a r e s o i l .
I n one s e t of boxes c o n t a i n i n g sod we added a measured amount of w a t e r
t o s i m u l a t e r a i n f a l l (325 mllday w i t h 12 a n i m a l s , 700 ml/day w i t h 1 0 ) .
RESULTS: Table 1 shows t h e r e s u l t s of t h e f i e l d tests. The h i g h e r
t h e p e r c e n t a g e ground cover, t h e more e f f e c t i v e t h e apparent c o n t r o l .
The l a b o r a t o r y r e s u l t s (Table 2) a r e c o n s i s t e n t i n t h a t a t t h e same
a p p l i c a t i o n l e v e l , m o r t a l i t y seemed t o b e h i g h e r w i t h sod. Use of
s i m u l a t e d r a i n f a l l seemed t o have l i t t l e e f f e c t on t h e outcome.
DISCUSSION: These r e s u l t s i n d i c a t e t h a t chlorophacinone ground s p r a y
i s most e f f e c t i v e i n t h e presence of v e g e t a t i o n a l ground cover, i n t h i s
c a s e , g r a s s . H o r s f a l l e t a l . (1974) observed t h a t t h e i n g e s t i o n of
t h i s l e t h a l a g e n t by mice may b e enhanced by t h e presence of f o r b s i n
t h e t r e a t e d g r e e n e r y . Both o b s e r v a t i o n s a r e c o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h e l a b e l
a d v i c e n o t t o s p r a y b a r e ground. A t p r e s e n t we conclude t h a t where
t h e r e i s l i t t l e o r no v e g e t a t i o n under t h e t r e e s , chlorophacinone
ground s p r a y may n o t b e expected t o p r o v i d e good c o n t r o l of v o l e s .
There may b e need t o look a t o t h e r ground s p r a y s under t h e s e
same c o n d i t i o n s .
Table 1.
F i e l d t r i a l s of chlorophacinone ground s p r a y l i s t e d i n
o r d e r of amount of g r a s s cover.
Application
p e r sprayed
acre
gal
lb
ai
Percent
activity
apple sign
test
Grass
percent
cover
mean
height
in
pre
post
Number of v o l e s
live-trapped
postpretreatment
treatment
marked
marked unmarked
To q u a l i f y f o r i n c l u s i o n i n t h i s t a b l e t h e t e s t must have had e i t h e r
4 animals marked and r e l e a s e d b e f o r e t r e a t m e n t o r 10 p e r c e n t a c t i v e
s t a t i o n s with the apple s i g n t e s t .
*Caught i n f i r s t 48 h o u r s a f t e r s p r a y i n g ; no c a p t u r e a f t e r 72 hours.
Table 2.
L a b o r a t o r y tests of t o x i c i t y t o p i n e v o l e s of
chlorophacinone a p p l i e d t o b a r e s o i l and t o sod.
Treatment
cover
Bare
soil
lb a i
per acre
Number of v o l e s ( d i e d l t o t a l )
treated
control
19/22
014
0.2
0.4
Sod, no
water
0.2
Sod, w i t h
water
1.2
LITERATURE CITED
Hayne, D. W. 1977. S u r v i v a l r a t e s of p i n e v o l e s i n North C a r o l i n a
o r c h a r d s . Pages 70-75 & R. E. Byers, ed. Proc. F i r s t E a s t e r n
P i n e and Meadow Vole Symposium, Winchester, V i r g i n i a .
H o r s f a l l , F . , R. E. Webb and R. E. Byers. 1974. Dual r o l e of f o r b s
and r o d e n t i c i d e s i n t h e ground s p r a y c o n t r o l of p i n e mice.
Pages 112-216 & Proc. S i x t h V e r t e b r a t e P e s t C o n t r o l Conf.,
Anaheim, C a l i f .
Davis, D. H., W. T. S u l l i v a n , Jr. and D. W. Hayne. 1980. R e s u l t s of a
b i o a s s a y t e c h n i q u e f o r ground sprayed r o d e n t i c i d e s . Pages 58-61
i n R. E. Byers, ed. Proc. Fourth E a s t e r n P i n e and Meadow Vole
Symposium, H e n d e r s o n v i l l e , North C a r o l i n a .
S u l l i v a n , W. T . , J r . and D. W. Hayne. 1978. An e x p e r i m e n t a l comparison
of v o l e c o n t r o l methods. Pages 49-51 & R. E. Byers, ed. Proc.
Second E a s t e r n P i n e and Meadow Vole Symposium, B e l t s v i l l e ,
Mary land.