THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ORCO MOLE BAIT IN CONTROLLING MOLE DAMAGE

The tunneling damage caused by eastern moles (Scalopus aquaticus) and star-nosed moles (Condvlura cristata) is well known to professionals in lawn care, golf course maintenance, and turf grass production, as well as many private landowners. Present damage control methods, including trapping, gas and smoke fumigants, and insecticide applications have a wide variety of limitations and prove impractical in some situations. An easily applied mole damage control method is needed that professional and nonprofessional applicators can use in a variety of environmental and physical conditions. This study tested the effectiveness of Oreo Mole Bait, a chlorophacinone pellet placed in active tunnel systems. The bait was tested on both mole species, three soil types (sand, loam and muck), and two watering regimes (irrigated and not irrigated). Oreo Mole Bait was equally effective in controlling the damage caused by both eastern and star-nosed moles. Captive moles readily accepted the dry, hard bait pellets. The average time to control in field trials was 303 days following first application (21.5 days on dry soils, 38.7 days on irrigated soils). The bait was effective on all three soil types, but irrigation appeared to lessen effectiveness. On untreated control sites there was no correlation between precipitation, evaporation, or average maximum and minimum temperature and mole activity. Multiple occupancy and/or rapid reinvasion of abandoned tunnel systems and the use of tunnels by other fossorial species occurred on several study sites. Human alterations to the environment encourage mole activity. Several individuals utilized the areas beneath patios, wood piles and mulched areas for activity centers, and frequented artificial feeding sites such as birdfeeders. Oreo mole bait was a practical, effective mole damage control agent that was more easily applied than present damage control methods

Solder paste mixture

A solder paste is composed of a vehicle (or flux) system and a mixture of at least two solder powders. One component of this mixture is a eutectic or near-eutectic Sn/Pb alloy powder, while the other component comprises powders selected from at least one elemental metal powder or at least one solder alloy powder or at least one elemental metal powder and at least one solder alloy powder. Said other component is a powder or combination of powders each of which has a liquidus temperature which is lower by at least 5 degrees Centigrade (°C.) than the solidus temperature of said eutectic or near-eutectic Sn/Pb alloy powder or a solidus temperature which is higher by at least 5° C. than the liquidus temperature of said eutectic or near-eutectic Sn/Pb alloy powder. The eutectic or near-eutectic Sn/Pb powder makes up from 5 to 95 weight percent of the total powder mixture. Alternatively, not all powders which comprise the second component need to obey this rule so long as at least 30% by wt. of the entire powder mixture has a solidus temperature which is at least 5° C. higher than the highest liquidus temperature of the eutectic or near-eutectic Sn/Pb alloy powder. This solder paste results in an uncompromised consolidation and wetting process in which all of the solder joints or balls are formed on and wetted to an appropriate contact by the solder reflow process.Published versio

Ecology and Control of Wildlife Damage to Electric Substations

This study addresses several aspects of the ecology and control of wildlife damage to electric substations because the amount of existing research is not sufficient to make informed decisions about how best to minimize that damage. Records of 121 incidents of animal-caused faults showed that 78% of the faults were caused by squirrels and raccoons and an average of 2,511 customers lost service during the outage caused by such a fault. Animal damage control measures were evaluated by observing challenges to control measures by raccoons and squirrels at a substation. The control measures were breached twice because they had not been properly applied. In 1994, 301 transmission and distribution substations in Michigan were sampled and categorized based on various structural and habitat characteristics. Significant relationships (p \u3c 0.10) were found between faulted substations and the number of nests in the substation, the distance of water from the substation, and the beam type used in the substation

The Effectiveness of a New Mole Repellent for Preventing Damage to Lawns by Eastern Moles

A new product containing 65% castor oil with the trade name Mole-Med was evaluated for its effectiveness in repelling eastern moles (Scalopus aquaticus) from lawns. Seven lawns in southern Michigan during September, 1993 were selected as preliminary test sites, and the ridges over mole tunnels in the lawns were flattened each day for 3 days. If some existing and new ridges were raised each day, the site was classified as having mole activity and continuing damage. The repellent was then applied according to label directions, and ridges above mole tunnels were flattened as described previously. If no tunnels were raised on the test lawn after one week, the repellent was considered to be effective. The repellent was classified as effective on all 7 test lawns. In May-July, 1994, 17 additional lawns were selected in the same way as preliminary test sites and classified as having or not having mole damage. Eleven received repellent treatment, while 6 were considered control, 3 adjacent to a treated area, 3 not adjacent to treated areas. Raised mole produced ridges were flattened on all test sites. On any site where ridges remained flattened and no new ridges were created for one week, moles were considered repelled. Mole activity as indicated by raised ridges ceased on eleven treated sites but continued on 5 of 6 control sites. The effectiveness of the repellent as indicated by the lack of new ridges continued for 65 days on one treatment site and for 30 days on the remaining treatment sites

An Evaluation of Farmer Applications of Deer Damage Controls

Damage to agricultural crops caused by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) continues to be a significant concern of farmers in Michigan and elsewhere in the United States. Policy changes that promise to reduce deer numbers may be long in coming, but better application of available damage control techniques may be an immediate alternative for farmers awaiting relief. Conversations with farmers, extension agents, and wildlife professionals suggest that some damage control techniques are underutilized by Michigan farmers, whereas other techniques are applied with little success despite promising field trials. We investigated producers’ practices to identify common weaknesses in how deer damage controls were being applied so that Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Cooperative Extension personnel could develop programs to improve the effectiveness of these applications. In January 1997, a 6-page questionnaire was mailed to 250 agricultural producers who indicated that they used some form of deer damage control to protect their crops. Producers were queried about specific methods employed, intensity and frequency of applications, fence maintenance, hunting and shooting techniques, deer harvest ratios, integration of techniques, and the perceived effectiveness of controls and/or combinations of techniques. Recreational hunting, shooting permits, and block permits were the control methods used most frequently by respondents. Although 84% of respondents expressed a desire to reduce the deer herd in the vicinity of their farm, most were not contributing effectively to achieving such a reduction through their own hunter management and deer harvest. Results suggest that educational and management opportunities do exist to encourage producers to more systematically apply and integrate available deer damage controls in Michigan

Увеличение темпов прироста запасов углеводородов с помощью инновационных технологий на примере Омской области

Проведен анализ перспектив нефтегазоносности Омской области на основе данных инновационной технологии квантово-оптической фильтрации космоснимков. Приведены физические принципы технологии квантово-оптической фильтрации. На примере Омской области показана эффективность применения технологии квантово-оптической фильтрации при решении задачи повышения темпов прироста запасов углеводородного сырья

A single camera three-dimensional digital image correlation system for the study of adiabatic shear bands

We desribe the capability of a high resolution three-dimensional digital image correlation (DIC) system specifically designed for high strain-rate experiments. Utilising open-source camera calibration and two-dimensional digital image correlation tools within the MATLAB framework, a single camera 3-D DIC system with sub-micron displacement resolution is demonstrated. The system has a displacement accuracy of up to 200 times the optical spatial resolution, matching that achievable with commercial systems. The surface strain calculations are benchmarked against commercially available software before being deployed on quasistatic tests showcasing the ability to detect both in- and out-of-plane motion. Finally, a high strain-rate (1.2×103 s −1 ) test was performed on a top-hat sample compressed in a split-Hopkinson pressure bar in order to highlight the inherent camera synchronisation and ability to resolve the adiabatic shear band phenomeno

EXPERIMENTAL CONTROL TECHNIQUES USING AVICIDE 3, CHLORO-P-TOLUIDINE

Bird depredations in Virginia have been estimated by the Extension Service, State Department of Agriculture, and the Division of Wildlife Services to be approxi¬mately $5,000,000 annually. As part of a continuing program to reduce this damage, these agencies have tested certain experimental techniques using the avicide, 3, chloro-p-toluidine, chosen for its relative selectivity, low secondary hazard, and slow action. The situations in which the avicide was tested were feedlots, decoy crops, roost reduction, and pigeon control

ASSESSMENT OF GNAWING BEHAVIOR OF THREE RODENT SPECIES ON AUTOMATIC SPEED CONTROL MECHANISM DIAPHRAGMS FROM GM AUTOMOBILES

General Motors and the A C. Rochester Company, a subsidiary of General Motors (GM), has found that the robber diaphragms on automatic speed control mechanisms (servos) were gnawed by unknown rodents. House mice (Mus musculus), Peromyscus spp., and eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) were used to test gnawing behavior on 4 kinds of diaphragms. Diaphragms with or without a rodent proof cure formula, which are used by GM, did not influence the gnawing of all test rodent species. Diaphragms with a lubricant (Paricin) were more attractive to gnawing by house mice than diaphragms without a lubricant. Five objects with different texture were used to detect gnawing preference of house mice and 3 objects were used on Peromyscus. The textures of diaphragms and nylon discs were not significantly preferred by house mice compared to the textures of corks and wood blocks. Rubber stoppers were gnawed less than wood blocks and corks by house mice and Peromyscus, but the differences were not significant. Results indicate that the presence of a rigid and protective edge on the diaphragms was a critical factor in attracting rodent gnawing. To test this possibility, diaphragms on servos supported by aluminum piston heads with 3 different beveled edges were presented to captive Peromyscus. The amount of gnawing was not significantly different among the diaphragms supported by the different piston heads. Once the gnawing was initiated, continued gnawing was thought to be dependent on the texture of objects