Effects of Vegetated Field Borders on Arthropods in Cotton Fields in Eastern North Carolina

The influence, if any, of 5m wide, feral, herbaceous field borders on pest and beneficial arthropods in commercial cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.) (Malvales: Malvaceae), fields was measured through a variety of sampling techniques over three years. In each year, 5 fields with managed, feral vegetation borders and five fields without such borders were examined. Sampling was stratified from the field border or edge in each field in an attempt to elucidate any edge effects that might have occurred. Early season thrips populations appeared to be unaffected by the presence of a border. Pitfall sampling disclosed no differences in ground-dwelling predaceous arthropods but did detect increased populations of crickets around fields with borders. Cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations were too low during the study to adequately assess border effects. Heliothines, Heliothis virescens (F.) and Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), egg numbers and damage rates were largely unaffected by the presence or absence of a border, although in one instance egg numbers were significantly lower in fields with borders. Overall, foliage-dwelling predaceous arthropods were somewhat more abundant in fields with borders than in fields without borders. Tarnished plant bugs, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) (Heteroptera: Miridae) were significantly more abundant in fields with borders, but stink bugs, Acrosternum hilare (Say), and Euschistus servus (Say) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) numbers appeared to be largely unaffected by border treatment. Few taxa clearly exhibited distributional edge effects relative to the presence or absence of border vegetation. Field borders like those examined in this study likely will have little impact on insect pest management in cotton under current insect management regimens

Test Of An Alternative Rodent Control Method: CHF Fertilizer/Small Mammal Repellant

Small mammals, primarily rodents, are an indirect threat to aviation safety because they are the prey base for numerous species of raptors. An abundant rodent population at an airport can attract and sustain a significant number of hazardous raptors in the airport vicinity. The use of chemical rodenticides has been shown to reduce rodent populations but may not be practical because of environmental concerns, thus alternative methods are needed. A test of a small mammal repellant, CHF, was conducted at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, OH. CHF, manufactured by Coolworks BV, is a pelleted, composted 1:1 mixture of mink/fox manure and peat. Coolworks BV recommends a broadcast application of CHF at a rate of 250 kilograms per hectare (223 pounds per acre) with repeated applications of 1 to 3 times per year or as needed. The study area consisted of three 3 acre treatment blocks and three 3 acre control blocks. The target rodent species was the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus); however, all rodents captured [which included deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), house mice (Mus musculus) and Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus)] were included in the analyses. A pre-application trapping index was conducted on each block in early October 2007 immediately prior to the first CHF application. Two weeks following the first application we observed a 51% decrease in meadow voles and a 31% decrease in all rodents from the treated blocks while there was a 55% increase in meadow voles and a 37% increase in all rodent species from the control blocks. Another index conducted one month after a second product application compared to the pretreatment indices revealed an 85% decrease in meadow voles and an 83% decrease in all rodents from the treated blocks while there was a 44% increase in meadow voles and an 83% increase in all rodent species from the control blocks. The preliminary results of the fall/winter tests show potential, indicating that CHF may have a place in an integrated management system

Managing Bird Populations at an Incompatible Land Use near an Airport: Dike 10B Confined Disposal Facility

Many airports throughout the world have been built on or adjacent to bodies of water. Due to their location, they are often negatively impacted by wildlife attracted to surrounding areas such as harbors, arenas, beaches, and parks. These same lakes and rivers often serve as shipping channels that support the city to which the airport services. Such is the case at Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL) in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1998, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) constructed Dike 10B, a 64-acre confined disposal facility (CDF) adjacent to BKL to manage contaminated dredge materials removed from the shipping channels of the Cuyahoga River. The facility has become a protected body of water with nutrient-rich sediment and sometimes lush vegetation. Numerous waterfowl and shorebirds are drawn to the facility to loaf and feed. In April 2006, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services entered into a one year Interagency Agreement with the USACE to manage the wildlife in Dike 10B. Through interagency communication, altered project methodology, and an integrated wildlife damage management approach, bird populations using the CDF were reduced, thus promoting safer airspace for aviation operations at BKL