Foraging activity of commensal Mus musculus in semi-captivity conditions. Effect of predator odours, previous experience and moonlight.

BUSCH, MARÍA; BURRONI, NORA EDITH

Pest management science

Society of Chemical Industry

Año: 2015 vol. 71 p. 1599 - 1604

1526-4998

BACKGROUND Mus musculus is a pest in urban and rural habitats where it consumes and contaminates food and may transmit diseases to human and domestic animals. Its control by anticoagulants is partially effective because of aversive behaviours and resistance. In this context, we wanted to assess the potential of the use of predator odours as repellents in experimental feeding trials using urine and faeces of domestic cats and faeces of geoffroyi cat, a wild small felid that is one of the main rodent predators in the study area. We also assessed the effect of previous experience and moonlight on foraging activity. RESULTS We did not fiound an aversive response to cat odours in Mus musculus individuals, they show. There was a trend to consume food in the same feeding stations along time, and they showed lessthe visit rate was lower in periods with high moonlight than in periods with low moonlight. CONCLUSIONS Predator odours did not seem to be useful as rodent repellents, but maintaining illumination may prevent lower their rodent foraging activity. The trend of As rodents to maintain their feeding sites along time may be useful for the design of control measures, specially the location of toxic baits, which may be more efficiently if they are placed in at sites previously known to be used by rodents.