ABSTRACT

Management of rodent with rodenticide and trapping is frequently ineffective due to bait or trap shyness and neophobia. A study was conducted in the laboratory of Vertebrate Pest Division, BARI, Gazipur and field to increase the attractiveness of bait or trap to B. bengalensis and enhance the consumption of novel food by using different concentration of carbon disulfide (CS 2 ). Study revealed that addition of CS 2 improved bait acceptance of food. Five ppm concentration of CS 2 , rat consumed significantly greater amount of cereal bait than untreated plain wheat bait. In semi-natural field test, significantly greater number (59%) of rat was trapped in CS 2 scented bait than without scented bait (41%). In the field study higher population reduction (85-91%) was achieved with CS 2 scented zinc phosphide bait than without scented zinc phosphide bait (50%). That is 80% higher reduction of rodent population was achieved with CS 2 treated zinc phosphide bait. From this study we conclude that CS 2 can improve the efficiency and consumption of poison bait and can increase trap success.

Laboratory and field study were conducted to evaluate the effects of some bait additives namely molasses, sugar, dry fish and powder milk mixed with wheat flour to increase the acceptability of additives mixed bait and the efficiency of poison bait. The findings showed that the additives mixed plain bait led to an increase the palatability and consumption rate. The most accepted plain bait for rodent was the bait combination molasses + wheat flour followed by sugar + wheat flour. The highest mortality was observed from the bait in the treatment combination powder milk + dry fish + wheat flour +Zn 3 P 2 (90%) followed by (powder milk + molasses + dry fish + wheat flour + Zn 3 P 2 ) (80%) in laboratory. The average zinc phosphide bait consumption was highest in the treatment dry fish + wheat flour +Zn 3 P 2 (1.56 g/rat/day) followed by molasses + dry fish + powder milk + wheat flour + Zn 3 P 2 (0.80 g/rat/day). All these additives mixed with zinc phosphide increase the consumption rate and the efficacy of bait. In field trial the higher population reduction (76-86%) was achieved from the bait dry fish + wheat flour + Zn 3 P 2 followed by dry fish + powder milk + wheat flour + Zn 3 P 2 (76-80%) and the lowest in powder milk + wheat flour + Zn 3 P 2 (30%). All these additives mixed with zinc phosphide increased the consumption rate and the efficacy of poison bait.