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The hatcheries may become contaminated with pathogenic bacteria which could spread in the hatchery through the air. That is why the implementation of an effective cleaning and disinfection program and the maintenance of good hygiene are extremely important for the normal course of production and for reducing the spread of infectious agents. In this study, data on the degree and dynamics of bacterial contamination in a poultry hatchery are presented. In the incubation sector, bacterial contamination on the surfaces was found to be low-level ranging from 0.25 to 4.43x101 CFU/ cm2 but in the air it was strongly influenced by the hatching. In the hatchery sector, bacterial contamination on the surface and in the air was high, with the highest values found on the egg shells (1.77x106 CFU/cm2), on the floor (3.2x104 CFU/cm2) and in the air (1.77x105 CFU/cm3) of hatcher cabinets during hatching. The results obtained show that the most important source of microbial contamination in the hatchery is the hatchery sector, especially during hatching, when highly contaminated materials as fluff, shells and dried secretions are released. In case of poor organization of working process, the bacteria could spread by air and contaminate the other sectors of the hatchery. The study confirms the importance of a different approach in the development of preventive measures, depending on the degree of risk in different zones in the hatchery, which is the basis for the effective management practice aimed at decreasing microbiological hazards in hatcheries.

The electronic rat-control devices are humane means of controlling harmful rodents without toxic substances. They are relatively inexpensive and very easy to use and have gained increasing popularity in recent years. Although they have been introduced long ago in the practice of deratization, scientific information about their real effectiveness is scarce and at the same time very controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the repellent efficiency of an electronic device using the combined action of ultrasonic waves, light signals, and electromagnetic field change in practice. Two field trials were carried out on a cattle-breeding farm and a feed warehouse inhabited by brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) and roof rats (Rattus rattus). Repellent efficacy was determined by comparing the indicators evaluating the presence and activity of rodents during the pre-testing period before the inclusion of the device and after its activation during the test period. A lack of repellent effect was found in both field studies. The results obtained are supported by an analysis of the scientific literature confirming the inadequate effectiveness of electronic rat control devices in practical conditions. Emphasis is placed on the deficiencies and the need for regulatory adjustments governing the control and admission of electronic devices to control rats on the market.

The Balkan Vegetation Database (BVD; GIVD ID: EU-00-019) is a regional database, which was established in 2014. It comprises phytosociological relevés covering various vegetation types from nine countries of the Balkan Peninsula (Albania – 153 relevés, Bosnia and Herzegovina – 1715, Bulgaria – 12,282, Greece – 465, Croatia – 69, Kosovo – 493, Montenegro – 440, North Macedonia – 13 and Serbia – 2677). Currently, it contains 18,306 relevés (compared to 9.580 in 2016), and most of them (82.8%) are geo-referenced. The database includes both digitized relevés from the literature (65.6%) and unpublished data (34.5%). Plot size is available for 84.7% of all relevés. During the last four years some “header data information” was improved e.g. elevation (now available for 83.4% of all relevés), aspect (67.7%), slope (66%), total cover of vegetation (54.3%), cover of tree, shrub, herb, bryophyte and lichen layers (27.1%, 20.1%, 40.2%, 11.5% and 2.1%), respectively. Data access is either semi-restricted (65.6%) or restricted (34.4%). Most relevés (84.6%) are classified to syntaxa of different levels. The database has been used for numerous studies with various objectives from floristic, vegetation and habitat-related topics, to macroecological studies at the local, regional, national, continental and global levels. During the last four years, BVD data were requested from 111 different projects via the EVA and sPlot databases.

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