Sandhill cranes and farmers to benefit from newly approved bird repellant (February 26, 2008)
The Minnesota departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Agriculture have been notified by the
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency that temporary approval has been given for the use of the nonlethal bird repellant Avitec for a third year.
For the second year, a more effective liquid formulation will be available to complement use of a powder formulation. Farmers in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota can use this repellent to treat seed corn in areas where cranes have been damaging corn fields by eating the seeds shortly after planting. This approval significantly reduces potential conflicts arising between farmers and the increasing population of sandhill cranes.
Avitec has an active ingredient of 9,10 Anthraquinone, a naturally occurring substance used by plants to repel birds. The use of Avitec represents a cooperative effort by the International Crane Foundation, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the DNR Nongame Wildlife Program, and the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife to prevent damage that cranes cause.
Cranes eat newly planted corn seeds that occur in straight rows at predictable intervals. Planted kernels are most vulnerable for about two weeks after the corn seedlings emerge. Cranes detect Avitec at very low levels and avoid it. When treated, cranes do not eat the planted kernels and the birds continue to forage on waste grains and other foods in those same fields. This benefits the farmer because waste corn and many types of beetle larvae can later cause problems as the crop matures.
Avitec is a practical and ecologically sound solution to crane crop damage. Importantly, the deterrent does not prevent cranes from foraging in cultivated areas where they remove waste grain and insect pests. By developing an effective nonlethal seed treatment, agriculture and conservation have developed a win-win situation where people and wildlife co-exist more harmoniously.
This first agricultural application of 9,10 Anthraquinone, approved within the United States as a bird repellent, is the result of extensive collaboration among federal, state and private organizations as well as Arkion, the manufacturer of Avitec. Applications for longer-term use of Avitec are being pursued for the 2009 planting season.
The recovery of Minnesota’s sandhill crane population is a conservation success story. From the 1930s, when the state’s crane population was estimated at fewer than three dozen birds the population has increased dramatically.
The sandhill crane is a nongame wildlife species that can now be seen and enjoyed across much of Minnesota. People personally benefit sandhill cranes and other nongame wildlife by donating to the nongame wildlife checkoff on Minnesota tax forms.
For more information on the availability of Avitec, people can check with a current seed retailer, seed distributor or call the Avitec help line at 1-800-468-6324.
The more effective liquid treatment can now be used but requires planning before the planting season. Growers in Minnesota can also reach Dr. Eileen Cullen (UW-Extension) for more information on the use of Avitec at (608) 261-1507, or can obtain a two-page fact sheet about sandhill cranes with damage abatement recommendations by contacting a DNR area wildlife manager.
Wildlife manager’s phone numbers are available by calling the DNR Information Center at (651) 296-6157 or toll free 1-888-MINNDNR (646-6367).
