Efficacy of live‐trapping as a rodent control technique in vegetable crops

Abstract

Three days trapping of rodents every month for 1 year effectively controlled rodent population and activity in vegetable crops. Trapping indices of native field species, viz. Bandicota bengalensis, Rattus meltada, Golunda ellioti, Mus booduga and M. platythrix as well as the species inhabiting both fields and houses, viz. ft rattus and M. musculus decreased significantly. Live‐burrow count of B. bengalensis other rat species and mice reduced by 90.3%, 90.3% and 85.8% respectively. Even 6 months after the last trapping in the fields (recovery period), the live‐burrow count was 76.3%, 79.0% and 73.2% lower than the corresponding initial count for the three categories of rodent burrows respectively.

Keywords:

• Rodents
• live‐burrow count
• trapping index
• traps