36 BATS Better bait Sofi Hindmarch is committed to helping


berry farmers eliminate voles from their fields. Recently, she began collaborating with Goodnature, an innovative rodent trap company in New Zealand. Together with Elana Varner, a doctoral candidate in the biological sciences department at SFU, Hindmarch is trying to find an attractant specific to voles for use in the Goodnature trap. “We’re working on apples, oats and peanut better,” says Hindmarch. “But if you put something fresh in there, it would mould pretty quickly.” The rodent attractant is in a mesh pouch that can be sniffed out, but not accessed. It’s formulated to last significantly longer than fresh-food attractants. Hindmarch hopes that Goodnature and Varner’s work can be combined to create a combination


pheromone and food attractant voles can’t resist. Varner is also helping to test trap setups and attractants from both Goodnature and her own lab for efficacy. Trapping trials will start in three


blueberry fields and one cranberry bog once the better bait becomes available. Hindmarch expects the traps to attract a


following, and not just among voles. “Farmers are pretty keen on alternatives,”


she says. “They like that [this trap] is an instant kill and it resets itself.” The traps won’t harm raptors and other


vole predators, doesn’t need to be cleaned and uses a carbon dioxide-powered bolt to kill rodents. To secure proof of the traps’ effectiveness, Hindmarch will put a camera on the first devices so farmers can see for themselves.


deer mice don’t damage berry crops like voles. Outreach around that fact is backed by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC, which will fund presentations at BC Blueberry Council meetings educating growers on how to identify and minimize vole damage, best management practices for rodenticide use and alternatives that provide effective and humane vole control.


Billions in benefits Other crop pests include


Sofi Hindmarch is working with a New Zealand-based company that has created a


rodent trap that won’t harm raptors.


RONDA PAYNE PHOTO


insects which are a food source for bats. According to Danielle Dagenais, regional coordinator for the South Coast with the BC Community Bat Program, bats are the primary animals consuming arthropods at night. Studies from the US indicate that bats provide billions of dollars in benefits to farmers. “Farms with bat colonies and that have bats feeding over their crops have reported that they do not need to use pesticides, or the level of pesticide application is reduced,” says Dagenais. The South Coast Bat


Conservation Society is awaiting data from a similar study in the Lower Mainland.


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 2019 nfrom page 35


Dagenais says farms can become a more desirable habitat for bats by providing roosting and foraging habitat. “Barns, garages, equipment shelters can provide day- roosting habitat for bats,” she says. “Artificial day roosts, bat boxes, can also be built to encourage bats to become summer residents.” The South Coast Bat


Conservation Society sells bat boxes, but natural alternatives include trees, which provide day and night roosting. Bats are also attracted to fields or hedgerows near water. They make good neighbours, roosting quietly and without causing damage to property or impacts to livestock.


Rabies not an issue


“There have been no accounts in BC of livestock transmitting rabies from bats,” says Dagenais. “Bats can share barn space with farm animals and help farmers by feeding on insects over their crops at night.”


Dagenais recommends that farmers who purchase bat boxes from other sources contact the BC Community Bat Program to ensure compatibility with local bats and access installation assistance.


FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR


SPECIES AT RISK PARTNERSHIPS ON AGRICULTURAL LANDS


Up to $30,000 is available to B.C. farmers and ranchers for conservation projects through the


Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) program.


For more information visit ardcorp.ca/sarpal or email sarpal@ardcorp.ca.


This project was undertaken with the 昀nancial support of the Government of Canada. Ce projet a été réalizé avec l’appui 昀nanier du government du Canada.


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