Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

California Assembly Bill 1788 and establishment of the California Ecosystems Protection Act indicates the evolution of public opinion regarding rodent management products is moving away from the use of poison. Similar actions have taken place in the province of British Columbia and the state of Massachusetts, with initiatives in the states of Washington and Connecticut. These events signal a trend in pest management that requires attention. There are many aspects of California’s law that will require further refinements such as enforcement, best practices, and the economics of the action. The FYXX foundation 501c(3) non-profit organization has undertaken to assess these elements of alternate rodent IPM programs including any offsetting benefits of public and employee perceptions. Data was collected from three sites: two animal sanctuaries and a large commercial business district. Strategies were as follows; site #1, an IPM program including exclusion, fertility control, repellents, station monitoring with relocation and reduction (98% population reduction); site #2 IPM including fertility control, monitoring and station relocation, (80% population reduction) and site #3, IPM including station lure baiting followed by targeted fertility control, and monitoring (91% population reduction). All data were analyzed with review by professional pest managers, facility management personnel, municipal agencies, and FYXX staff. Employee interviews and surveys indicated that there was a skepticism at initiation of the study, however, by month #3 a reversal to strong support for the new program and high satisfaction with a poison-free facility. These data indicate that collaborative work between product manufacturers, professional pest managers, and users can provide new alternatives to IPM programs that are economically sound, socially, and politically responsive to a new trend in pest management.