Birds, Bees and BatsWhat do you do when you

encounter themJanet A. Hurley, ACE, MPA

Extension Program Specialist III - School IPMTexas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Dallas, TX

Laws and Rules Governing Wildlife

Control

• Federal

• State

• Tribal

• County

• Municipal

Federal Regulatory

Laws

Lacey Act of 1900• Prohibits interstate and

foreign commerce of fish, wildlife and plants that were sold or taken

1900

Migratory Bird Treat Act of 1918• Illegal to take, hunt, kill,

migratory birds, eggs or product

1918

Animal Damage Control Act of 1931• Manages conflict between

humans and wildlife

1931

Endangered Species Act of 1973• Provides broad protection for

fish, wildlife, and plants• www.fws.gov

1973

Building Owners and Property Managers

• Public property owners and managers have a responsibility to provide a safe environment.

• A few public health laws may apply to wildlife infestations.

• For schools IPM rules play a large role in ensuring safety for staff and studentsThis Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

State Rules for Wildlife and

Rabies

• Texas Health and Safety Code • THSC Chapter 826 and Section 169 – Rabies Control Act

and Rules• THSC Chapter 341 and 343• THSC Chapter 81 and Section 97

• TX Parks and Wildlife Code 63• Chapter 12 – Powers & Duties Concerning Wildlife• Chapter 43 – Special Licenses & Permits

• APPLICATION FOR PERMIT. (a) A person who has evidence of damage by depredation or threat to public safety may file with the department an application for a permit to kill the protected wildlife.

• Must be in writing• Must have an agreement with Dept. • Must have a written statement from Dept.• Certified by County Commissioner

Title 5 Sanitation and Environmental

Quality Health & Safety

Code

• Chapter 341.011 – Nuisance• Chapter 341.012 – Abatement of Nuisance• Chapter 821 – Treatment of Animals

• In this subchapter, "animal" includes every living dumb creature.

• Chapter 825 –Predatory Animals• Provides regulations to prosecute if persons

tamper with traps and the animals being trapped

• Chapter 826 – Rabies• Provides for the state or local agencies to

quarantine or test animals for rabies

Bird Management

• Pigeon (rock dove)

• English sparrow

• Starlings • Imported from Europe• Not protected by migratory bird treaties

Importance

• English sparrow• Displaces native songbirds• Over 29 diseases and

ectoparasites• Principal wild host for

encephalitis and WNV• Unsightly nests and

droppings• May enter structures

• Pigeon• Over 50 diseases and

ectoparasites• Unsightly and corrosive

droppings• Considered undesirable

nuisance

Migratory Birds –Seek help from TPWD

• Canadian Geese • Cattle Egret

• Snowy Egret• Great Egret

• Blue Heron• Yellow-Crowned Night

Heron

What Can You Do?

• Bird Spikes • provide a physical barrier that prevents birds from landing on

surfaces such as rooftop edges, ledges, and windowsills.• Come in plastic and stainless-steel options—both of which offer

constant coverage. • Easy to install, and stop birds from landing and nesting on elevated

surface areas

• Bird Netting • Great choice for semi-enclosed spaces and large open areas, like

gardens or indoor eating areas. • Netting comes in a variety of materials; heavy-duty and lighter

options are available. It provides a protective barrier that keeps birds from entering but allows sunlight in and allows for watering greenery.

Sound

• Ultrasonic bird control devices • Play irritating high and low-pitch frequencies that don’t bother

humans. • Over time, the annoying ultrasonic frequencies make an area

uninhabitable for pest birds, and they vacate elsewhere. • These low-profile devices can be effective for facilities with high-

volume human traffic, because they are silent to most people.

• Sonic devices • Broadcast bird alarm calls and terrifying predator calls that alert

birds that an area is unsafe. • To humans, these sonic recordings simply blend in with nature. But,

to birds, the sounds are extremely frightening. • Similarly to ultrasonic bird control units, these devices condition

birds to not return with continued use.

Technology

• Work by emitting laser beams with constantly changing patterns and colors.

• The blinding lights work, day and night to scare pest birds, while the motion of the beams inhibits acclimation.

• Birds remain away from the area and are unharmed.

Laser bird control units

• A drone’s threatening physical presence can be combined with sound technology.

• Recent versions of bird control drones use sonic devices to play recordings of predator noises and can fly fully autonomously with integrated Google Maps customization.

• The combination of sight and sound offers a multi-pronged effect for pest bird control.

• Do need a pilot license to use

Drones used for bird control

Other Ways • Shock track systems

• Good option as a low-profile bird control method. • Nearly invisible shock track strips are installed on places like windowsills or

ledges, and gently shock birds upon contact, alerting them not to land in the area.

• Shock track systems are humane, as they do not harm pest birds, but keep them off structures.

• Liquid taste aversions • Can cover grass, turf, and foliage, these products can be sprayed across a large

area, providing an extremely cost-effective solution for pest control. • Treated surfaces deter birds because they make the area taste unpleasant. • Bird gels can be applied to structures and repel birds by creating a sticky,

uncomfortable surface that is not suitable for landing. To ensure that plants and other wildlife aren’t affected, non-toxic, biodegradable formulas are preferred.

• Visual scares and predator decoys• As pest control methods, they are usually inexpensive and low-maintenance. • Visual deterrents alert pest birds that there is a threat in the area and force

them to seek refuge elsewhere. • The most effective stationary scares use reflective or moving parts. Many

predator decoys look like extremely realistic owls, hawks, coyotes, falcons, and alligators.

Bees - Pollinators

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

Importance of Pollinators

• Fruit and seed production needed for the survival of most flowering plants in our environment.

• Essential to the production of more than 85 crops.

• 1 out of every 3 bites of food can be attributed to pollinators.

• Insects are the most common and abundant.

Tom Butzler, Penn State Extension

Wonderful World of Bees • HONEY BEES, Apis mullifera

• Social Insects• Live in colonies of 60 to 120 thousand individual workers, few

hundred drones and 1 Queen

• Bee Stings• Stinger injected into human is ripped off – death to honeybee

– allergic reaction to human (sometimes)

• Primary pollinators of 2/3 of food we eat

• Managed colonies can overwinter – feral colonies will generally just have a queen and few drones/workers

Honey BeeIdentification

• ½ inch in length with an orange to yellowish-brown color and black intersegmental bands on the abdomen

Three banded Italian

Black worker bee

Honey Bee swarms

• New queen takes workers and drones and “absconds”

• Commonly 10-20,000 workers• Follow greenways, parks, creek bottoms• Not highly aggressive• Searching for a nesting site 8 to 14 ft high

Swarm control

• Control/remove swarms to reduce risk of bees:

• Stinging residents• Taking up residence in or near

building• Control with soapy water• Physical capture/transport• Lure to capture with bait hives

Swarm control with soapy water

• Exposed colonies only!• ¾ to 1 cup liquid

dishwashing soap (Palmolive, Dawn) in gallon water

• Gently wet outside then inside of swarm with spray wand

• Place garbage bag or similar receptacle under colony to catch dying bees

Africanized Honey bee

• Physically almost identical to EHB

• Sub-species or race of Apis mellifera

Differences between AHB EHB

• AHB more sensitive to nest disturbance• AHB will pursue intruders further

• AHB recruits more workers to defend• AHB stores less honey• AHB more prone to abscond

• AHB less choosy about nesting sites• AHB more likely to swarm summer/fall

Bee and wasp control

• Key is destruction/removal of nest

• Trapping is slow and effective only in hands of experts

• Know what you are dealing with

Vespula maculifrons –eastern yellowjacket

Vespula squamosa –southern yellowjacket

Yellowjackets are underground nesters

Underground nests may be hidden

Control Options

• Locate nest source of honey bees and have beekeeper remove.

• For Yellowjackets and waspswill need to kill if they arearound humans.

• Good sanitation and removal of possible food attractants, if necessary, wash area down

• Where treatment needed use one cup of liquid soap per gallon of water sprayed or a soapy foam to treat nest where removal not practical.

Yellowjacket traps

• Most attractive to scavenger yellowjacket species• Vespula maculifrons• Vespula squamosa?

• Fermenting apple cider

• Palliative treatment only

Insecticide application• Treat at dusk or dawn when the insects are less

likely to be active.• Wear gloves and long sleeves to avoid being stung.• Use dusts or aerosol insecticides injected into nest

or nest opening• Pyrethroids to kill the entire nest. Be sure to read the

label before use.• When spraying, make sure you stand away from

the nest and not directly underneath. Most product sprays up to 22 feet.

• Spray with the wind, not against it.• Never attempt to treat nests alone. Use the buddy

system or ask someone else to treat it if you’re allergic to stings.

Pesticide applicators must reduce risks to bees and other pollinators.

• Read the label

• Use IPM

• Follow Best Management Practices

• Most pesticides are not toxic to honeybees and other pollinators.

• As a rule: insecticides are more toxic to pollinators than fungicides and herbicides.

• However, not all insecticides are toxic to pollinators.

• Any pesticide that is toxic to insect pollinators will be referred to as a “Pollinator-Toxic Pesticide” or “PTP.”

Penn State Pesticide Education Program

Pollinator Protection Checklist

Read and follow ALL pesticide label directions and precautions.

Determine if the pesticide may be toxic to pollinators

Understand local pollinator visitation habits.

Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Always follow pesticide stewardship practices.

Minimize spray drift.Minimize vapor drift.Minimize off-site drift of seed treatment materials.

Pollinator Protection Checklist

Cooperate and communicate with others who are concerned about preserving beneficial insects, including pollinators.

Know the common symptoms of honeybee exposure to pesticides and what other stressors impact bee health.

Check for specific local ordinances pertaining to pollinators, especially beehive locations or designated preserves.

Living with bats and avoiding problems

Bat Benefitso Environmental

o Hill Country research shows Mexican free-tailed bats having an annual value of $741,000 to farmers in an 8-county region in South-Central Texas. (Nationwide Billion Dollars each year saved in Insecticide use)

o Insect controlo Each 1 million bats can eat 10 tons of insects nightly.o Important for keeping agriculture and forest pests in check

reducing need for pesticide-useo Most capture prey in flight (consume 1/3 body weight each

day)

o Fertilizero One of the richest fertilizers – considered organico Guano was Texas's largest mineral export before oil!

Bat habitats

• Solitary bat species• Prefer Natural locations

• Trees • Entering Buildings

• Opportunity • Man-made locations

• Bark made roost structures to trees

• Colonial bat species live in large groups

• Natural locations• Caves

• Man-made locations• Bridges, old barns, abandoned

structures• Entering buildings

• Take’s advantage of easy openings (entry points)

Bat Problems Odor and unsightliness

Bat Problems • Fear - phobia• Diseases

• rabies• histoplasmosis

• Bats as rabies vectors • Bats are considered “high-

risk” rabies carriers• Rabies transmission to

humans can occur without education

• Rabid bat behavior is indicated with screeching and trembling

• Bat bite appearance is not noticeable to human eye

• Most rabies exposure cases have been from bats over the last 15 years

Bat Management Is the Law

• When should a bat be captured bat and submitted for testing

• If found in a room with: • Unattended child• Sleeping person• Person who is intoxicated• Person who is mentally impaired• Or some other indication that the person has physically

touched or held the bat.

Chap. 81.082Under the law your options are

• The control measures that apply to bat colonies include:• Disinfestation (bats are removed/ excluded)• Disinfection (bats’ waste is removed)

One More Thing about Fur Bearing

Animals

• When trapping and/or removing ANY fur bearing animals be sure to follow laws and regulations

• Texas Parks and Wildlife• Fur Bearing Animal

Regulations

FURBEARING ANIMALS

• Badgers, Beavers, Fox, Mink, Muskrat, Nutria, Opossum, Otter, Raccoon, ring-tailed Cat, Skunk and Civet Cat (Spotted Skunk).

• COYOTES and BOBCATS Are Not Classed As Furbearing Animals and Are Not Subject to These Regulations

• RABIES QUARANTINE • It is a Class C

misdemeanor to transport or sell live foxes, coyotes, skunks and raccoons from, to, or within this state.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

It is Illegal to

• Take Furbearing Animals With a Foothold or conibear Style Trap Within 400 Yards of Any School.

• Aerial sprayer please notify the school campus 24 hours in advance

• To transport, sell or trade any species of bats

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

What to remember

Bats can be removed and exclude during the

cooler months

Bees – watch for managed hive areas, be

mindful of what products you are

applying

Birds – Starlings, Sparrows, and Pigeons

– can be removed

In certain situations could require mandate

to do so

Elimination should be done by a trained and

licensed person or company

Agencies should train personnel for proper

removal

There should be an action plan on file don’t

wait for the media to show up.

Ja-hurley@tamu.edu

Thank You