[Wildlife Control] Goosebusters

The Canada goose is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and is widely recognized as a symbol of North American wildlife; it is also recognized as a public health threat by the Environmental Protection Agency. The migratory Canada geese that gracefully wings their way high above in "vee" formation are not a public health threat — it’s the resident Canada geese that have become a year-round nuisance at office parks, golf courses and any other urban area where low-cut, well-fertilized grass and an inviting body of water provide "fast food" and year-round accommodations.

A recent Environmental Impact Statement from the U.S. Department of Interior indicates that, left unchecked, the resident Canada goose population will double every five years. Resident geese outnumber migratory geese in the United States and can live up to 20 years, each goose leaving 1 pound of droppings every day. Damage estimates to structures, parks and schools, golf courses and aircraft (geese flying into jet engines) total more than $1 billion.

While the problem is clear, the solution is not. Since shooting (other than legal hunting) is not an option, PCOs have been limited to visual, audible and "border collie" harassment; physical barriers where practical; removal of cover for nesting areas; using less fertilizer; and labor-intensive egg oiling or addling to prevent eggs from hatching.

THE PILL. One company, Innolytics, says it has a solution. The company recently introduced OvoControl G, a product it claims is a safe, effective, humane contraceptive for Canada geese. OvoControl G is an alternative to other methods such as locating individual nests to oil or addle (shake up) the eggs. (Destroying the eggs doesn’t work, because the goose will build a new [hard-to-find] nest and lay more eggs.) OvoControl G is a contraceptive that is supplied as a treated, ready-to-use, dry bait. It is designed to be fed to resident geese beginning two to three weeks before onset of nesting to acclimate birds to the bait and to continue for eight to 10 weeks after nesting begins.

The active ingredient is nicarbazin, originally developed to control an intestinal disease, coccidiosis, in chickens. An important side effect is that it interferes with the formation of the vitelline membrane that separates the egg yolk from the egg white and prevents the egg from hatching. It does not harm already hatched geese and its effect is reversible. Nicarbazin is undetectable in goose blood four to six days after consumption has stopped.

Developed after eight years of research by Innolytics and USDA, OvoControl recently received general regulatory approval from EPA for use in controlling resident Canada geese.

It was field tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services in a 2004 large-scale trial. In general, animal welfare and conservation groups are supportive of non-lethal means of controlling wildlife populations, Innolytics reports.

Classified as a restricted-use pesticide, OvoControl is exclusively available to licensed pest control operators, USDA Wildlife Services, government agencies, and municipalities for supervised application by qualified, trained applicators. State and federal permits also may be required.

NOT A ‘SILVER BULLET.’ Erick Wolf, CEO of Innolytics, notes, "This product is not a stand-alone technology. No one magic potion or silver bullet solves your problem." He emphasizes that, in addition to putting out OvoControl baits, pest management professionals have to practice Integrated Pest Management that includes harassment, exclusion, cover reduction and other techniques. "(Goose control) is a complicated process. It’s not just another insect that you can add to your portfolio."

While it may not be for the PCO who primarily performs termite and rodent work, goose management can be a profitable business for those PCOs who are familiar with wildlife control and have customers with significant geese problems.

However, there is much to learn. Pest management professionals have to understand the biology of the Canada goose, especially its reproductive physiology, in order to build an integrated goose control program.

Much of a goose control program is site-specific. A suburban office park will require a different approach than a golf course or a municipal park.

DOSAGE AND TIMING. The effectiveness of OvoControl depends on administering the proper dosage at the proper time. A goose may consume 200 to 400 grams of food daily. The nominal target dosage for each goose is 50 grams of bait, and the goose should consume the target dosage each day at approximately dawn, throughout the nesting season. While bait pans may be used, the use of a battery-powered, mechanical feeder will allow the PCO to dispense appropriate amounts of OvoControl at programmed intervals, reducing the amount of time required to monitor and service the feeders. After initial observations to observe feeding behavior, presence of non-target species and to adjust the feeding cycle, a 35-pound capacity feeder may only need to be refilled once a week.

Overdosing is avoided through proper administration and limiting bait availability. Field trials also have shown that up to nine times the target dosage may be consumed without any signs of toxicity in the goose, Wolf reports. Bait placed in the general vicinity of overnighting geese will be quickly consumed and geese will aggressively chase most others species out of their feeding territory. Also, geese breed very early in the season, and should non-target waterfowl consume the bait, it is typically excreted before they reach their own breeding season, or in the case of migrant geese, before they reach their own breeding grounds.

Raptors don’t care for the bread-based bait, preferring live birds or fish, according to Wolf. A bird has to consume the bait to have an effect and there is no secondary toxicity hazard from consuming OvoControl treated birds. Exposure to songbirds is restricted by the relatively large size of the goose bait, and birds that eat only insects, fish or crustaceans are not candidates.

Risk to humans or mammals is minimal, Wolf says. If a goose were shot immediately after consuming OvoControl G, residue for human food safety would still be below the FDA mandated limit of 4 ppm, based on consuming 300 grams of poultry tissue per day for life. OvoControl has no effect on mammals, Wolf added.

PIGEONS AND OTHER PESTS. OvoControl works well on pigeons also, Wolf says. Although OvoControl has not yet been generally approved for use in pigeons, the company says the registration is under review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Many pest management professionals have established successful pigeon control programs using spiked strips, nets and other tactics. OvoControl is another pigeon control option — a reproductive control tool.

Additionally, Wolf said he believes OvoControl has potential for many other pest birds in North America and in other parts of the world.

Conclusion. The Canada goose can be a nuisance, creating major problems in their nesting areas. These birds often eat and wear grass to the ground and large populations will foul areas with large and numerous droppings. And with numbers continuing to grow, opportunities abound for pest management professionals who offer Canada Goose control services. The introduction of OvoControl, which is essentially birth control for Canada geese, has given pest management professionals an important addition to their Canada Geese control arsenal.

The author is a Cleveland-based writer.