Selwyn Times: July 12, 2016

SELWYN TIMES Tuesday
[Edition
July 12
datE]
2016 29 3
SELWYN RURAL LIFE
Research into nocturnal habits
aims to boost pest control
Knowing if nocturnal pest mammals are more affected by the phases of the
moon or by illumination could bring new Zealand a step closer to being pest
free and save control agencies significant sums of money.
LincoLn University ecology Master’s
student shannon Gilmore’s research into the
effect lunar phases and illumination have on
activity levels in possums, stoats, rats and
mice is aimed at finding more effective and
efficient means of targeting and managing
these pests.
“it costs millions every year to control
their populations,” Ms Gilmore says.
“We’re waging a kind of war on pests. We
need to discover their weaknesses. What trait
do all four have in common that we can take
advantage of? They are all nocturnal, and
many nocturnal animals dramatically reduce
their activity with the full moon, while
others can become more active.
“if i can discover their preferences and
am able to predict whether a full moon
would make a pest more active, increasing
the likelihood of it encountering bait or a
trap, then we could decide when it is worth
deploying controls. it’s a fine-tuning of our
battle plan. ”
Ms Gilmore’s research follows on from
similar studies, but past researchers were
unable to accurately measure illumination
levels, a significant drawback as they couldn’t
determine whether the animals were
responding to the moon’s cycle or the change
in light levels. The recent availability of lowcost,
portable, weather-resistant and highly
sensitive sky Quality Meters (sQM’s) used
by astronomers could be a game changer.
“i’ll be able to calculate an illumination
level throughout a night and this may give
some insight. conditions such as cloud
cover, season, weather and urban light
pollution will also be considered.”
she is conducting her fieldwork on
Banks Peninsula, which provides a variety
of habitats and easy access to possums.
camera traps and bite marks on non-toxic
wax tags at each field site record the activity
levels of the pests.
While the broad objective is to discover
how the activity levels of possums, rats,
stoats and mice change with moon phase or
illumination levels, testing new equipment
a better way to measure illumination levels,
Ms Gilmore says discovering the lunar
phase and illumination preferences of
pest animals has the potential to provide
organisations such as the Department of
conservation, regional councils and other
agencies with practical information they can
use.
“streamlining pest control operations
means less material assets wasted and
reduced labour intensity. conservation
work has a reputation for a general lack of
cash and any savings tend to be warmly
welcomed.”
Ms Gilmore says the study would not have
been as successful without funding from
the Brian Mason trust, whose mission is to
advance scientific objectives in canterbury
and has facilitated efforts to make new
Zealand pest free.
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Shannon Gilmore setting up a camera.
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