Research groups at Hirosaki University and Iwate University have scientifically verified that owls breeding in apple orchards control the population of the vermin Hata rat.
In recent years, the feeding damage of apple trees by voles has become more serious, and countermeasures are required.Therefore, the research group of Professor Nobuyuki Higashi of Hirosaki University Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Dr. Chie Murano of Iwate University Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences focused on owls.Owls have long been familiar to farmers, nesting on farmland in hollows of apple trees.In recent years, the loss of the nesting site of the owl from the farmland is considered to be one of the causes of the serious damage to voles, and since 2014, we have collaborated with the Shimoyuguchi Owl Association, a farmer's group, to set up a nest box in the apple orchard. Started breeding support for voles.
Since 2016, we have been measuring changes in vole populations in owl breeding gardens and scientifically verifying the effect of owls on vole population suppression.As a result, it was found that breeding owls capture up to 1 prey organisms in a month when raising chicks, of which 300 to 8% are voles.Furthermore, it was revealed that owls selectively used vole-dense gardens for nesting, and the vole population decreased by an average of 9% around the nests.
From these research results, it was shown that support for breeding owls on agricultural land is effective for animal damage control.The research group will continue to conduct research on animal damage management methods.
Paper information:[Journal of Applied Ecology] Effectiveness of vole control by owls in apple orchards
