CATEGORIZATION AND SEASONAL PERIODICITY OF TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATE PEST CONTROL INQUIRIES IN VIRGINIAv

Information requests for species-specific preventive and control measures directed to the state\u27s extension wildlife specialist were recorded by species or species group, month, day, and year, and by type of human group inquiring. Skunks (15.5%), snakes (14.7%), and bats (10.9%) were inquired about most often. Homeowners (67.4%) were the most frequent inquirers. Summer (43.5%) and spring (29.0%) were the seasons when most information requests occurred. Woodpeckers (16.0%) were the most frequently reported species in the spring. In the summer, the most frequently requested information was about bats (20.2%). Snakes (29.7%) were the most frequently reported species in the fall. Over winter, rats (25.0%) were the species most frequently inquired about. Preliminary trends were observed, but because of the descriptive nature of this study, statistical significance was not considered. However, documentation of animal damage inquiries could provide important insights into the status of the state- or region-wide animal damage control problem