Responses of blackbirds to aerial application of Flight Control bird repellent to ratoon rice in Cameron Parish, Louisiana

Blackbird damage to ripening rice is an economically important problem for many producers in Louisiana and elsewhere. Currently, management options for dealing with this problem are limited and generally ineffective. One possible option is the application of a chemical feeding deterrent. in October 1998, we tested the commercial bird repellent Flight Control, which has anthraquinone as its active repellent ingredient. Blackbird use of a 4-ha plot of ratoon rice treated with Flight Control at a rate of 18.7 L ha-I declined dramatically and birds stayed off the plot for 7 d postspray. These results corroborate those obtained in a similar trial in 1997 and suggest that Flight Control can be an effective component of blackbird damage reduction strategies in ripening rice