Optimising possum control using encapsulated cyanide (Feratox®). New Zealand Plant Protection

Feratox ® is an encapsulated cyanide product used extensively throughout New Zealand for possum control. It has advantages of being lightweight and is not legally required to be checked daily, as are leg-hold traps. This study evaluated delivery methods for Feratox ® by comparing the number of possums killed by Feratox ® treatments with the number of possums killed by an industry accepted standard, i.e. possum captures in leg-hold traps. When Feratox ® was used in plastic bags coated with a rat repellent and fixed to wires located at 5 m spacings, significantly less possums were killed than in traps. However, when applied in bait stations at 50 m intervals, Feratox ® killed as many possums as traps, especially when possums were prefed non-toxic bait. Feratox ® was also as effective as traps when used in paper bags located on trees 20 m apart and used with a flour and icing sugar blaze. This study suggests that Feratox ® can provide a more cost-effective alternative to trapping in areas with low to medium possum densities