Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet. And use science to find everyday solutions. I’m Megan Hall.
If you’ve ever had rats in your house or gofers in your yard, you know they’re hard to get rid of. Farmers, trying to protect their crops, often have to resort to using poison.
But, some are turning to a more natural solution---owls. Jack Mershon and Louisa McLaughlin from our Possibly team are here to explain.
Jack Mershon: Hey Megan!
Louisa McLaughlin: Hi!
Megan Hall: Before we talk about owls, will you explain the problems with using chemicals to get rid of rodents? I know I’ve used them in my house before.
Jack Mershon: Sure. For many - these chemicals, called rodenticides, are the most effective way to get rid of rodents.
Louisa McLaughlin: But rodenticides poison more than just rats and gophers: they seep into the water and land we use.
Jack Mershon: And when a poisoned rodent gets eaten by a predator, usually a bird of prey, it can end up killing that bird too. Take all these risks together, and many states are restricting or outright banning the use of rodenticides.
Megan Hall: So how are owls a solution?
Jack Mershon: Barn Owls in particular, have a diet that can be pretty useful to Farmers. These owls eat about 1,500 rodents per year
Megan Hall: So, barn owls eat rodents, but haven’t they always? How do we get them to help farmers use less chemicals?
Louisa McLaughlin: By making homes for the owls! For more information, we turned to The Barn Owl Box Company, which aims to help farmers forced to use rodenticides
Mark Browning: We went ahead and developed a plastic box, and that’s how the company was founded, hoping that the plastic box could further barn owl conservation.
Jack Mershon: That’s Mark Browning, founder of the Barn Owl Box Company. He’s researched barn owl behavior, and eventually started designing barn owl boxes that are lightweight,ventilated and offer the owls more.. lounge space
Mark Browning: There’s a number of boxes out there being made by people that are pretty small. I’ve seen them as small as 16 by 16 by 16. A very comfortable range is around 24 inches long and about 16 to 8 inches wide
Jack Mershon: Larger owl boxes accommodate for the owl and its chicks. Because of this, Mark says barn owls are more likely to stay and make the box their home
Louisa McLaughlin: And good homes matter, because owl boxes are becoming popular for more farmers. It’s part of a method of pest control called Integrated Pest Management, basically using things like natural predators, and other less disruptive measures to tackle pests.
Jack Mershon: Greg Pennyroyal, who is the vineyard manager at Wilson Creek Winery in California, uses owl boxes from Mark’s company.
Greg Pennyroyal: I’ve got nine boxes currently in and I know of four that have owls
Jack Mershon: Greg’s largest rodent problem was with gophers. They were digging up the soil and damaging vines on his property. So he hired a team to trap the gophers, but it took a lot of work
Greg Pennyroyal: When I first got here, we had a crew of two guys that probably spent 500 to 800 hours a year trapping gophers.
Megan Hall: That’s a lot of time!
Jack Mershon: And money! Greg says using owls to catch the gophers is much cheaper.
Greg Pennyroyal: If I looked at the hours saved per owl box, my net return on each box is somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,200 to $1,500.
Megan Hall: Have the owl boxes also reduced the amount of chemicals he has to use?
Louisa McLaughlin: They have. Greg says…
Greg Pennyroyal: When we were using rodenticides as part of our program, we went from using approximately 90 pounds annually to with the introduction of owl boxes, we are currently using zero.
Megan Hall: Zero? Absolutely none?
Louisa McLaughlin: That’s right, and this was on 62 acres around the winery where Greg is most involved.
Jack Mershon: Now, some academic research has suggested that while owls are effective, they aren’t always enough to eliminate rodents on their own.
Megan Hall: So, what’s the take-away here?
Jack Mershon: Owls work. They save time, money and the chemicals needed for farmers. Less chemical use contributes to healthier wildlife, soil, and water. Also, owl boxes can go on yards, not just farms
Megan Hall: Wow, can I buy an owl box for my own yard?
Jack Mershon: You can! It could help you and your neighbors from using chemicals
Megan Hall: Great! Thanks Jack and Louisa.
That’s it for today. You can find more information, or ask a question about the ways your choices affect our planet, at ask possibly dot org.
Possibly is a co-production of Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, Ocean State Media, and WBRU.
