Keeping an Eye Out for African Swine Fever 

Keeping an Eye Out for African Swine Fever 

Despite efforts by public and private land managers, feral hog populations continue to rise in many areas in Florida.  Feral hogs damage crop fields, lawns, wetlands, and forests.  They can negatively impact native species of plants and animals.  Their rooting leads to erosion and decreased water quality.  Feral swine can also harbor and infect domestic swine with diseases such as African Swine Fever, foot-and-mouth disease, pseudorabies, swine brucellosis, and others.  

USDA APHIS conducts feral swine monitoring for diseases to help safeguard our pork production here in the US.  More than 6,000 samples are taken annually to test for diseases of concern.  This monitoring effort not only keeps our domestic swine safe but also keeps humans safe from diseases that can infect us.  African Swine Fever (ASF) is the main disease of concern right now for the state of Florida, especially those counties bordering the Gulf of Mexico. 

ASF is a deadly disease of both feral and domestic hogs.  It is not transmitted to humans so it is not a health or food safety concern.  It is, however, highly contagious and would likely have a catastrophic effect on our domestic pork industry.  Although it has not been found in the US, this disease has recently been detected in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. 

This concern has led to a new monitoring program in Florida specifically for ASF in counties bordering the Gulf.  USDA APHIS will begin trapping wild hogs in these counties in order to monitor populations for ASF.  Landowners, both public and private, can benefit from this monitoring program.  Professional trappers will be employed to remove wild hogs for this monitoring effort.  For more information on this program, contact Buddy Welch, North Florida Assistant District Supervisor, USDA Wildlife Services, ASF Surveillance at edgar.welch@usda.gov

NISAW: Wild Hogs, an invasive species to Escambia County

NISAW: Wild Hogs, an invasive species to Escambia County

Wild hogs, also known as feral pigs, are a common group known throughout Florida, including Escambia County. Brought in by early settlers, these beasts have become an invasive species that cause serious damage to whatever environment they enter. In Escambia County they are found in various habitats which include forests, swamps, and agricultural areas.

These creatures are omnivorous and feed on essentially anything they can find. They uproot and feed on plants, roots, and insects, as well as prey on nests, eggs, and the young of ground nesting birds, small mammals, and reptiles. This, in turn, damages the land and continues to create competition for native wildlife.

Wild hog populations can rise quickly with sows able to produce multiple litters of piglets in a year.

To seek control of the wild hog population, hunting is allowed in Escambia County with a valid license. However, this alone is not enough to manage the ever-growing population. Therefore, other control measures such as trapping may be necessary.

Wild hogs are known to be carriers of many diseases which can be transmitted to livestock, other animals, and even humans. It is important that anyone who attempts to hunt or trap wild hogs take every precaution.

As they are a significant issue that can cause economic and ecological damage, it is important to take action to manage their populations, and to minimize the impact they make on the local environment and agriculture.

In this image, feral hogs have rooted up around this bottom and have caused a significant amount of damage.
Credit: Madelyn Grant

Here are some helpful links to learn more about Feral Pigs:

Choosing the Right Tools is Key to Successful Feral Hog Management

Choosing the Right Tools is Key to Successful Feral Hog Management

Despite efforts by public and private land managers, feral hog populations continue to rise in many areas in Florida.  Feral hogs damage crop fields, lawns, wetlands, and forests.  They can negatively impact native species of plants and animals.  Their rooting leads to erosion and decreased water quality.

Wild boar Photo Credit: Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

There are several options for controlling feral hogs.  Choosing the right option depends on the situation.

Options include:

  • Hunting with dogs,
  • Hunting with guns,
  • Box Traps,
  • Corral Traps.

Let’s talk about these options.

Hunting with dogs is really not very effective for removing enough hogs to control populations.  Dog hunting can move sounders of hogs from areas where damage is occurring for a period of time.  This can be helpful when crops need to be protected from hog damage until they can be harvested.

Shooting hogs also is not effective for removing large numbers of hogs.  Situations where it is successful include protecting crop fields and for taking hogs that will not go into a trap.  Shooting success depends the education level of the hogs and the sophistication of the shooting equipment available.  Hogs learn quickly to avoid danger.  They learn by watching other hogs who get shot or trapped.  Hunting pressure can disrupt hog patterns and make them harder to trap or hunt.

Box traps can be effective at trapping young hogs that are not trap smart.  A study conducted by a graduate student, Brian Williams, at Auburn University looked at the efficacy of different trap styles.  Young hogs entered box traps and corral traps at similar rates.  The study also found that adult females were 120% more likely to enter corral traps than box traps and adult males were more reluctant to enter either trap style but were more likely to enter the corral traps. (Williams et al, 2011)

Corral traps are shown to be most effective for eliminating complete sounders.  By eliminating a sounder at once, populations can be reduced.  Corral traps are also more economical.  In the Auburn study, the trapping cost per pig for box traps was $671.31 and for corral traps was $121.28.

Corral traps are best for capturing whole sounders.  Box traps can be effective for capturing young hogs.  When trap smart adult females or males are in an area, shooting or hunting with dogs are options.  Just remember that hunting pressure often just moves the hog problem onto another property.  In order to eliminate hogs from a given area, we must employ several of these strategies.  For example, we may be able to trap a sounder in a given area but still have a group of boars that will not go into a trap.  In this case, we may set up to shoot them after trapping the rest of the hogs in a corral trap.  By using these two techniques, we can drastically reduce the number of hogs in an area.

For more information about feral hogs, go to http://articles.extension.org/feral_hogs.

Reference:  Brian L. Williams, Robert W. Holtfreter, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, James B. Grand Trap Style Influences Wild Pig Behavior and Trapping Success.  Source: Journal of Wildlife Management, 75(2):432-436

Invasive Species of the Day (February 25): Coral Ardisia and Wild Hogs

Invasive Species of the Day (February 25): Coral Ardisia and Wild Hogs

NISAW-logo09[1]

Coral Ardisia (Ardisia crenata):

 

photo courtesy of Les Harrison

Attractive red berries entice homeowners to use as a landscape plant but coral ardisia can quickly dominate adjacent natural areas. photo courtesy of Les Harrison

Coral ardisia is also known as coral berry, spice berry, and scratchthroat. It was introduced into Florida in the early 1900’s for ornamental purposes.

In the ensuing years, it has since it escaped cultivation and has become established in hardwood hammocks and other moist woods of natural areas and grazing lands. Populations can currently found in Florida, Louisiana and Georgia.

This evergreen sub-shrub reaches a height of 1.5 to 6 feet and tends to grow in multi-stemmed clumps. Leaves are alternate, 8 inches long, dark green above, waxy, without hairs, and have scalloped margins and calluses in the margin notches.  Flowers are typically pink to white in stalked axillary clusters, usually drooping below the foliage. The fruit is a bright red, globose, single-seeded berry, measuring approximately 0.25 inches in diameter. White-berried populations are also known to exist.

Coral ardisia is classified a Category I weed on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant List.  Control of coral ardisia may be accomplished by two methods. A low-volume foliar application of Garlon 4 or Remedy provides suppression of this plant.  Complete foliar coverage is essential to success and re-treatment will be necessary for complete control.  Basal bark applications with Garlon 4 or Remedy in an oil carrier can also be utilized for suppressing this invasive weed. Do not apply more than 8 quarts of Remedy or Garlon 4 per acre and treat no more than ten percent of the total grazed area if applying greater than two quarts per acre.

More information is available at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag281.

For local assistance, contact your county UF IFAS Extension office.

For more information contact Les Harrison, UF/IFAS Extension Wakulla County – Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Agent by phone at 850-926-3931.

 

Will Sheftall Natural Resources Agent with UF/IFAS Extension Leon County exams the impacts of invasive coral ardisia on local urban forests in Northwest Florida.

Wild Hogs(Sus scrofa):

Wild Hogs, also called Feral Hogs, are not native to the U.S.  Wild hogs are highly adaptable and can find suitable habitat easily.  Wild hogs can be all shapes, sizes and colors since they are hybrids of many different breeds.   Wild hogs sometimes resemble their domestic relatives but sometimes resemble their Eurasian backgrounds.

Wild hogs are probably the most prolific large mammals in the world.  They reach sexual maturity at a young age.  Females have multiple litters of 3-8 piglets per year.  Natural mortality rates are low.  Wild hog females and young live and travel in groups called sounders.  Sounders typically have 1 to 3 adults and several young.  When females reach maturity, they either stay with the sounder or they go out and form a new sounder with other young females.  Young males leave the sounder alone at about 16 months.

Wild hogs are opportunistic omnivores that feed by rooting and grazing.  This rooting behavior is why we consider them to be a pest.  The impact of wild hogs on the environment is soil erosion, decreased water quality, spread of other invasive plants, damage to agricultural crops, and damage to native plants and animals.  They have been documented as threats to threatened and endangered species.  They can significantly impact populations of reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, ground nesting birds and even deer.

Wild hogs pose a health risk to humans because they can carry numerous diseases and parasites.  Care should be taken when handling wild hogs.  Wear gloves, cover any open wounds, and wear clothing that can be cleaned thoroughly.

Wild hog damage to pond bank.  Photo by Jennifer Bearden

Wild hog damage to pond bank. Photo by Jennifer Bearden

Human hunting is the most significant cause of mortality in wild hogs, although hunting alone will not control hog populations in a good habitat.  The most effective way to remove wild hogs from a location is a combination of trapping and shooting.

In Florida, wild hogs may be hunted year round on private land (with permission of the landowner) and at night with no permit required.  Hogs may be trapped year round.  Wild hogs cannot be trapped and released onto public land.  Trapped wild hogs can only be transported with a permit from FDACS) to slaughter or to an approved Feral Swine Holding Facility.  For more information on Wild Hogs, go to:  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw322 and http://www.myfwc.com/hunting/by-species/wild-hog/ .

“Digital Devices Transform Couch Potatoes into Air Potato Destroyers – Use Your Phone to Help Manage Florida Invaders”

Map and identify invasives with "IveGot1"

Map and identify invasives with “IveGot1”

Digital devices have proliferated like kudzu in July, and new user applications for these devices are as common as armadillos. Untold hours and dollars are being spent by couch potatoes to defend artificial worlds from dragons, zombies and other imaginary invaders.
Meanwhile, real exotic aliens from air potatoes to monitor lizards are invading Florida.

Don’t panic; there is some good news. A group of new applications that can help citizen scientists identify, locate and manage invasive plant and animal species in Florida is available for free.

The first line of defense is identifying and mapping new occurrences of invasive species. Many, if not most, new infestations were established before anyone noticed or cataloged them, and effective control strategies depend on knowing the extent of new infestations.

The Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) has been available at http://www.eddmaps.org since 2005. In the words of its developers, Charles Bargeron and David Moorehead of the University of Georgia’s Bugwood Network, the system was designed to: “develop more complete local, state and regional level distribution data of invasive plants, identify “leading edge” ranges of new invasive threats, provide a means of implementing early detection and response, and help corroborate threats and refine invasive plant lists and management priorities.”

IveGot1”  was developed by this same group through a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. The application is now available on both Apple and Android operating systems. The app includes invasive plants and animals and allows direct reporting of sightings as well as back ground information on Florida’s most common invasive species.

The impact of wild hogs on the environment is soil erosion, decreased water quality, spread of other invasive plants, damage to agricultural crops, and damage to native plants and animals. Photo by Jennifer Bearden

The impact of wild hogs on the environment is soil erosion, decreased water quality, spread of other invasive plants, damage to agricultural crops, and damage to native plants and animals. Photo by Jennifer Bearden

At least two other apps useful for invasive species management are also available. “Invasive Plants in Southern Forests” is adapted from the US Forest Service book of the same name. This publication is available for download at http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/gtr/gtr_srs062, but it’s a big file (33MB). In addition to its ID function, the app includes appropriate control methods for the over 100 invasive trees, shrubs, vines, grasses and forbs described. As of now, this application is only available for the iPhone platform.

The second app is for Florida’s most widespread invasive animal. Although pythons may be our most infamous invasive animal, they don’t have the distribution of the wild hog. “Squeal on Pigs” combines a location app and educational information to support states’ efforts to control wild hog populations and reduce their impacts on streams and crops.

Maybe you won’t reach Destroyer level in the real battle on air potatoes and Florida’s other invasive species, but moving from Angry Birds to Squeal on Pigs will raise your power level as a Friend of Real Florida.