Trials of the anticoagulant rodenticide WBA 8119 against confined colonies of warfarin-resistant house mice (<i>Mus musculus</i> L.)

Abstract

The efficacy of the newly developed anticoagulant rodenticide WBA 8119 was evaluated against the house mouse (Mus musculus L.) using individual and family groups of warfarin-resistant animals. WBA 8119 at 0-002%, 0-005% and 0-01% in pinhead oatmeal bait gave complete kills of mice in 'no-choice' feeding tests carried out in cages and small pens. In replicated 21-day treatments on families of mice confined in larger pens conditioned to feeding on plain foods, the overall mortalities obtained using the three formulated poison baits were 71/72, 62/63 and 57/57 respectively. The results of the WBA 8119 toxicity tests are considered in relation to previous findings on other anticoagulant rodenticides, particularly difenacoum. In equivalents tests, WBA 8119 performed better than difenacoum. The data thus suport the laboratory findings that WBA 8119 is the most active anticoagulant so far tested for the control of warfarin-resistant house mice.