Californian wineries turn to owls as answer for growing pest problem

Winemakers must pay close attention to their soil, the rain, the heat, and the sunlight. But rodents like mice can wreak havoc on a vineyard. Rather than turning to rodenticides to deter pests, graduate students at Humboldt State University in California in the U.S. are testing a more natural approach by using owls.

The experiment is part of a long-term research study under the direction of professor Matt Johnson of the university's Department of Wildlife. The current cohort has placed around 300 owl nest boxes sporadically through vineyards in Napa Valley. They are documenting the impact of relying on owls to deter and remove pests rather than rodenticides.

The researchers have surveyed 75 wineries in Napa Valley, and four-fifths now use the owl nest boxes and notice a difference in rodent control. The barn owls have a four-month nesting season, during which they spend about one-third of their time hunting in the fields. A family of barn owls may eat as many as 1 000 rodents during the nesting season or around 3 400 in a single year.

The most important part of the study is whether or not the presence of these owls has led to a decrease in the use of rodenticides in Napa Valley. As of January 2021, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation placed tougher limits on rodenticide use, which can kill birds and other animals that eat rodents poisoned by the rodenticides. These pesticides lead to gruesome deaths...

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