Not all rodenticides are harmful to raptors. As growers put barn owls and other raptors to work in their orchards and vineyards for rodent control, care must be taken to ensure that any rodenticides used do not poison the very raptors being encouraged to hunt and roost. Since installing barn owl and kestrel nesting boxes and raptor perches in his orchard, Mike Omeg, cherry grower from The Dalles, Oregon, has greatly reduced his rodent control costs. And while he believes he'll soon see a day when his raptor populations provide complete control, until then, he must continue to supplement their patrol with other means, using rodenticides in bait stations and in burrows. Careful selection and use can help growers minimize the rodenticide risk to the raptor allies.
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