Repel cranes in 2009
Editor’s note: This article is from the archives of the MSU Crop Advisory Team Alerts. Check the label of any pesticide referenced to ensure your use is included.
Avipel
seed treatment (formerly Avitec) is available again in 2009 to repel
sandhill cranes in field and sweet corn planted in Michigan, as well as
Wisconsin and Minnesota. The active ingredient in Avipel is 9-10
anthraquinone, a natural plant compound that birds find distasteful. The
birds detect the treated seed and avoid feeding on the corn. However,
cranes may still be present in treated fields feeding on other seeds,
worms or insects such as grubs. Avipel can be applied as a liquid seed
treatment or on-farm in the dry form as a planter box treatment. It is
not a restricted use pesticide, and you do not need a DNR permit to
apply it. However, you must have a copy of the Section 18 label at the
time of application.
If you have time to get seed-treated with liquid Avipel, the liquid is
generally more effective because there is better consistency in seed
coating. However, in Michigan in 2008, most growers used the dry
formulation. The dry material must be mixed well into the planter box,
and graphite should not be added. Used properly, though, the dry
formulation appeared to work well compared to nearby fields that did not
use crane repellent.
The manufacturer, Arkion Lie Sciences, has a good web site (http://www.arkionls.com/crop-seed.htm)
with pictures of crane damage. Click on “labels” to print the Michigan
Section 18 labels for the liquid and dry formulations, and to view
research results from the University of Wisconsin