How to Manage
Pesticides to Minimize
Harm to Wildlife
© WindStar Wildlife Institute
U
nfortunately, if you use
pesticides, wildlife can
become sick and die. A recent
study in North Carolina
showed that more than 30
percent of the quail tested
were made sick by one aerial
application of insecticide.
Insecticides can make the
birds neglect their young,
abandon their nests and
become more susceptible to
predators or disease.
An indirect effect is that
herbicides or insecticides can
reduce the food and cover
that wildlife needs to survive.
Usually game bird populations
decrease when pesticides are
Pheasant and quail populations continue to
drop in many regions of the U.S. Naturally, one
major factor is the loss of wildlife habitat due
to commercial and residential development.
Another reason suggested by wildlife biologists
is the use of pesticides on agricultural land.
used extensively. They lower
the survival rate of chicks,
destroy cover plus reduce
insect and plant foods.
According to wildlife
specialists, reducing pesticide
use is one of the best ways to
protect fish and wildlife
resources. Using sound
cultural practices reduces
pest problems and, therefore,
results in lower pesticide use.
Cultural practices that
decrease the need for
pesticides include rotating
crops, selecting resistant
varieties whenever possible,
planting and harvesting at the
proper time, and using
