Evaluation of Bird Shield® as a non-toxic bird repellent in a cherry orchard, Central Otago, New Zealand : A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science at Lincoln University

Abstract

Bird Shield® is a non-toxic, biodegradable bird repellent that is not licensed for use in New Zealand orchards. Bird Shield treated trees in Cherrycorp Orchard, Roxburgh East were compared with untreated cherry trees to determine the repellent's effectiveness on the cherry varieties 'Bing' and 'Stella'. The outcome of the study which coincided with unusually wet conditions showed no significant reduction of bird damage on trees (p=0.21) and branches (p=0.61) treated with Bird Shield repellent. Nevertheless, cracking damage to cherries on branches (p= 0.04) and trees (p = 0.009) sprayed with Bird Shield was significantly less than on untreated (control) trees.

The number of birds feeding in the study area tended to decline after treatment with Bird Shield, but the difference was not significant (p=0.40). In summary, Bird Shield was not an effective bird repellent under extreme and unusually wet conditions (> 130 mm rainfall in 30 days). More studies are needed to rigorously test Bird Shield's suitability as a bird repellent under New Zealand conditions. If Bird Shield subsequently proves effective and is registered in New Zealand, it could be a useful pest management tool for reducing economic loss in New Zealand's horticultural and agricultural sectors.