Edible baits for systemic flea control, plague mitigation, and wildlife conservation: Evaluation of four active ingredients with three rodent species in western North America
Eads, David A.; Matchett, Marc; McCaffery, Magnus; Hemmah, Ashlyn; Jarding, Angela; Cordova, Jennifer; Heimann, Heather; Liccioli, Stefano; Gardiner, Laura; Cormack, Jordan; Hicks, Holly; Fly, Jason; Childers, Eddie; Livieri, Travis; Hladik, Michelle; Biggins, Dean
The flea-borne agent of plague, Yersinia pestis , is lethal to endangered black-footed ferrets ( Mustela nigripes , BFFs) and the prairie dogs ( Cynomys spp., PDs) on which BFFs depend for habitat and prey. We developed bait pellets containing insecticides for flea control with PDs. Individual baits contained 0.46, 0.91, 1.21, or 1.52 mg fipronil, 5.40 mg afoxolaner, 50.62 mg fluralaner, or 85.20 mg spinosad. From 2023 to 2025, we tested the baits with black-tailed PDs ( C. ludovicianus , BTPDs)