Re: [nafex] kitty litter mouse skeedoo ?

[Lucky Pittman <Lucky.Pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 12:09 AM 11/15/2001 +0000, Del wrote:
>I presume the cat litter mouse
>repellant is a bad idea in an apple orchard thats dropping apples.
Theoretically, yes, it's a bad idea - when you consider the fairly recent 
E.coli )157/H7 problem which was traced back to 'drops' contaminated with 
sheep/cow/deer fecal material.  Personally, I'd be less concerned about 
apples than I would leaf crops like lettuce, cabbage, kale turnip greens, 
etc. - so many little crevices & indentations where those critters could 
land and evade removal unless really vigorous washing is performed.


>Any clue
>how long lasting the baddies are in soil?
The roundworm eggs(Toxocara & Toxascaris spp.) can be viable for years.
Toxoplasma gondii oocysts can remain viable and infective for months, or 
even years in warm climates.  Temps of 0 F will, however, kill the 
Toxoplasma oocysts, so a fall application in colder climates would probably 
be safe, from the Toxoplasma standpoint

Here's a decent website with info on Toxplasma:

http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~parasite/toxoplasma.html


>I picture only a few 'spoonfuls' near each tree so consider the clay
>addition minimal.
I agree.  Perhaps my comments on the clay degradation aspect were 
nit-picky, but I was more concerned about the roundworm/toxoplasma aspect, 
and the liability they present.


Lucky Pittman
USDA Zone 6
Hopkinsville, KY


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