Responses of house mice (Mus musculus musculus L.) to different bait stations: the role of size, shape, material and odour.

Abstract

AbstractCurrently, baiting is the most common method used to control mice populations, and the form of the bait station may affect acceptance of baits. Therefore, the aim of our work was to compare the preference of house mice (M. musculus musculus, collected from Prague, Czech Republic) for different bait stations in a new environment. We explored the behaviour of male and female mice in three types of experiments conducted under semi-natural conditions. In the first experiment, six different types of empty bait station were simultaneously offered to mice. In the second experiment, the mice could choose between two bait stations made of different material. The third trial tested the response of mice to the odours of different conspecific located in two identical stations. The results showed that house mice introduced into a new environment significantly preferred the largest plastic box: they are probably searching not only for food but also for a safe shelter ("bed and breakfast strategy"). If mice had an opportunity to select between two stations of the same size and shape but different materials, they much more frequently entered a metal station than a paper one. In the third experiment, adult males visited most frequently those stations scented with the odour of adult - sexually and socially experienced - females and males. Conversely, they took only a little notice of the odour of sexually naive individuals. Female preference for some specially scented bait stations was not observed. Our results showed that, to control house mice, careful attention should be paid to selecting the correct type of bait station.