Early field experience with microencapsulated zinc phosphide paste for possum ground control in New Zealand
In New Zealand we need to develop new control tools for the overabundant brushtail possum, which is an agricultural and environmental pest. In this study we evaluated the performance of a new microencapsulated zinc phosphide (MZP) paste (1.5% w/w nominal conc.) in a captive study and at six North Island field sites. In the captive study 14 out of 16 possums fed MZP paste bait died (87.5% kill ± 8.3% SE) with death occurring on average 165.4 minutes (± 5.5 SE) after first eating the bait.