NWRC Research Areas: Regulatory Support Services-Product Registration

Last Modified: July 11, 2024

Registration is part of the Regulatory Support Services Unit at the APHIS-Wildlife Services (WS)-National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC). The group is responsible for providing data and information to support regulatory approval of new or existing products needed by WS Operations. These products allow the WS Program to more efficiently address wildlife damage issues to protect agriculture, human health, and native species and their habitats. To meet this responsibility, NWRC Registration works closely with WS Operations, NWRC scientists, and APHIS headquarters staff to ensure that APHIS's products, regulatory studies, and other activities meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) regulatory requirements. NWRC Registration also works to develop new products for vertebrate wildlife with private companies, universities, and other agency collaborators.

APHIS currently holds federal pesticide registrations with the EPA for 12 active ingredients formulated into 24 end-use products for vertebrates. The end-use products meet the needs of bird management (two avicides), rodent management (12 rodenticides and two fumigants), predator management for livestock protection (two predacides and two fumigants), contraceptives for reproductive control (one for prairie dogs, one for white-tailed deer, and one for feral and wild horses and burros), and a toxicant for managing brown treesnakes on Guam. These registrations include three anticoagulant rodenticide products and two acute toxicant rodenticide products registered for control or eradication of rodents on islands. In addition, APHIS has developed recommendations for several minimum risk pesticide active ingredients that are exempt from EPA registration requirements: an egg oil for use in pest bird nests, snake repellents, and a wetting agent for blackbirds and starlings.

Publications

Registration Publications

Vertebrate Control Products

TechNotes are available here in PDF format. When applying pesticides, follow all directions found on the label on the pesticide product in use.

CONTRACEPTIVES

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH): Immunocontraceptive vaccines (GonaCon) containing GnRH are registered for fertility control in white-tailed deer, wild or feral horses and burros, and prairie dogs.

GonaCon — Deer; EPA Reg. No 56228-40
GonaCon — Equine; EPA Reg. No 56228-41
GonaCon — Prairie Dogs; EPA Reg. No 56228-64

RODENTICIDES AND FUMIGANTS

Brodifacoum: Two formulations of brodifacoum are available for eradicating and controlling island rodents for conservation purposes. Brodifacoum-25D Conservation is formulated for drier island environments and is available with or without a bittering agent. Brodifacoum-25W Conservation is formulated to slow degradation and is better suited for wetter and more humid island environments.

Brodifacoum-25W Conservation; EPA Reg. No 56228-36
Brodifacoum-25D Conservation; EPA Reg. No. 56228-37

Diphacinone: Diphacinone-50 Conservation is registered for eradicating and controlling rodents on islands for conservation purposes. It is formulated to withstand both wet and dry climates and is available with or without a green dye.

Diphacinone-50 Conservation; EPA Reg. No. 56228-35

Bromethalin: Two end-use products containing bromethalin, an all-weather block and a place pack (a chewable sachet containing pellets) are registered for eradicating and controlling rodents on islands for conservation purposes. These products are currently registered for use only on Wake Atoll, but may be used on additional islands under a label amendment or supplemental labels, if approved by EPA in the future.

Bromethalin-100 Conservation Blocks; EPA Reg. No. 56228-65
Bromethalin-100 Conservation Place Packs; EPA Reg. No. 56228-66

Strychnine: Strychnine is only registered for below-ground use to control damage caused by pocket gophers.

Strychnine Milo — Burrow Builders; EPA Reg. No. 56228-11
Strychnine Oats — Burrow Builders; EPA Reg. No. 56228-12
Strychnine Milo — Hand Baiting; EPA Reg. No. 56228-19
Strychnine Oats — Hand Baiting; EPA Reg. No. 56228-20

Zinc Phosphide: Zinc phosphide is used in rodenticide baits to control a variety of rodent species, including rats, mice, voles, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs.

Zinc Phosphide on Wheat; EPA Reg. No. 56228-3
Zinc Phosphide Concentrate; EPA Reg. No. 56228-6
Zinc Phosphide on Oats; EPA Reg. No. 56228-14

Carbon and Sodium Nitrate (Gas Cartridge): Gas cartridges are incendiary devices designed to give off carbon monoxide when ignited. They are used to fumigate burrows of woodchucks, yellow-bellied marmots, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs.

APHIS-Only Gas Cartridge; EPA Reg. No. 56228-2
Gas Cartridge; EPA Reg. No. 56228-61

AVICIDES

DRC-1339: DRC-1339 is a slow-acting avicide registered for controlling blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds, starlings, pigeons, collared doves, gulls, crows, magpies, and ravens that damage agricultural crops, personal property or prey upon protected species.

Compound DRC-1339 Concentrate—Livestock, Nest & Fodder Depredations; EPA Reg. No. 56228-29
Compound DRC-1339 Concentrate—Bird Control; EPA Reg. No. 56228-63

Corn Oil: Corn oil can be applied to eggs of pest birds during the nesting season to prevent hatching. Because nests are not destroyed and eggs are not removed, nesting birds are encouraged to continue incubation, often well beyond the normal time for hatching. This active ingredient is a minimum risk pesticide (MRP) exempt from EPA registration requirements, but still may require state registration.

This Tech Note describes techniques to use this MRP for egg oiling/addling:» Tech Note

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: Sodium lauryl sulfate can be used as a wetting agent to control blackbirds and starlings in roosts. This active ingredient is a minimum risk pesticide and exempt from EPA registration requirements, but still may require state registration.

This Tech Note describes techniques to use this MRP as a wetting agent:» Tech Note

PREDACIDES AND FUMIGANTS

Sodium Cyanide: The M-44 device containing sodium cyanide is registered for control of coyotes, foxes, and feral dogs that prey on livestock, poultry, or federally designated threatened or endangered species.

M-44 Cyanide Capsules; EPA Reg. No. 56228-15

Compound 1080 (Sodium Fluoroacetate): Compound 1080 for use only in the livestock protection collar (LPC) for controlling coyotes preying on sheep and goats. The LPC is a small rubber collar, worn by sheep or goats, which contains two small reservoirs of the toxin. It is selective for individual problem animals, since it is only administered when the coyote punctures the bladder during the act of biting the throat of the collared animal.

Sodium Fluoroacetate (Compound 1080) Livestock Protection Collar; EPA Reg. No. 56228-22

Carbon and Sodium Nitrate (Large Gas Cartridge): Large gas cartridges are incendiary devices designed to give off carbon monoxide when ignited. They are used to fumigate dens of coyotes, red foxes, and striped skunks.

APHIS-Only Large Gas Cartridge; EPA Reg. No. 56228-21
Large Gas Cartridge; EPA Reg. No. 56228-62

SNAKE TOXICANT AND REPELLENTS

Acetaminophen: Acetaminophen tablets are registered for use in mouse or other small carrion baits to control brown treesnakes on Guam or the Northern Mariana Islands.

Acetaminophen For Brown Treesnake Control; EPA Reg. No. 56228-34

Cinnamon Oil, Clove Oil, and Eugenol: These active ingredients have proven to be effective snake repellents and irritants to snakes when sprayed directly on the animal. These active ingredients are minimum risk pesticides (MRP) and exempt from EPA registration requirements, but still may require state registration.

This Tech Note describes techniques to use these MRPs as snake repellents: » Tech Note (1.09 MB)

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