Barn Owl Research Program Nesting Boxes Help Florida Farmers With Pest Control
In partnership with: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
What began as a high school science fair project in 1994 to create environmentally friendly rodent control has grown into a successful ecological solution in the Florida Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA).
Teaching Perseverance
The Barn Owl Research Program at the University of Florida first evolved when Dr. Richard Raid, a now-retired professor and plant pathologist with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ Everglades Research & Education Center (UF/IFAS EREC), mentored a high school sophomore to create a natural rodent control.
“A sugarcane company donated screech owl nesting boxes, but the science fair project was unsuccessful because we don’t have screech owls in the area,” Raid says.
Teaching the student that sometimes you learn more from your failures than from your successes, Raid and the student conducted further research and shifted to barn owl nesting boxes the following year.
“The student won the state prize in the science fair environmental category and third place in the international science fair that second year after discovering that barn owl nesting boxes create a natural rodent control,” Raid says.
Nearly 30 years later, the project has grown from helping one student to teaching hundreds about agriculture, biology and technology. The Barn Owl Research Program now partners with youth organizations and schools to build nesting boxes for farms.
“We get the wood, cut it to size and take it to a group of children so they can build boxes,” says Ann Hartman, agriculture assistant supervisor at UF/IFAS EREC.
Teaching and inspiring children is now a significant part of the program. “It’s the part I’m most passionate about, and I believe if we can inspire just one child to go into science or agriculture by building barn owl nesting boxes, then it’s worth it,” Hartman says.
“Hoo” They Protect
Today, the Barn Owl Research Program has nearly 1,500 nesting boxes in use in the EAA, providing for some of the highest barn owl densities in North America.
Barn owls (Tyto alba), named originally because they nested in barns, can be found on all continents except Antarctica but are considered a threatened species due to prey availability and a lack of suitable habitat. The barn owl populations have plummeted as barns have disappeared from many rural landscapes.
“Barn owls are nocturnal and like to be in a secluded place during the day,” Raid says. “They eagerly accept nesting boxes, and once they move in, they quickly start nesting.”
The EAA counts 700,000 total acres of farmland, and sugarcane is the predominant crop with 460,000 acres. Research shows that rodents cause more than $30 million of damage to the sugarcane crop each year, with farmers traditionally using chemical rodenticide for rodent control.
EAA growers have attended seminars and workshops sponsored by Raid’s UF program to learn about nest box benefits. Now, many vegetable growers and 100% of the sugarcane industry participate in the program, resulting in a drastic decline in rodenticide use.
“I love the barn owl project, it’s been fun to work with, and I hope to stay involved,” Raid says. “It helps growers, helps barn owls and helps the environment. How often do you have a chance to do that?”