The Levant Vole, Microtus guentheri (Danford et Alston, 1882). Economic Importance and Control 1

The levant vole, Microtus guentheri (Danford et Alston), the only vole of major economic importance in the Middle East, is the species responsible for the often disastrous mice outbreaks known in this region since antiquity. Population cycles of vole populations and especially the impact of mass outbreaks have been less marked in recent times as a result of changes in cultivation methods, the introduction of new, less vulnerable crops (e.g. cotton) and the elimination of various former sources of infestation and spread of voles (drainage of swamps, regulation of rivers, etc.). On the other hand, new, permanent reservoirs of voles have been created; as, for instance, in alfalfa fields and orchards with permanent vegetation cover. Loss of crops in relation to expenditure of control in Israel is discussed. Various methods of control and rodenticides are reviewed. Organization of control operations, timing of control treatments as well as the need for forecasting impending vole outbreaks are emphasized.