Improving the health of nestling birds by controlling bees and hematophagous arthropods with permethrin

Competition with social hymenoptera (honey bees) for nest sites and parasitic infestations within nestlings are current conservation issues facing some of the most endangered species of birds.  Hematophagous arthropods are known to negatively impact nestling birds of many species. Several studies have shown decreased health parameters in parasitized nestlings, nestling survival  and some studies indicate that parasite infestation may decrease overall reproductive success.  Ectoparasites may also have sub-lethal effects that are not easily detected, such as decreased immunity. In addition, parasites can be vectors for disease, so repelling them may decrease the prevalence of vector-borne diseases and possibly prevent disease outbreaks that could have devastating effects on the population.  This study investigated whether permethrin application can increase overall fitness and improve conservation efforts of endangered cavity nesting birds.  Data generated from this study will be used to advise wild bird conservation managers on the use of permethrin within artificial nest cavities of species afflicted by hematophagous arthropods and those where bees are competing with available nest cavities to develop a protocol for field testing permethrin on endangered cavity-nesting birds.