True or False: The effectiveness of toxic baits on pocket gophers is between 70% and 95%.

True or False: The effectiveness of toxic baits on pocket gophers is between 70% and 95%.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not sure
• D. Depends on conditions

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is that toxic baits for pocket gophers have a fixed, high level of effectiveness. In reality, bait effectiveness is not a guaranteed 70–95% figure. Pocket gophers’ response to toxic baits varies widely with conditions such as how palatable the bait is, how quickly and accessibly gophers encounter it in their burrows, the timing relative to their tunneling activity, soil moisture and weather that affect bait exposure, food availability from natural sources, and the potential for new gophers to reinvade treated areas. Because of these factors, control results are often lower and less predictable than a single fixed range. So the statement isn’t generally correct.

The idea being tested is that toxic baits for pocket gophers have a fixed, high level of effectiveness. In reality, bait effectiveness is not a guaranteed 70–95% figure. Pocket gophers’ response to toxic baits varies widely with conditions such as how palatable the bait is, how quickly and accessibly gophers encounter it in their burrows, the timing relative to their tunneling activity, soil moisture and weather that affect bait exposure, food availability from natural sources, and the potential for new gophers to reinvade treated areas. Because of these factors, control results are often lower and less predictable than a single fixed range. So the statement isn’t generally correct.