Haematophagous parasites can negatively impact breeding success and their control is often the target of management for threatened bird species. Mitigating parasitism can be difficult and certainly should only be done if parasite control is possible and if successful control improves host species fitness. Here, we use an experiment to test the effect of two alternative chemical methods of Ornithonyssus bursa management in nests of a threatened host species, the New Zealand hihi Notiomystis cincta. We compared a reactive management alternative using Frontline^® (active ingredient fipronil) to control O. bursa infestations after detection to a preventative management alternative using Avian Insect Liquidator (AIL) spray (active ingredients piperonyl butoxide (PBO), permethrin and methoprene) before egg laying. We found that AIL-treated nests were less likely to be parasitized and parasitism occurred later in nestling development if nests did become parasitized. We also found no difference in egg hatchability nor nestling condition between alternative management approaches but did find nest success was higher in preventative AIL-treated nests. Our approach highlights the value of an experimental approach in assessing management alternatives in threatened species conservation and the host fitness benefits that can be achieved from control of costly parasitism.

中文翻译：

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用于控制濒危鸟类巢内寄生虫的测试管理替代方案

吸血寄生虫会对繁殖成功产生负面影响，它们的控制通常是受威胁鸟类的管理目标。减轻寄生虫可能很困难，当然只有在可以控制寄生虫并且成功控制提高宿主物种适应性的情况下才应该这样做。在这里，我们使用一个实验来测试两种替代化学方法在受威胁的寄主物种新西兰hihi Notiomystis cincta 的巢穴中管理Ornithonyssus bursa的效果。我们比较了使用 Frontline ^®（活性成分氟虫腈）控制法氏囊肿的反应管理替代方案在产卵前使用 Avian Insect Liquidator (AIL) 喷雾剂（活性成分胡椒基丁醚 (PBO)、氯菊酯和甲氧普林）检测到预防性管理替代方案后的感染。我们发现，经过 AIL 处理的鸟巢被寄生的可能性较小，而且如果鸟巢确实被寄生，则在雏鸟发育过程中会出现寄生现象。我们还发现替代管理方法之间的鸡蛋孵化率和雏鸟条件没有差异，但确实发现预防性 AIL 处理的巢穴成功率更高。我们的方法强调了一种实验方法在评估受威胁物种保护中的管理替代方案的价值，以及可以通过控制代价高昂的寄生性获得的宿主健康益处。