German, A., Unit of Vertebrate Pest Control, ARO, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel

A 5-minute contact of nursing mothers of the Levant vole, Microtus guentheri, with paper impregnated with a DES suspension in soybean oil (125 μg/cm2 ) caused sterilization of 60% of the newborn female offspring. A 1-hour contact was sufficient to sterilize more than 90% of them. When the DES concentration was decreased to 1 μg/cm2 only 44% of the newborn female offspring were sterile although their nursing mothers had been exposed to contact with the treated paper for a period of 2 hours. The concentration of 0.1 μg/cm2 was totally ineffective in causing sterilization. Treatment of nesting material with DES offers a promising means of reproductive suppression in Levant voles. © 1985, Springer Science + Business Media B.V.. All rights reserved.