Brown Treesnake

USDA-APHIS FLICKR Collection
Invasive Brown Treesnake Management and Research
Photos and Captions

Introductory Text:
Since the late 1980s, the APHIS-Wildlife Services (WS) program has been actively involved in a collaborative effort to reduce the number of invasive brown treesnakes on Guam. Today, the snake population on Guam is estimated between 1 and 2 million snakes. The primary goals of the brown treesnake program are to 1) prevent the spread of this invasive species to Hawaii, the U.S. mainland and other locations, and 2) protect Guam from ecological, economic and human health and safety impacts of the snake. WS scientists and operations personnel have systematically developed and evaluated tools and strategies to control brown treesnakes safely and effectively. These tools include snake traps, baiting stations, snake-sniffing detector dogs at ports and airports, chemical repellents, and fumigants. The successful aerial delivery of an effective chemical control agent is a critical next step towards developing a method for large area control of brown treesnakes and reaching snakes in remote and inaccessible areas of Guam. In 2013, WS experts and partners will begin a series of aerial broadcasts of acetaminophen-treated mice baits to reduce the population of invasive brown treesnakes on Guam.