How much will it cost?

Source

Cost component

Develop management plan 

You can use a management plan template from the PIAT (see Pacific Biosecurity's case studies). Include provisions for  treatment and monitoring protocols, and make sure to think about environmental impact assessment.

Allow for staff time to update the management plan after treatment and monitoring events, and be prepared to adapt and change the plan according to progress.

Approvals / permits

Sometimes approvals or permits can be costly and time consuming. Suppliers of treatment products will want to have evidence that you have sought and obtained approvals from the appropriate authorities. This will depend on legislation in the country where the work is being done, and on funder requirements.

Treatment product

For eradication using broadcast treatment, the same amount of product is applied in subsequent treatments, so there is no reduction in cost in subsequent treatments.

Estimate how much product you will need based on the guidelines for the treatment option you have chosen.

Application gear

In the treatment option you have chosen you will find specifications for all the gear you need.

If using granular baits, you should use hand-held spreaders at least (simply distributing granules with small buckets or by hand results in patchy application and high chances of failure). Consider blowers if your target species nests and or / forages primarily in trees.

Safety gear

See your chosen treatment option for more detail on requirements.

Include, at the very minimum, nitrile gloves for granular and paste treatments. Spray treatments might require masks and protective clothing.v However, it is also important not to use more safety gear than you need as this can cause alarm among residents and make the treatment seem dangerous when it is not.

Monitoring gear

Include materials for luring, card counts, pitfall trapping etc. as outlined in monitoring.

Freight

Freight costs can be very high for isolated locations. If you have options of obtaining the treatment product from multiple suppliers, consider choosing a supplier located somewhere that trade is common with your area.

Some treatment products are classified as dangerous goods. If you are not familiar with dangerous goods shipping, it is often simplest to use a freight forwarding service.

Remember to include customs or other duty charges.

Staff transport costs for treatment / monitoring

If staff are not located at the site of the management effort, ensure sufficient funds for transport and per-diems or other allowances.

If the site is isolated, ensure sufficient contingency in case of delays (10-20% or sometimes higher depending on the specific situation). Also ensure adequate insurance is included, and provision for emergency evacuation from remote areas if applicable.

Staff salary costs for treatment

The length of time required to undertake treatment will be influenced by terrain, isolation, the type of treatment, the number of treatments planned, the number of staff available, and the goal (e.g. one off treatment to reduce numbers versus eradication).

As a guideline, granular bait application with hand-held spreaders over flat terrain will take a team of six people around 1 -2 hours per hectare (with two people managing the movement of gear and 4 doing the spreading). Ensure enough staff are available to undertake treatment as quickly as possible to avoid bait shyness.

Allow time for safety briefings and stakeholder meetings prior to treatment if the treatment is occurring in or around an inhabited area. This should all be outlined in the management plan as part of social impact considerations.

Also allow for pre-treatment monitoring to assess initial abundance of the target species and establish a baseline for estimating non-target effects.

Staff costs for monitoring

Monitoring costs are typically far greater than treatment costs.

Eradication is typically only declared once an area has been free of the pest for at least 2 years. For Argentine ants this may be significantly longer as new colonies can be produced without queens.

As a guide allow for monitoring twice a year once eradication appears to have been successful.