As an initial disclaimer, I do not claim to be a parent. I do claim to be a ‘grown-up’ eco-kid. The following are things I experienced during my childhood that directly influence my actions and decisions as an adult. I was raised to be aware of my surroundings, to respect the Earth which we borrow […]
Author Archives: Lenny Van Heugten
Trapping Tips
Below is a mixture of tips and tricks both from Auckland Council recommendations and suggestions that have come from members of the Friends of Te Wairoa pest control project. There is no one correct way to control pests. They are intelligent and learn to be wary of certain things, and can also pass on these […]
Pest News from Friends of Te Wairoa
Kia Ora trappers, and welcome to the new members of our Wairoa river catchment pest control team. Alongside this newsletter, a friendly reminder to check, reset and rebait those pest eradication devices around your property, and send in your latest catch numbers. It may also be a time to review placement and spacing of traps. […]
Hugo McPhail: A Dose of Inspiration
Predator Free 2050 was always an ambitious goal, but bit by bit we are hearing regional success stories that make it seem increasingly possible. 2050 is still 30 years away, and when you think about it like that, you begin to realise that it is the younger generation that will be completing the task that […]
Lockdown: A Pest Control Success Story
We all had successes during lockdown – some focussed on up-skilling, some caught up on farm maintenance and some got on with home renovations. Some decided to give our local ecosystems a boost and catch one pest per day! A Hunua property successfully trapped one pest each day during level 4 lockdown, with some particularly […]
A Pile of Kereru Poo
It’s a common opinion that Kereru, the New Zealand native wood pigeon, are pretty neat. Their survival is much more crucial than you’d guess from a glance. A resident Kereru left behind a gift in the form of droppings, which were collected and added to seed raising mix with the following outcome: As you can […]
Trap.nz – A How To Guide
A live map showing pests caught in your area, and where neighbouring properties are trapping so that you can space traps accordingly – wouldn’t that be the dream? The dream exists. And we, at Friends of Te Wairoa, are beginning to use it. Please accept this as an invitation to download Trap.NZ free from the […]
Connovation
At university I learnt a valuable concept – in order to be successful, conservation must be a multi-disciplinary system. Conservation (or environmental science) is not just a science. We need environmental lawyers, engineers, artists, musicians, politicians, builders… Which is where the pest control hardware suppliers at Connovation fit in – Conservation by Innovation. They employ […]
Backyard Pest Control
Obviously, the greatest threat to our native plants and animals in New Zealand are introduced pests such as stoats (Mustela erminea), possums (Trichsurus vulpecula), rats (Rattus spp.), mice (Mus musculus) and HEDGEHOGS (Erinaceus europaeus occidentalis), alongside feral cats (Felis catus) and unruly dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). In 2016, our government announced Predator Free 2050, an ambitious […]