Pest News from Friends of Te Wairoa

Kia ora trappers!

Wow, it feels like the world has woken up with the arrival of spring from a long 2.5-year covid-induced slumber.

We’ve had some neat events in the past few months, including a Natural Area Restoration Workshop, a follow-up in-field session to see the theory put into practise at Jodie and Steve’s place, and with Predator Free NZ we hosted Cam Speedy.

Upcoming events:

Pest Plant Workshop on Sunday 16th October – spaces strictly limited, email info@tewairoa.org.nz to register and for more information

Predator Free 2050 drop & learn session at the Auckland Botanic Gardens on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd October

Clevedon A&P Show on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th November at the Clevedon Showgrounds

Hūnua Market Day on Saturday 26th November at the Hūnua Hall. Come and see us for your pest control materials and top-ups.

 

With spring and baby birds in full swing, it is time again to refill those bait stations and check traps. Use the opportunity to teach kids and grandkids about bait and trap safety and get them involved while they’re off on school holidays. We have plenty of precious taonga species hanging around and hanging on, just. We can give them a chance at respite from predation by doing our bit.

Keep those catch tallies coming in by email or via the trap.nz app. If you need any advice or support, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We have the ability to do property visits if you are completely overwhelmed and confused.

There is a small update in the way we are operating.

As some of you know, alongside other pest control groups in Franklin, we operate under the umbrella support of a group called Te Ara Hīkoi (TAH). TAH applies for large sums of funding in order to purchase bulk pest control materials at wholesale prices, which are then distributed to groups like ours which can then give them away for free.

Unfortunately, Covid has limited the funding that is available, alongside increased demand, inflated prices, and the increase in predator control groups competing for funding from the same sources has left us a little short.

Hence, on behalf of TAH, we must start asking for donations. A donation of, for example, 50% of the wholesale cost of materials taken will go a significant way towards helping us make the gear stretch further for those in need. All donations will be used directly to purchase more gear for others.

As an indication of the cost of pest control materials, excluding GST…

Item Wholesale cost
10kg Pest off $47.70
2kg Double Tap $55
Philproof bait station $11.80
Pied piper bait station $16.77
Flipping Timmy $51.20
Eggsellent Lure $20
Blue Possum Lure $13.04
Rat traps $15.50

For donations over $20, email accounts@tearahikoi.nz for a tax invoice. Donations can be made to:

Te Ara Hikoi Trust
12-3023-0111364-00

Please enter ‘donation’ in the reference field.

TAH are also open to receiving commercial sponsorship or donations. If your business is interested in this contact Debbie at accounts@tearahikoi.nz. Even better, if you have stickers of your logo we will be happy to attach these to a run of pest control materials that your donation has helped to fund.

 

You receive these newsletters as you are on the Friends of Te Wairoa mailing list. You may have been to one of our bait and trap days, or been in touch via email. We realise that people shift around a lot. Check this map to see whether you are connected with the right group and subscribe to their newsletter. At the bottom of this email is a link to unsubscribe if you are no longer in the area or do not wish to receive these emails, which are sent only five times a year.

Happy trapping,

Lenny van Heugten
Pest Control Co-ordinator
Friends of Te Wairoa
pestcontrol@tewairoa.org.nz

FINE TUNING YOUR PREDATOR CONTROL WITH CAM SPEEDY

Do you want some tips and tricks on how to increase the effectiveness of predator control for your project or community group? We invite you to join us for a free presentation and Q&A session with Cam Speedy, a wildlife biologist with over 40 years of experience in predator control and ecosystem management.

Hūnua
6pm – 7pm Monday 26 September
Hūnua Hall, Village Hunua Rd, RD3, Papakura, Hūnua
Register here

Waiuku
6pm – 7pm Tuesday 27 September
Waiuku Rugby Club, 36 King Street, Waiuku
Register here

Many thanks to Predator Free NZ Trust for making this event possible.

The motivation of a landowner – Part 2 – Cath

Cath is a first-generation immigrant to New Zealand, but has whole-heartedly embraced a vision of restoring NZ native birds on her own small lifestyle block in Franklin. In this video she shares her gradual understanding of what needed to be done to make that a reality. And yes, shortly after this video was made, she saw kākā, for the very first time, flying over her bush block.

Pest updates from Friends of Te Wairoa

Kia ora trappers,

Well, the rains finally came as the community planting season got underway, and I know a number of you have been looking at your own properties and planting natives which is wonderful to see.

To protect these plantings, pest control is a crucial step.

As we start to see the back of winter and the days get longer, bird breeding season comes upon us. Birds and their chicks are most vulnerable during nesting time as they sit idle on a nest. With no chicks, there is no young generation in a population, and it creeps closer to extinction.

To protect our local birds, pest control is a crucial step.

We have had some fantastic news with the recent kōkako survey done in the Hūnua Ranges. In 1994 there was just one remaining female amongst 24 male birds. An ambitious goal was set by DoC and Auckland Regional Council under the advice of the National Kōkako Recovery Project to recover the Hūnua population to 50 pairs by 2020. With intensive pest control in the Ranges by volunteers, that goal has been smashed and in 2022 we have 229 pairs in the Kōkako Management Area. So, you see what pest control can do. Properties bordering the Hūnua Ranges have a unique position where they can support the work done in the park by reducing the reinvasion of predators from their properties.

To reinforce the Hūnua Halo protecting the Hūnua Ranges and kōkako, pest control is a crucial step.

In a recent collaboration with Ecoquest, Friends of Te Wairoa contributed to assessment of bat populations in rural/urban areas across Franklin. 15 monitors were placed on properties with suitable habitat across the catchment, and of those, 10 monitors recorded at least one bat passing during the two weeks that the monitors were out in the field. This was surprising and exciting to us. Although we knew that Long Tailed Bats, or pekapeka-tou-roa, existed in the Hūnua Ranges, we didn’t realise that they ventured out quite so far.

To protect the pekapeka-tou-roa that fly and (probably) roost around our properties, pest control is a crucial step.

In 2017 there was an attempt to release kiwi into the Hūnua Ranges. In a tragic turn, this attempt was not successful. The main culprit was predation, predominantly by ferrets. There are hopes to attempt to reintroduce kiwi into the area again in future, but as Senior Ranger of Conservation in Southern Parks, Miranda Bennett says, we will likely only have one more shot at it. If it fails again, there will be no more chances.

For a successful reintroduction of kiwi into the area, pest control is a crucial step.

We have reached the end of the financial year for Auckland Council and final reports are due in, including for my role. I collect the pest catch data from you as property owners through your reporting on trap.nz or via email. I use these to create a picture of what is happening in the area between 1 July and 30 June. This year you have reported more possums, rats, rabbits, mice, ferrets, stoats and hedgehogs trapped than ever before.

For funding of free pest control gear and free advice and support, pest control (and reporting!) is a crucial step.

So in summary, it is time again to refill those bait stations and check those traps before the pests start moving around again in Spring. With the kids and grandkids off on school holidays it is a great opportunity to teach them about bait and trap safety and get them involved. We have plenty of precious taonga species hanging around and hanging on, just. We can give them a chance at respite from predation by doing our bit.

Any final catch tallies up to 30 June need to be sent in ASAP, so that we can put our final data together for that 12 month period. These can be sent to pestcontrol@tewairoa.org.nz.

If you need any advice or support, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We have the ability to do property visits if you are completely overwhelmed and confused.

You receive these newsletters as you are on the Friends of Te Wairoa mailing list. You may have been to one of our bait and trap days, or been in touch via email. We realise that people shift around a lot and that in the early days we may have included some emails from people outside of our catchment. Check this map (https://predatorfreefranklin.nz/areas/) to see whether you are connected with the right group. If you click on the area where you live you can see what your group is doing and subscribe to their newsletter. At the bottom of this email is a link to unsubscribe if you are no longer in the area or do not wish to receive these emails, which are sent out only five times a year.

Happy trapping,

Lenny van Heugten
Pest Control Co-ordinator
Friends of Te Wairoa
pestcontrol@tewairoa.org.nz

Why does a pest walk into a trap?

Some people spend hours talking about this or that secret wonder-lure they use, but actually it’s very simple – A pest must feel comfortable about going into a trap, or it won’t do it.

A lot of traps out there are a single-entrance box type – there is only one way in or out. Pests (and mustelids in particular) are wary animals and they don’t like going into enclosed spaces with only one way out. They have to be pretty hungry to go into a single-entrance box. Whereas if a trap doesn’t look like a trap from a pests-eye view – if it looks like a big open tunnel with a clear exit, they won’t think twice about going in, and will even pop through out of idle curiosity if they can smell another pest was in there recently.

To prove this isn’t just a load of waffle, here is our very own “trap supercut” showing pests walking into our double-ended cage traps all across Franklin. Enjoy!

Our Tāwhiti trap is based on a double-ended trap for this very reason. So now you know: To max your pest catch, go double-ended!

Going to bat for something rare

It’s a hot day back at the road but here in the shade of Henry’s Bush it’s refreshingly cool. There’s the rushing sound of a waterfall off on my left, but I’m trying to ignore it, focusing all my attention on the grey box I’m holding. Did the signal get a bit louder just then? The person next to me is moving what looks like a cross between a supermarket trolley flap and an exploded lightning rod in a slow sideways arc.

“Stop” I whisper. “Move it back the other way a little bit.”

Around us are several other teams of two, all carefully sweeping the air in the same way. What on earth has brought us here, and what are we up to?

Bats.

When I found out the EcoQuest Education Foundation was holding a bat workshop in Patumahoe I knew I had to go. Despite knowing that bats had been detected on my property a few years ago, I knew very little about them and was keen to learn more. Having the chance to talk to an expert who has done bat tracking work all over New Zealand, and getting an in on the latest research? Sign me up!

It’s 2.00p.m. and nine of us are gathered together in the Patumahoe Junior Boys Rugby clubhouse. Each of us socially distanced behind a little personal table; it feels just like being back at school. But then David Clarke starts talking, and we’re hooked. An unassuming man with a clear speaking voice, probably as a result of all the talks he’s given, David’s remarkably modest about himself, and after only a brief introduction he dives straight in to talking about bats, and it’s clear where his passion lies.

Over a short time all of us bat-fans learn a huge amount. There used to be three species of bats in New Zealand, but only two species still survive: the short-tailed bat, which needs large areas of healthy bush, and the long-tailed bat, slightly more able to survive in the fragmented ecosystems that make up most of our land now. It’s the long-tailed bat the workshop is focusing on, as this one actually lives in Franklin, and we might even get to see one later on, though they’re very small.

An adult long-tailed bat

David tells us that long-tailed bats are unusual in that they don’t have a permanent roost site. A population (which can be up to 120 individuals) roosts at a site for only one day. After a night out feasting on moths (moths make up 90% of their diet, we learn) the bats settle into a new roost, which could be only 50 metres away, or as far as 7 kilometres from the previous one. Each night they hopscotch off over the bush and may only come back to a previous roost site once in a year. They don’t even all roost together, as they can split up over several sites for a day. This is one weird bat.

The whole class is rapt, firing off questions. Can we put up bat boxes for them? Yes, but current bat box designs are based on European designs, so might not be very attractive for NZ bats. There’s no harm in putting them up though, and some in Hamilton have been used by bats there. What are the main predators of bats? Cats, rats, stoats and possums are the worst ones, says David. His voice drops as he tells us about one incident where a hundred and two short-tailed bats were killed in just a week by a cat in the Rangataua Forest. One single cat can easily wipe out a whole roost of bats. A low murmur runs round the class.

After a pause, David dives into how bats can be detected. Tiny and dark, you’ll be very lucky to see one, and you won’t hear them, either, as their calls are far too high. He goes through the equipment used to detect them – some of which we’ll be using later on. There’s a microphone that hangs in a tree for weeks, recording everything around it in the right frequency.

He shows us how to read the recordings taken by the microphone to see if there are bats on them.

There’s a bat detector that converts inaudible bat calls into clicks that we can hear.

And finally the aforementioned supermarket trolley/exploded lightning rod, which is a radio tracking antenna. If you carefully catch a bat, and put a transmitter on it, using this gadget plugged into a receiver box you can follow the bat back to its roost. This is only possible because of fairly recent developments in radio tracking tags which are now small and light enough to be put on a bat without harming it. Later, David says, we’ll be tracking a bat.

A bat radio transmitter.

From many years of fieldwork and research, David’s nailed down the best places to find bats. Near water is good – bats like to drink often, and they like to snack on mosquitoes. Long avenues and pathways under tree canopy is also good, as it hides the bats from ruru who are bat predators.

And then class is over and we spill out, excitedly jumping into cars to follow David to Henry’s Bush where we’ll be practising radio tracking. Once we’re there he distributes the radio trackers in teams of two – one person to hold the antenna and sweep it around, and one person to carry the receiver box and watch the signal strength. Somewhere in this bush is a tagged bat. We have to walk in the direction of the strongest signal until we find it. It’s difficult work – we go a little way in one direction, then have to correct back as the signal seems to come from a different side. Everyone wants to try both roles, so there’s a lot of swapping about between who holds the antenna and who gets the box. Slowly the signal gets stronger until it’s at maximum. We mill around a group of a few trees, everyone getting a signal pointing to that area, but unable to home in on the right one.

Eventually we’re all excitedly circling a single ponga, waving aerials up and down it manically. If anyone comes by right now they’ll think we’re nuts. Still we can’t find it. At last, someone tentatively prods at a lump of dead leaves in the ponga crown and there it is – our bat!

Well, a plush toy bat with a transmitter stuck on it, anyway.

David laughs: “Now imagine trying to do that through miles of wild thick bush with no tracks, bashing your way up and down really steep gullies!”

On the spot, I develop a new-found respect for our intrepid bat researcher.

Flushed with our success in finding a cuddly toy, we grab a quick meal and then it’s off to find some real bats. The light is fading as we arrive at Martyn Wright Rd – perfect conditions, says David. Not too windy and not raining, the insects will be out, and so will the bats. In the dusk we wander along the road. I’m holding the bat detector tight, straining my ears. If a bat is nearby, the detector will translate its clicks into audible sound. A lone car goes by. If we looked nuts before, I can only imagine what the driver sees – a tramping club convention in the dark, not one of them looking up at the car. There’s a buzz from the detector and David yelps, ‘That’s one!’ He’s completely rapt. ‘I never expected to find one out here. That’s fantastic!’ His joy infects me, and I fist-pump the air. After all, we just found one of the rarest animals in Aotearoa just outside Patumahoe.

The fearless bat-finding team in Henry’s bush.

The course has been the experience of a lifetime. I’m already planning how to protect the bats on my patch better.

Predator Free Franklin and EcoQuest are collaborating on finding bat populations in Franklin. If you think you have bats on your property and would like to request the loan of a bat detector microphone for a week or so, contact David Clarke at David@ecoquest.co.nz

Smart Cage – Maintenance, tips and tricks

How do I monitor my smart trap remotely?

Monitoring a smart cage with the Wheronet sensor is done via the Trap.nz app. Please see the following document for details.

How to monitor your smart cage

How do I move my Smart Cage?

Moving the Smart Cage in the Trap.nz app is very easy, instructions can be found here.

Should I put other lure in my Smart Cage?

While tempting the answer is no! The target species are all very proficient scent hunter/scavengers, they will sniff out the lure. They follow scents to the source, meaning they walk over the treadle while searching for it. Putting other lures in and around the cage means they can reach the source before standing on the treadle. If they don’t like the food source they will leave without fully entering. In human terms, if a bakery made its money from people coming to look at the food, they would do a lot better. Smart cages do a lot better because they can take advantage of the fact most animals will inspect a scent source.

How do I refill the lure?

If your smart cage has a ZIP Motolure it will need filling every 9 months. You will need a 60ml catheter tip syringe, a chopstick, and 2 minutes to watch this video:


Maximise possum knockdown by shooting in spring

Most of the year night shooting for possums doesn’t achieve good results. You may bag a few, but not in the numbers that are needed to achieve good conservation impact, so it’s hard to justify the time and effort. This is because for three seasons of the year possums are up in trees that are in full leaf, so they are obscured by foliage and hard to target. But spring is a different matter.

.

At the end of August and the beginning of September, the buds of deciduous trees all across Franklin start to pop open in a sudden eruption of green. Tasty, tasty green, because to possums, those new tender buds are just like lollies, and their favourite lolly is willow. Every spring possums move out of their regular haunts to feast together on fresh buds – nicely exposing themselves to anyone walking below with a spotlight. After the first flush of willow is over, the possums transfer their attention to poplars, which come into leaf a little later. On these sparsely-foliaged branches they have nowhere to hide.

.

Shooting is an allowed activity under level 3 lockdown, so if you’re feeling like blowing the cobwebs away, take up your gun and spotlight and go for a walk amongst the willows or the poplars, and you’ll find yourself in a target-rich environment. If you’re not sure if there’s possum activity in a particular area, walk under the trees in the daytime – broken twigs, small branches on the ground and missing buds are sure signs that you’ll have a good night’s shoot there.

.

Possum numbers can increase by up to 30% a year, so if you kill 80% of a population by targeted shooting in spring on willow and poplar it will take six years for that population to recover – well worth it!

.

Spring shooting lets you hit rats harder too.

Used consistently, spring shooting can get possum numbers so low across an area that they hardly hit bait stations at all. This means most of the bait in the stations will be available for rats – dropping these pests really low as well. In an area with low possum numbers you only need to use 1kg per bait station per year, even when pulsing that bait station 5 times a year. We’re seeing bait usage this low in many areas that have been under possum control for a few years.

.

As with all shooting activities, follow the seven golden rules of firearms to have a safe and satisfying time when out bagging possums.

  1. Treat every firearm as loaded.
  2. Always point firearms in a safe direction.
  3. Load a firearm only when ready to fire.
  4. Identify your target beyond all doubt.
  5. Check your firing zone – think where the bullet will go if you miss your target.
  6. Store firearms and ammunition safely.
  7. Avoid alcohol and drugs when handling firearms.

.

Pest Tips from Friends of Te Wairoa

Kia Ora trappers,

We are in the midst of bird breeding season, and stoat young are starting to leave the nest and explore the outside world. From local feedback, it would seem the possum population numbers are well down compared to what they have been, and rats seem to be under a strict thumb too. This is great news for our birds but we can’t become complacent.

If you have any updated catch numbers, now is a great time to send them through to pestcontrol@tewairoa.org.nz.

During our first ever lockdown, local trapper (now committee member) Julia sent me an email saying she was on a mission to catch one pest for each day in lockdown. I checked in on how she was doing this time around, only to find she has been hitting pests so hard in the past year and a half that she had very little to report! We are really happy with these results, but encourage property owners to remain vigilant as there is constant reinvasion pressure from property boundaries, and likely a small remnant population of trap and bait-shy animals.

Below is a mixture of tips and tricks both from Auckland Council recommendations and suggestions 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, passing these behaviours to others. This means it is important that we constantly change our mode of attack, so that they are caught unawares, literally!

Always wear gloves when handling dead animals – many animals can carry leptospirosis.

Rats & Mice:

Placement:

  • Set up bait lines 100m apart, with stations or traps every 50m along the line. Use 25m spacings on boundaries (except where neighbours are also trapping). Alternatively, set 2 bait stations per hectare
  • Place traps near a waterway or along a fence line/retaining wall. Rodents like to be able to run between areas using ‘shelter’ rather than being in the open.
  • Consider the convenience of checking and maintaining gear when placing it, e.g. along existing paths and tracks
  • Place traps considering exclusion from children, stock and flood levels
  • Number traps to avoid missing one when checking. This also helps to collate data relevant to each site over time.

Lure:

  • Peanut butter or Nutella. Can be mixed with kibbled wheat or oats.
  • Using a lighter, melt a small piece of cheese to the trigger mechanism (except if plastic)
  • Small piece of dog treat jerky, or white chocolate

Tips:

  • Ensure traps are stable so they don’t scare off an investigating animal
  • Attach traps to a board for areas difficult to access e.g. under a house or in a ceiling. This also prevents an animal running away with the trap
  • Build a tunnel around rat traps to make them more attractive e.g. board base with rigid plastic stapled tunnel-fashion on top, or cut old nail containers into a tunnel shape.
  • Attach wax bait blocks with a nail to fenceposts, with a half milk bottle on top to protect it from the weather. Alternatively place a length of wood with a nail inside a juice bottle with the ends cut off.
  • If you don’t have enough bait stations, use an ice-cream container. Cut a C-shaped hole in the edge of the tub for an entry hole. You may need to fashion an awning to prevent rain getting in as the bait will spoil.
  • If snails and slugs are getting to the bait, sprinkle some slug bait in the bait station.
  • Place bait inside a bread bag and secure with a knot. Jam the knot between the floor of the bait station and the housing. This will keep the bait active longer and force the animal to ingest some bait as it breaks into the bag. Smear some lure on the bag to increase attraction.
  • Legally, bait must be placed in bait stations and not on the ground (requires a Controlled Substances License and approval from a local Medical Officer of Health).

Possums:

Placement:

  • One trap per hectare. Bait line setup similar to rodents.
  • Place traps and bait stations at the base of an attractive tree or in a grove of trees e.g. an orchard, a large palm or large natives
  • Near waterways that possums may drink from, or a path that they might use e.g. fence line, farm track

Lure:

  • A cut apple or carrot with cinnamon rubbed on the cut side
  • Feijoas, citrus peel or other fruit they are enjoying
  • Cut a cube of polystyrene and spread it with vegemite, peanut butter or jam. This will last longer than an apple.
  • Mix icing sugar and white flour, 1:4, with a cinnamon, curry powder or aniseed. To lure possums to the trap sprinkle a handful outside the trap, or add water to create a paste to smear up a tree to the entrance of the trap.

Tips:

  • Attach traps to a board for elevation from pets and ease of relocation rather than attaching directly to a tree.
  • Buy cinnamon in bulk e.g. Bin Inn
  • Possums are curious, so if you haven’t caught anything in a while move traps a few meters away or change the shape of the trap by putting a branch or rock on top. Bright ribbon will also entice their curiosity.
  • Leave recently caught possums near the trap to attract others.
  • Possums prefer travel over logs rather than on the ground – use this to your advantage when placing traps.

Mustelids:

Placement:

  • Approximately one trap per 15ha
  • On flat ground so the trap is stable and doesn’t rock
  • Near a waterway, or along a fence line/retaining wall. They like to run between areas using ‘shelter’ rather than being in the open.
  • Angle the trap so liquid from the lure exits the trap rather than pooling around and corroding the trap mechanism.

Lure:

  • A whole, raw egg (also functions as a visual lure). When refreshing, throw it into the bushes nearby to attract mustelids to the area.
  • Fish/salmon, meat scraps from dinner (raw or cooked)
  • Possum or rabbit meat from recent catch
  • Mayonnaise mixed with salmon oil (longer lasting lure)
  • Rub a freshly caught possum or mustelid on the trap. The scent will attract mustelids.

Tips:

  • Disturb the ground near the trap entrance by pulling out grass or roughing up leaves. Clear a 50cm path to the entrance with the heel of a boot to look like an animal’s path.
  • Traps need to be serviced and tested often to ensure they will be activated by the weight of a mustelid. Check traps by using 80g of weighted rags. This will increase the life of a trap as opposed to dry firing. Oil the treadle occasionally.
  • Keep traps clean of spider webs and other obstructions to create the illusion that the tunnel is frequented by other animals.
  • Spray the trap with salmon spray to mask the human smell (also functions as a lure).
  • Mustelids will be attracted to dead animals in a possum trap, so it can be worth setting a mustelid trap near a possum trap.

Rabbits:

It is best to shoot these pests. Alternatively, use a live trap with a trigger plate and vegetables as the lure with a trail leading into the trap. The smell of a rabbit who has urinated or left droppings can be enough to entice another into the trap.

As always, get in touch with me if you need specific advice, a visit, or more hardware. I enjoy hearing about what’s happening out there so good news stories are great too.

Happy trapping,

Lenny van Heugten
Pest Control Co-ordinator
Friends of Te Wairoa