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 Google Play Store or Apple Store. Alternatively, go online to trap.nz and sign up – let’s get going! Click here for an intro video.

This system will allow us to identify pest hotspots, gaps in the pest control efforts, and allow us to return some statistics to Auckland Council who have been so crucial in funding this project. It will allow you to identify which property boundaries require more efforts, and which require less.

When you sign up, join the Friends of Te Wairoa project. This video shows what you can expect to see in the app. Here is a video outlining the uses of some of the buttons you will see on your screen.

To add the location of a bait station/trap/monitoring site:

On the App: (as shown in this video)

• Select the ‘+’ symbol at the bottom right of the screen
• Move the pin point to the appropriate location, ensuring you have zoomed in on the map for accuracy
• Select the green tick that has appeared at the bottom right of the screen
• Select the trap, station or monitoring site

Code does not matter – choose something that helps you to remember which trap/station is which. Monitoring sites include bird counts, chew cards, tracking tunnels and wax blocks.

On the website:

• On the project bar at the top of the screen, select traps/bait stations/monitoring as appropriate
• Select the ‘add a new trap/station’ option
• Ensure you zoom in on the map for accuracy, an place a pinpoint by selecting the blue square with a point in it at the bottom of the map, then selecting the location on the map.
• Fill in the important info, then hit ‘save’

As above, code does not matter – choose something that helps you to remember which trap/station is which. Monitoring sites include bird counts, chew cards, tracking tunnels and wax blocks.

To update the status of a bait station/trap/monitoring site:

On the App: (as shown in this video)

• Select the site from the map
• Update the options given
• Save

On the website:

• Select the site from the map by clicking on it, and then clicking on the code that appears
• To the right of the map, select ‘add new record’
• Update options given
• Save

Bird Counts:

Trap.nz makes 5 minute bird counts easy. A short clip on how to set this up can be seen here.

Create a bird monitoring site on the map. Choose a spot, and sit quietly for a while. Once the birdlife is used to your presence, you can begin. Select the site in the app, and choose the most common species you see/hear (there is an option for visual-only counts for those that are not familiar with identifying bird calls). These will be your ‘quick-select’ options. Begin the timer and select the birds as you identify them. Do not count the same individual twice if it keeps coming back. Save your data when you have finished. Repeat as you desire, for example every 3 months or so. You should, over time, be able to see if your baiting and trapping efforts are improving birdlife in your area

Other useful videos:

• Navigating the main menu
• Recording walking tracks or property boundaries