Ellerslie Awards 2012

The Awards for the best displays at this year's Ellerslie Flower Show were announced yesterday evening. Find out who won.

I was manning the Kiwicare stand at CR1 and answering garden and pest control questions from the hundreds VIP guests invited to the award ceremony. The evening was hot and sunny and this suited the finely dressed ladies and gentlemen. Ladies in their summer frocks and gentlemen in their rolled up sleeves and sunnies wandered the Show with glasses of wine in hand.

The Kiwicare stand won a Silver Award (photo to follow), so well done to the team that put it together. At the stand is a demonstration of the Kiwicare Organic weedkiller where you can spray some weeds, take a walk around the show and then return to see how the weeds have fallen over on the way to death. There is also a live link to the Kiwicare garden website problem solver. You can surf and see if your garden problems are listed on the site and find the solutions. You can also enter a draw to win $500 worth of garden products.......it could be well worth a visit.

I will be there today (Wednesday 7th March) and again on Sunday (11th) to continue answering your questions. Ben Adams will be there with his gardening knowledge on the intervening days.

A qualified student from the School of Floristry is designing and 'constructing' a display to be added to the Kiwicare stand so come along and see it.

At a marriage guidance session the instructor asks the husbands to name their wives favourite flower.
A husband leans over to his wife and whispers "It's self raising, isn't it?"

Zoonoses from Pest Rodents

Rodent droppings and urine can carry serious disease

Zoonoses are diseases caught from animals. Wild rats and mice carry several diseases that can be passed on to humans. The most famous epidemic caused by close association of rats with people is the Black Death which caused the death of millions in 14th century Europe. The disease was the plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. 


Plague


Plague still infects and kills people world wide but thankfully not in New Zealand. But there are other serious diseases that can be caught from wild (and pet) rodents in New Zealand.

Leptospirosis - Wiel's Disease

Leptospirosis, also known as Wiel's disease, is caused by  the bacteria Leptospira. It is carried by rodents, and other wild animals.  Infection is through contact with water, food, or soil containing urine from an infected animal.  Cuts or breaks in the skin will also allow in infection.     Infected people experience a range of symptoms from mild or no illness to severe or life-threatening meningitis, liver damage and kidney failure.  Infection can be prevented by avoiding contact with water that might be contaminated with animal urine.


Salmonellosis

Salmonellosos is commonly associated with poor hygiene or inadequately cooked food, but can also be acquired from rodents.  Salmonella bacteria may be found in the feces of many animals including wild and pet rodents. Infection can be contracted by people who do not wash their hands after contact with rodent droppings or if food, drink or eating utensils are contaminated with rodent droppings.


Rat Bite Fever (RBF)


Rat Bite Fever is caused by Streptobacillus bacteria that is found in the mouth of apparently healthy rats and mice.  People are infected through bites or scratches from rodents or may also become ill after eating contaminated food or drink or through close contact with rodents.  In cases of bites and scratches, the wound often has healed before symptoms begin (2-10 days after the bite).  Antibiotic treatment for this disease is very effective.  Illness in those who do not seek medical attention and treatment can be very serious and result in death; therefore it is important to immediately clean and disinfect wounds and promptly seek medical attention after any rodent bite or scratch.


How to Prevent Infections from Rats and Mice

• Wear gloves when carrying out pest control against rodents or working in areas where there are signs rats or mice a have been active. Wash hands after handling anything that rats or mice may have urinated on. Rodents continually dribble urine where ever they travel.
• In roof voids and other enclosed spaces where rodents have been it is sensible to wear a mask as dust may carry disease organisms.
• Clean up rodent droppings where ever they are found and disinfect surfaces where rodents could have travelled. 
• Dispose of any food that have been eaten or may have been contaminated by rodents.
• If biten or scratched by rodents always clean and disinfect wounds and seek medical attention immediately.

Two rats are in a bar. One turns to the other and in a drunken slurr says "I slept with your mother thats right your mother" the other just looked at him and said "Dad go home your drunk."

Dinosaurs had Fleas Too

It takes a big flea to bite a dinosaur

There are species of flea evolved to feed on most terrestrial animals: cat fleas feed predominantly on cats, dog fleas feed predominantly on dogs, human fleas feed predominantly on humans and bird fleas feed predominantly on birds.

It seems that in the Jurassic period, even the dinosaurs had dinosaur fleas. And the dinosaur flea was huge, compared with its tiny modern descendants. Dinosaur bloodsuckers were 2cm long - eight times the size of today's fleas, researchers report in the journal Nature.

Flea fossils 125 million to 165 million years old found in China are evidence of the oldest fleas. Their very long proboscis, or hypodermic needle-like mouth, had sharp saw-like serrated edges for cutting through the tough hide of their dinosaur hosts. But the ancient fleas had one big difference from modern ones: They could not jump the way modern fleas do.

Perhaps today's fleas seem less of a problem if one thinks of what a dinosaur flea could do to you if they were still around.

What type of dinosaur always has a word to say?
A Thesaurus.

Need Gardening Advice?

The Ellerslie International Flower Show is on this week in Hagley Park Christchurch. Last year's show was cancelled after the Christchurch quake so it great to see some normality returning to the city and the show will help to raise spirits.

I will be attending the show for the VIP dinner and awards on Tuesday evening and them all day Tuesday and Sunday. If you are in Christchurch or visiting the show come and speak to me at site CR1 next to the Rendezvous Hotel Corporate Village.

"A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows."
-  Doug Larson

Midges Make the Press

The Christchurch Press took an interest in my recent blogs (7th Feb and 9th Feb) on the midges causing a nuisance around the east of Christchurch. They also found video of the midge clouds and other people that had suffered recently from these insects.

See the Christchurch Press article on Stuff here.

I then had calls both from TV3 and other building owners around the Bromley sewage settlement ponds. TV3 came to have a look but after a couple of cool days there were few midges to film. The calls from other businesses were to ask for advice on the midges and information on how to deal with them. 

What should you do when a midge lands on your pepperoni?

Give it a pizza your mind.

Termites in New Zealand

Termites are wood damaging social insects many species of which are of economic importance in other parts of the world. New Zealand has some native species but these do not cause any serious damage to timber in either forests or construction. 

Australia has several species of termite that cause considerable damage to timbers and there is a danger that Australian termites or destructive termites from other parts of the world could be introduced to New Zealand in imported wood and wooden artifacts. There have been several such infestations found in recent years and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) have put large resources into eradicating such incursions when they have been found. Most recently a house in Waikanae was tented and gassed to eradicate the very destructive West Indian drywood termite at a cost of $400,000. Australian termites, Coptotermes acinaciformis and Porotermes adamsoni are currently known to exist in New Zealand and when found MAF responds by eradicating and tracing.

Termites form very large colonies which live inside and feed on wood. One of the difficulties with identifying a termite problem is that there can be little evidence of their existance until the timber is weakened to the point of failure. The Australian termites found in NZ probably came into the country many years ago in imported hardwood timber.

There are destructive termites that will colonize both dry and damp timber. They are able to digest the cellulose of wood with the assistance of micro-organisms in their gut that are able to breakdown cellulose to sugars. There is a seasonal flight of winged termites known as alates. They fly to mate and found new colonies but usually don't travel far. They are attracted to lights and may enter houses at night.

Because of the difficult of identifying timbers infested with termites it is likely that a destructive species will eventually become established in New Zealand. Treatment of timbers for borer using products such as Kiwicare NO Borer fluids will help to protect timber from infestation by termites.

MAF are trying to make home owners and other aware of termites and what to look out for. You will find more information on the Australian termites most likely to be a problem in New Zealand here.

MAF advice is:

Signs of Australian drywood termite infestation

As termites excavate timber internally and leave a thin external layer, damage is often not obvious, although it may result in the bubbling of timber surfaces. With subterranean termites, the most obvious signs are mud leads across open surfaces and mud packing between layers of landscaping timber or inside wall cavities. Their subterranean tunnels are usually found in the top 20 centimetres of soil.

Winged reproductives fly from their parent colonies en masse on hot, humid summer evenings. They are attracted to light and may enter houses or become caught in spider webs close to light sources. However, native termite reproductives will also be flying in the same conditions.

Colonies inside living timber could also be found while cutting down trees or splitting wood.

If you think you have found invasive termites DO NOT disturb their activity or the surrounding area. If possible, collect some individuals, preferably soldiers (larger, darker head with mandibles) and place the container in the freezer. Call the MAFBNZ disease and pest hotline on 0800 80 99 66.

A termite walks into a bar. The barman says 'We don't serve druggies like you here.'
Shocked, the termite replies 'What do you mean? I'm not a druggie.'
The barman says, 'What about the bar-bit-u-ate?'

Cluster Fly Season Starts

Cluster flies have not started clustering yet but they are soon likely to begin seeking shelter in the dark dry places within homes and other buildings. Clustering starts at end of February - middle of March in New Zealand. They squeeze in through cracks around windows and doors, loose weatherboards, soffits, eaves, vents, louvers and other similar gaps.

Prevent cluster flies clustering in your home

If you have had cluster flies invade your home previously, now is the time to act. It is probably too late to control the fly larvae in the soil where they parasitise earthworms. But NOW is the time to spray the exterior walls and entry points of at risk buildings with a long lasting residual surface insecticide such as Kiwicare NO Bugs Super. Prevention is better than cure when it comes to controlling cluster fly infestations. NO Bugs Super will remain effective for several months reducing, flies that might enter the buildings and stopping clusters forming.

Cluster flies are more likely to enter structures on the warm north facing side of buildings so concentrate your treatment there, but don't limit it to that side. Spray all entry points and any areas where clusters formed previously. Clusters will not necessarily form where they did in previous years. They may choose other buildings this year. So if your neighbour had problems previously, you may be wise to take precautions.

It has been a year where soil moisture levels have been kept relatively high in many parts of the country. It is yet to be seen how this will affect cluster fly numbers. There is a suggestion that as it will have benefited earthworms (the food of cluster fly larvae) and so it may mean a lot of cluster flies.

Be prepared.

"Waiter! Waiter! There's a fly in my soup."
"Sorry Sir. I must have missed that one."