The Pest Advice

How to Get Rid of Midges and Lake Flies

2012-02-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

Midges clinging to office walls

As mentioned in my last post the Kiwicare offices and factory along with other businesses and homes near the Christchurch sewerage ponds are being badly affected by New Zealand Midges or Lake Flies. Numbers were becoming serious and many were flying into the factory where there was a danger of contaminating product. So I spent some time yesterday treating the buildings with NO Bugs Super.

The results have been dramatic as the following photos show. This morning there is a carpet of dead and dieing midges.

Dead midges after spraying walls with NO Bugs Super

There was a fly flying six inches over a lake. In the lake was a fish that was gonna jump up and eat the fly. There is a bear thinking that when the fish goes for the fly he's gonna grab the fish and eat it. There is a hunter that is gonna drop his sandwich and shoot the bear when it goes for the fish. At the same time there's a mouse that is going to take the hunters sandwich when the hunter goes to shoot the bear. Also there is a cat who at the same time is eying up the mouse to eat when it goes for the sandwich.

So this all happens at the same time and the cat ends up falling into the lake.

So what is the moral of this story?
"When the fly goes down six inches the pussy gets wet"

Plague of Midges Caused by Quake?

2012-02-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

Adult lake fly midge

Those living or working close to the Christchurch sewerage settlement ponds will be aware of the large numbers of lake flies (New Zealand midges Chironomus zealandicus) that are about at the moment.

Lake flies are often mistaken for mosquitoes but in fact are not closely related and they do not bite. They cannot bite because they do not have mouth parts. These adult flies have a short life in this stage, seeking a mate, laying eggs back in still water and then dieing after only about 36 hours as adults.

The larvae of these flies live in still water such as lakes, slow rivers and settlement ponds. The larvae, which are wriggly, worm-like and red are known as 'blood-worms.' They live in the mud at the bottom of the water where they feed on micro-organisms. The Christchurch and Auckland settlement ponds and lakes such as Lake Ellesmere are well known for producing plagues of midges in summer. This year is particularly bad around the Christchurch settlement ponds probably because of the disruption to the ponds in the Canterbury quakes. The quakes have caused disruption of the pond mud and damage to the Christchurch sewerage system has brought high levels of nutrient in to the ponds where the micro-organisms on which the midge larvae feed have been in bloom.

Midges covering building surfaces

Because these insects do not bite they are only a nuisance pest. But they can be a considerable nuisance. They will rest and hide in vegetation and on buildings around their breeding sites. Numbers can be such that as one walks past and disturbs them they lift off and will stick in hair and can be breathed in. This is rather unpleasant as I well know. Kiwicare is within a kilometer of the Christchurch settlement ponds and the building is covered with midges. The shrubs in the car park are also full of hiding insects. Each time I open the boot of my car a cloud of flies is disturbed and I have had to spit one or two out. There is also a carpet of dead ones building up in the car park. If the problem gets much worse I will have to spray the exterior of the building with NO Bugs Super to reduce the numbers. It will not get rid of them all as there is such a rapid turnover of numbers but it will help to make the place more pleasant to work around.

What did the NZ midge say to the mosquito?
Nothing. Without a mouth it was speechless.

Wasps Sting Man to Death in Marlborough Sounds

2012-02-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

Wasp

On Saturday a man who disturbed a wasp nest was stung repeatedly was found dead shortly afterwards. He and his nephew had been collecting firewood in the bush near his home in Marlborough Sounds when they accidentally disturbed the wasp nest. He told his nephew to run before he was overcome and stung many times on the back and arms. When his nephew returned he found his uncle lying dead on the ground.

This is a rare occurrence but does demonstrate that wasps can be highly dangerous and care should be taken not to disturb wasp nests and to destroy them in the safest manner.

The Marlborough Sounds and other areas of New Zealand bush have the highest levels of wasps (Common and German) in the world. They feed on the honeydew excreted by scale insects that live on the bark of beech trees. You may recognise the presence of the scale insects by the black sooty mould that the honeydew encourages on the bark. If you look closely you may see fine 'hairs' sticking out from the tree with a drop of sticky honeydew on the end. This fuels wasps and nest densities can reach 20 per hectare.

Wasp nests in the bush are usually in the ground or perhaps a tree hollow. The nest will have only one entrance/exit and can be identified by the stream of worker wasps leaving and arriving at the entrance. When dealing with a wasp nests watch the wasps and identify the nest entrance. Apply a powder insecticide such as carbaryl to the nest entrance where the returning wasps land, so that they walk the powder into the the nest where it will kill the worker wasps, larvae and queen wasp inside. Powder insecticides keep wasps calm in a similar way to the smoke used by beekeepers to keep bees calm during checking of hives. Liquids sprayed or poured on wasp nests have a tendency to aggravate the wasps and increase the likelihood of stings.

More information on the safe destruction of wasp nests.

More on this tragic story.

Hopping Mad Over Fleas

2012-02-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

In New Zealand, February and March are normally the peak months for fleas. Fleas are more active in warm weather and they can survive and breed outdoors amongst leaf litter and outdoor pet bedding areas. This gives the fleas a greater chance of encountering and hopping onto passing pets and other animals, increasing the spread of fleas through the community.

Flea adults hop onto cats and dogs for a feed of blood and to lay their eggs. The eggs then fall off in to the places where the animals sleep. Eggs are about the size of grains of salt. When the larvae (caterpillars) hatch from the eggs they feed on skin cells and detritus in the bedding and carpets. Once grown they pupate. The adult flea emerges from the cocoon triggered by vibrations and body heat from pets or humans passing nearby in the house or garden.

Flea life cycle

Cat, dog and bird fleas will bite humans, particularly in the absence of their preferred host and food source, i.e. their cats, dogs or birds.

There are a few simple steps in getting rid of fleas and preventing fleas becoming a problem in the home or pestering you or your pets.

Regularly treat your pets with a flea drop product which you can obtain from your pet's vet or as recommended by the vet. This will kill adult fleas when they take a feed of blood from the pet.
Spray pet bedding areas, carpet edges and exterior areas where pets rest with a residual insecticide such as NO Fleas Total from Kiwicare. Flea control sprays should contain an insect growth regulator (IGR) which will break the flea life cycle by preventing the parasite developing to adulthood. NO Fleas Total contain an IGR.
Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Vacuuming removes the dust and detritus in carpets on which flea larvae feed and eggs, larvae, pupae and perhaps adults.. Use a vacuum with a sound bag and dispose of the bag immediately after use as it will contain flea stages.

The La Nina weather pattern affecting New Zealand this summer is bringing interludes of cool and damp weather which have so far been reducing the likelihood of fleas living and breeding outdoors. This has kept numbers and spread of the pest down up until now. But February is traditionally the hottest and most stable month and fleas can take advantage of hot dry conditions quickly to cause problems. Be prepared and prevent the discomfort of fleas biting your pets or your family. Treat now and don't wait for the problem to arise.

Did you hear about the dog that went to the flea circus?

He stole the show.

Last Chance to Stop Cluster Flies?

2012-01-30T10:24:00.000-08:00

Stop clusters of flies forming

The cluster flies that have plagued many a rural home and farm in New Zealand over recent years are a very seasonal pest. When cool weather firsts strikes the flies seek shelter in dark and dry corners of buildings. The pheromone (smell) that each fly releases when a it finds a good place to hide for the winter attracts other cluster flies. As more flies join the cluster the pheromone strength builds until all the flies in the area are clustered together in the same roof void, or other place in homes and farm buildings. A home can be infested with thousands of these slow moving smelly flies.

Although cluster flies do not pose a human health hazard their huge numbers can be considerable nuisance, plus, in large numbers the rancid fat like smell they produce will have a 'gross out' effect on those whose homes are infested.

The life cycle of cluster flies has eggs laid in earthworm burrows in pasture and lawns through spring and summer. The larva that hatch from the eggs parasitise the earthworms before pupating and emerging as adult flies. Cluster flies pass through several life cycles through summer. The final life-cycle produces the adults that attempt to overwinter in clusters.

Although it is not cool enough yet to induce flies to begin clustering, that does not happen until around March, it is when the last life cycle is beginning. Therefore now is the time to treat the cluster flies at source; in the lawns and pastures where the eggs, larvae and pupae are.

Treat your lawns, particularly those close to buildings, with a soil insecticide such as Kiwicare Lawngard Prills. Sprinkle the prills (granules) over the grass areas and water well in to take the insecticide deep into the soil where it will control the flies before they emerge as adults.

Although some preventative work can be done on homes to stop cluster flies choosing the house as a place to cluster, and clusters can be removed, it is preferable to be pro-active and stop their breeding cycle now.

For more information on cluster flies in New Zealand and how to get rid of clusters and prevent them.

A man is stopped by a traffic cop for speeding. As the officer leans towards the driver's window he tries to swat a fly that is circling his head.

"What sort of fly is that?" Exclaims the officer.

"It's a circle fly." says the driver helpfully. "They're usually found flying around a horse's ass."

"Are you calling me a horse's ass, sir?" Says the officer, annoyed.

"No." Replies the driver. "But you can't fool a circle fly."

Grass Grub and Porina Look Set to Devour Lawns

2012-01-25T19:48:00.000-08:00

Grass grub

Gras grub and porina caterpillar are soil pests that eat the roots and bases of grasses in lawns and pasture. Grass grub are the larvae of bronze beetle and porina caterpillars the larvae of the porina moth. Grass grub eat the roots of grass deep in the soil and porina live in the soil and emerge to eat the crowns of grass.

There have been "extended flights of porina moths in most areas this summer" according to PestWeb a joint venture of the agricultural industries in New Zealand.

They also say that "grass grub have been flying [bronze beetle] in large numbers over many areas, particularly Canterbury, Otago and Southland....."

Porina caterpillar

This suggests that numbers of grass grubs and porina caterpillars in both pastures and lawns is likely to be high in autumn and winter causing damage to grass.

Now is the recommended time to control the young porina caterpillars and grass grubs with soil insecticides such as Kiwicare Lawngard Prills.

A third common pest of pastures and lawn grasses are the Armyworm and greasy cutworm, the caterpillars of these pests will also damage laws and is controlled by the same use of soil insecticides such as Lawngard Prills.

Two caterpillars are watching a chrysalis. When it bursts open and a beautiful butterfly emerges and stretches its wings before flying away. One caterpillar turns to the other and says, ‘You’ll never get me up in one of those things.’

What are those Little Fluffy Tailed Insects?

2012-01-23T14:41:00.000-08:00

Passion Vine Hopper nymphs

Have you seen small fluffy tailed insects on the shoots of your citrus trees, jasmine, wisteria, hydrangea, privet or other ornamentals? They may be the nymphs of the passion vine hopper. These little insects suck the sap of many garden plants and can cause distorted leaves and shoots and their honeydew waste products will encourage sooty moulds.

A similar insect is the nymph of the green plant hopper, however the nymphs of the green plant hopper keep their fluffy tails straight back rather than up in the air as the passion vine hopper does. The green plant hopper nymph body is pale green rather than the passion vine hopper white.

The older nymphs will hop and try and fly when disturbed. Their adult form lacks the fluffy white tail and is a small brown moth like insect with functional wings. The adults form from January - April. they also suck sap and lay eggs that overwinter on the underside of leaves.

Control of these insects is best achieved in the nymphal stage November-March. Spray with systemic insecticide and fungicide or with spraying oil.

More information on passion vine hoppers and how to get rid of them. http://www.kiwicare.co.nz/garden/pests/q-z/vine-hopper/

Why did the gardener need a puncture repair kit?
Because his garden had sprung a leek.

Has Your Citrus Tree Got a Sooty Mould?

2012-01-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

If you have noticed your lemon tree getting a coating of black soot like stuff, your tree may have an infestation of citrus whitefly.

The citrus whitefly came to New Zealand from Australia in around 1995 and because it has few predators in NZ it has become common, particularly in the North Island. It is a small sap sucking insect which like other aphids and whitefly produces a sweet honeydew waste product from its rear. Sooty mould grows on the surfaces of leaves covered in the sticky honeydew.

The combination of whitefly sucking sap from the plant, spreading other disease and the loss of photosynthesis due to the covering of sooty mould can be very damaging to the health of the tree and the yield of fruit.

So if you see your citrus tree looking sooty it may not be enough to treat it with a fungicide alone.

Control of these whitefly is achieved with the use of spraying with mineral oil such as Kiwicare Organic Super Spraying Oil. The oil should be applied directly onto the insects as it works by suffocating them. It can be used in conjunction with copper spray such as Organic Copper Oxy to control the sooty mould.

A woman goes for a job picking citrus. The farmer is surprised at the woman's CV.
"You seem a bit over qualified" He says "I see you have a PhD! Have you ever picked lemons before?"
"Yes" She replies. "I've had three husbands and I bought a BMW last year."

Fleas Ready to Pounce on Returning Holidaymakers

2012-01-18T12:04:00.000-08:00

Returning from your extended summer holiday can have hidden dangers, particularly if you have pets, cats or dogs, that you have taken with you or put in kennels or catteries. You could return home to find ravenous fleas pouncing on you and your pets as soon as you open the door.

If your pets had fleas before you left, their fleas will have been left behind in the house. It is a popular misconception that fleas live on their animals. In fact fleas live in pet bedding and carpet and furniture around the home. They hop onto their animals for a feed and then hop off again. The adults will lay eggs on the animals but these fall off soon after. Larvae that emerge from the eggs feed exclusively on dust and detritus in carpets and bedding and don't bite or feed on the animals or people directly.

While people and pets are away from the house the flea larvae will pupate. The pupae may hatch and adult fleas emerge hungry and seeking a blood feed. Even those flea pupa that do not hatch will be waiting to hatch and pounce on the returning holidaymakers and their pets. The fleas emerge rapidly on sensing vibrations and heat from potential blood feeds.

So take care when you and your pets return home. You may need to tuck your trousers in your socks as I used to do when carrying out professional flea treatments. I would even spray the socks and trousers with a little permethrin to try and stop the fleas biting me through the clothes.

To treat your home and get rid of the fleas you will find useful information and advice here.

An alternative, and perhaps cruel, method of dealing with a ravenous flea ambush as recommended by some is to treat your pets with a flea drops and send them into the home first. The fleas then hop on to the pets, take a feed and seal their doom. It is then safe for the people to enter. I am not sure the pets would approve of this method, but it does work.

What is the difference between someone waiting to go on holiday and a someone returning home to a flea ridden house?
One's itching to go and the other's going to itch.

Wet December 'Good' for the Home and Garden?

2012-01-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

New Zealand’s North Island and Upper South Island suffered one the wettest Decembers on record in 2011. January has begun in a similar fashion and the weather pattern is set to continue for the first two of weeks of 2012 at least. The wet weather has influenced the levels of many pests and diseases in homes and gardens.
Common insect pests such as cockroaches thrive in moist humid conditions. They normally have to hide in cracks and crevices to keep from drying out during hot dry summers, but with the recent wet conditions they are able to travel from building to building more easily. It is likely that people will encounter many new cockroach infestations this summer.

Flies breed in decaying animal and vegetable matter and as decay is accelerated and flies survive longer in warm moist conditions, fly numbers are consequently well above normal. It is a good time to 'top up' your fly proofing or applying the insecticide now if you have not already. See my previous blog How to Fly Proof Your Home.

In the garden the biggest threats are from weeds, diseases and aphids.

Weed seeds continue to germinate and grow rapidly in soil with high moisture levels. They quickly spread and strangle garden plants. At a time of year when the weed threat is usually diminishing weeds are giving gardeners an on-going battle to keep them under control.

Fungal diseases such as rusts, blackspot, brown rot, sooty mould and mildew are more prevalent in damp warm conditions. The wet leaves encourage fungal growth and many fungal spores are spread by water splashing from leaf to leaf.

Greenfly and other aphids usually reduce in numbers after the holiday when drier weather reduces numbers and more mature plants are better able to resist the sap sucking insect pests. The continued growth of plants and weeds with plenty of sap is meaning that sap suckers are surviving longer and damaging more garden plants. It may also be the case that the rain is discouraging to gardeners, so they don't to get into the garden to get rid of weeds and protect garden plants from insect pests and disease.

However, the wet weather is not all bad news. Some pest numbers are reduced in these conditions. Ants in places where heavy rain has caused flooding are drowned out of nests and when the water recedes the ants must put their energy into rebuilding the nest before beginning breeding again. Wasp numbers are likely to be reduced this year compared to the high levels of last year. Wasp nests can be affected by flooding and a proportion of their food comes from the honeydew produced by sap sucking scale insects. The honey dew gets washed away in wet weather and so wasps will have had less food so far this year, keeping the population lower.

NIWA and the Met Service are still predicting that warmer weather in February and if this happens it may still change the range of pests and diseases we will be fighting around our homes and gardens for the second half of summer.

A man walks into an Auckland bar. The barman asks "Have you had a good summer?"
The man replies "Yes. We had a barbecue that afternoon."

Borer Weather

2012-01-11T19:36:00.000-08:00

Wood boring insects such as the common borer (bora), two tooth longhorn and others like their wood with a little moisture; 'to aid digestion.'

The North Island and Upper South Island of New Zealand have experienced one of the wettest Decembers on record and the damp conditions are set to continue for another week or two at least. This is the middle of the borer flight season and it is the time that people notice extra little holes in their weatherboards, floorboards, skirting, architraves, furniture and other wood around the home.

You may not be aware the extra activity in the borer world but the woodworm (borer larvae) will be taking advantage of the conditions to chew through more of your home and furniture. Then they pupate near the surface before emerging as adult beetles. As can be seen from the profile of the floorboard above the majority of damage and flight holes are on the underside, so that the adult borer emerge into the dark damp sub-floor areas. Damage to the observable surfaces of such timbers are a small fraction of the damage within.

The adults fly to find a mate and then the female seeks out some bare wood, preferably wood with a little moisture (sub-floor, old flight holes, eaves, etc.), to lay her eggs and start the whole life cycle over again.

Now is the best time to inject flight holes with borer injector fluid and the paint or spray bare timbers. if there are timbers such as the sud-floor that cannot be reached, bomb the adult borer with borer bombs.

What did the borer larvae say when he walked into the bar?
"Is the bar tender here?"

Gammarus - Large Flea Shaped 'Bugs'?

2012-01-10T15:20:00.000-08:00

Gammarus flea like crustaceans

I have had several enquiries recently from people experiencing an influx of a 'mysterious' orange brown flea shaped creatures. They have been found in garages and homes in large numbers. All the calls have originated in the North Island of New Zealand.

These creatures are gammarus which are not insects but are shrimp like crustaceans. There are more than 200 species of Gammarus worldwide and several in NZ. They are much larger than fleas but have a similar body shape, being flattened from the sides. They also have long legs and can hop in a similar way to fleas. In many parts of the world Gammarus are known as sand hoppers. Their normal habitats would be sea beaches, near rivers and lakes and below rocks and leaf litter in gardens. They need moist conditions and die quickly if exposed so they are usually under rocks or other cover.

Gammarus do not bite and are not normally a pest but the recent warm and moist weather in the North Island of New Zealand has encouraged numbers to boom. As they spread and try to find new places to live many people have experienced them moving indoors. Gammarus will die quickly in the dry indoor conditions and most callers have described finding many dead.

Ring type treatments with spray insecticide and/or soil insecticide granules will reduce numbers and reduce the likelihood of them infesting a home but they are only an occasional pest and do not cause any harm.

What do you call a happy sand hopper?
A hoptomist.

South Australia, Barossa and Murray River

2011-10-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned previously I was away on a holiday to South australia recently. A wonderful trip to the Barossa Valley to taste and select fine wines followed by a week on a house boat on the Murray River. It was like two separate holidays rolled into one.

Me with Two Hands

The reason for the trip, apart from the need to have a break from work, and choosing South Australia was to do with a present of a bottle of wine. I was bought a bottle of Two Hands Gnarly Dudes 2008. A Barossa Shiraz made from gnarly old vines. It is the most delicious wine I have ever tasted andI am something of an Australian shiraz fan. Indeed, I liked it so much I searched New Zealand for all the Gnarly Dudes I could find. But I couldn't find much so I had no option other than purchasing a case online from the winery and having it shipped to NZ at no small expense. Unfortunately the 2008 was sold out and the 2009 I purchased, while still the second best wine I have had left me desirous of the 2008. I also had a hankering after tasting some of the other two Hands wines. After all the Gnarly Dudes was one of their 'lesser' wines.

The Two Hands Tasting Room

A colleague at work had been on a house boat holiday to the Murray River and had waxed lyrical about it as a holiday. When I realised that the Murray and the Barossa are so close a holiday plan was hatched.

Nine days in the Barossa was enough time to taste wines from over 30 wineries, yum yum yum. But after all that tasting, and there was a selection of maybe 5 or six wines at each winery, Two Hands still came top of my list and Gnarly Dudes top of my Two Hands list.

When I mentioned to the guys at Two Hands that I had come all the way from Christchurch just for their wine we got chatting and it was discovered that the winemaker I was talking to was from Sefton, not 20 km from where I live. I mentioned that I had drunk all the Dudes 2008 in NZ and he told me that he had found some left over in the warehouse. Yippeee!

Several hundred dollars later I am proud owner of 50% of the world's Gnarly Dudes 2008.

My travel companion and I had selected a range of Barossa and Adelaide Hills wines for out trip to the Murray. The interesting selection included quite a lot of sparkling shiraz which I have come to find a great compromise for red wine and white wine drinkers. It is refreshing but with a more robust round flavour than white sparklers.

The Murray River was a fantastic trip. A house boat is the most relaxing of holidays. The combination of great scenery, great, wine and great company made this a superb way to spend a week.

Scallywag Houseboat

The revelation of the trip was the wildlife, particularly the birdlife. I would be hard pressed to find a photo, amongst the several thousand I took, without a bird in it. There were egrets and eagles, swallows and swans, pelicans and parrots, ducks and divers.

Welcome swallows followed the boat, swooping around the bow and stern, picking off insects disturbed by the wake and flying under the hull. After many attempts I finally got a decent photo of these agile birds.

Welcome Swallow

A kookaburra spent an evening fishing beside the houseboat and it seemed to delight in showing off for the camera.

Kookaburra and Dinner

There were also kangaroos and spiders, ants and skinks, frogs, flowers and dragon flies....... it was a naturalists heaven, and I loved it. I would thoroughly recommend such a trip to anyone seeking a holiday of total relaxation and interest. But don't forget your camera and a decent lens.

Kangaroo Skipping Past

Huntsman Spider - Brave Finger

Flowers Facing the Sun

Red Fire

Red Cliffs

Sitting watching the sun go down and lighting the red cliffs with red sunlight while sipping red wine beside the red of the fire on the bank of the river. What better?

How do you stop a kangaroo from charging you?
Take away it's credit card.

A Long Weekend of Rugby

2011-10-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

The long weekend is getting close and nerves will be jangling in the hearts of all New Zealander's as the rugby world cup final approaches. Whatever happens in the match the Monday off will allow the country to recover from the celebrations or the wake.

The Ireland vs All Blacks final I had hoped for never materialised and I have already had my wake. I hope I don't have to have another one!

My brother in France will be supporting his adopted country and I will be supporting mine. Go the ALL BLACKS.

Martin Johnson takes the English team out for training and tells everyone to assume their normal position.
So they all go and stand behind the goalposts and wait for the conversion.

New Kiwicare Website

2011-10-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Again

You may be wondering where I have been for the last month. I have had a holiday to South Australia, spending time in the Barossa Valley followed by a trip up the Murray River on a house boat. Both of which I would strongly recommend (particularly in conjunction) and more of which I will tell you soon.

But for a large part of the time I have been working on the development of a new website for Kiwicare. The website has a bright new look and separates the home pest control and garden pest control sections with different looks and feels but still as one website.

A major development of the site includes two problem solver sections, one for Home Pest Control and one for Garden Pests, Diseases and Health. Try them out and give me your feedback.

It is also easier in the new website t quickly find information on a particular pest, disease, or garden health problem and its solutions. Or to find information on Kiwicare products.

Kiwicare Home Page

Next blog I will be telling you all about my terrific trip to South Australia. So if you are planning a visit there I suggest you read about my experiences, I think you will pick up some useful tips and get some hints about things to do and see.

Who's been surfing on our web?
I can't bear to tell you.

Yellow, Curled Up Growing Tips on Your Tomatoes or Potatoes?

2011-08-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

If you see the growing tips of your newly planted tomatoes or potatoes curling up and going yellow they may be infected with a bacterium of the genus Liberibacter. This disease is spread by Psyllid sap sucking insects. The diseases caused by this bacterium are known as Psyllid Yellows in the plant and Zebra Chip in the tubers of affected potatoes. Liberibacter was first identified in Auckland by MAF in 2008 where it was infecting greenhouse crops of tomatoes and capsicums. It has since spread to other commercial operations and to home gardens.

Control of the diseases is only possible by control of the psyllid insect that transmits it. There is not, as yet, any effective treatment for the bacterium itself. The psyllids are sap sucking insects about the size of aphids but looking more like cicadas. The eggs are laid on the underside of vulnerable plants. The nymphs are scale-like but will move if disturbed.

The psyllids will feed on capsicum, chilli, egg plant, kumara and tamarillo as well as potato and tomato. Also, they may feed on bindweed and this can be a source of infestation and infection.

It is important to treat vulnerable plants early, particularly potatoes. The attack by the psyllids and the infection from Liberbacter can significantly weaken the plant and greatly reduce crop yield. Spray the underside of leaves with a good general garden insecticide. Systemic insecticides can be effective as psyllids are sap sucking insects. Spray regularly in the growing season, more frequently if evidence of psyllids are found. Also remove or treat with herbicide any bindweed in the garden to prevent this being a reservoir of infestation.

Why did the tomato go out with a plum?
Because he couldn't find a date.

Win a Years Supply of Kiwicare Garden Products

2011-07-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

Kiwicare and New Zealand Gardener Magazine are seeking nominations for Gardener of the Year. This year the winning gardener will receive a years supply of Kiwicare Garden products and prizes total $20,000 including regional winners.

This year there will also be prizes for the best school vege garden and the best community garden. Each will win $1000 for Kiwicare garden products and $1000 of Mitre10 vouchers.

If you know someone that is deserving of this award send a letter to NZ Gardener to nominate the most passionate gardener in your region; or a local school or community garden. Detail why they'd make a worthy winner and don't forget to include your name and phone number, plus contact details for the person you've nominated, or someone involved with the school garden or community plot. Entries close on 12 September 2011.

Nominations can be sent to NZ Gardener 2011 Gardener of the Year, PO Box 6341, Wellesley St, Auckland 1141, or email: contests@nzgardener.co.nz

If I could only grow green stuff in my garden like I can in my refrigerator.

TVNZ Infested

2011-07-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

Last night TVNZ1 began showing a series of programs named Infested. The program aired at 9.30pm and last night's episode featured infestations of rats and bed bugs.

The family suffering from bed bugs were getting bites which were initially diagnosed by a doctor as an allergic reaction to something in their environment such as a change of washing powder. It was only when the lady of the house investigated and found bed bugs crawling on her children's beds at night that the culprit was identified as bed bugs. This highlighted the difficulty in identifying bed bug infestations just from their bites and how difficult they are to find as they only emerge from their hiding places at night.

I suspect a large number of people watching the program suddenly realised that the itchy marks they had been getting recently may be caused by bed bugs. The Kiwicare website got a sudden influx of visitors between 9.30 and 11.00pm last night. Nearly a hundred people in New Zealand visited the site in this period seeking information on bed bugs and how to get rid of bed bugs using the Kiwicare Bed Bugs Box.

Visits to Kiwicare.co.nz 26th July. Spike after TVNZ show Infested at 9.30pm

Next week's episode of Infested will "....reveal the pain and anguish of living with shocking infestations of [some] cockroaches, rats, bedbugs, scorpions, ants, raccoons, mice, snakes and spiders."

Have you heard about the pregnant bed bug?
She gave birth in the spring.

Snow Blizzards Stop Flights

2011-07-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

With snow falling around me I was on my way to Christchurch Airport early yesterday morning. When I heard on the radio the airport was closed I checked and found that my flight and all those in the morning were cancelled. I re-booked for an evening flight and was confident that the runway would be cleared by then. False confidence as it turned out. I have had to cancel my trip to Auckland to attend the Bunnings Expo where I was to be the 'expert' for pest control questions. I am sure that Kiwicare Sales Manager Neil Martin and garden expert Ben Adams will be able to hold the fort.

Working from home yesterday I watched the snow continue to fall and considered what such a widespread cold snap might mean for pest issues around New Zealand.

Cold is the enemy of insects and small mammals. The smaller a creature the more affected by temperature they tend to be. Insects may be able to survive cold conditions by being in a state similar to 'hibernation.' Their metabolisms are slowed and energy reserved. Small mammals will seek shelter and use energy reserves to keep their bodies at a temperature that will sustain their lives. If they have sufficient reserves built up through plentiful times in autumn they will survive, if not, they die.

Some insects are adapted to survive freezing for short periods, but few can survive for extended periods. Some insects survive as grubs or adults deep in the soil where they are less affected by cold. Short cold snaps of a few days will not penetrate more than a few inches into the soil. Those insects or small mammals such as rats and mice that take refuge in heated homes can survive easily through the coldest periods. Not only are they protected from severe temperatures but they often find access to food supplies that sustain through the winter.

In consequence the short cold snap and snow will reduce both insect and rodent numbers in the wild, it will drive more to seek refuge in homes and other buildings, but it will not affect better adapted insects such as grass grub or sheltering pests such as cluster flies or rodents that enter our buildings.

What do snowmen wear on their heads?
Ice caps.
It snow joke!

Box Blight Disease of Buxus Plants

2011-07-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

Buxus dieback

Plants of the genus Buxus (aka Box or Boxwood), which are often used for hedging and topiary, are being affected by a fungal disease caused by Cylidrocladium buxicola. It is thought it originated in Central America but C. boxicola was isolated from buxus hedging in the UK in the 1990s and has since spread to Europe and New Zealand. It causes dieback in the buxus, leaf drop and death in affected plants.

Affected dead leaves on buxus hedge

Early detection is vital. The initial infection is characterised by general darkening of the leaves, spreading in a circular fashion across the whole leaf. The infection then spreads to the stem below and the leaves die, turning light brown and falling off.

Complicating diagnosis, other die-back diseases, such as that caused by Phytopthera, cause similar symptoms, so it is not always easy to identify which disease is the cause. When affected, the buxus plants may also be susceptible to other infections such as mildew like fungi.

A recent study by Henricot et. al. of the Royal Horticultural Society, studied the control of C. buxicola using fungicides. This study found that among the fungicides tested carbendazim was effective at reducing and stopping growth of the fungus mycelium and mancozeb was effective at inhibiting the germination of spores. Kiwicare Super Spectrum (previously known as NO Insects or Disease Spectrum powder) contains a combination of these fungicides and is likely to provide some curative and preventative effect.

Although Henricot et al suggests they found little effect from copper spray I have had personal communication from professional landscape gardeners in New Zealand that they have used Kiwicare Root Protect Aliette with success, and Copper Oxy as a preventative, and it has worked to stop spread of disease when the disease has been identified soon enough. See here.

There are fewer options available to the home gardener in the UK than there are in New Zealand. So references that cite that 'there are no effective fungicides available for control of Box Blight' are referring to Europe not NZ.

It is also important to note that fungicide on its own may not be sufficient to control the disease once it has a hold. It is important to combine treatment with:

Improving air flow around the plants to reduce infection from wind borne spores.
Cutting out and destroying dead or affected material.
Proactively clearing up and destroying dead leaves and dead material from around the plants as the spores can remain viable in the leaves for some years.
It would also be advisable to sterilise clipping and cutting implements when trimming buxus so as not to spread the disease.

Other dieback diseases of buxus such as Phytopthera can be treated with the fungicide NO Root Rot Aliette. Phytopthera are root diseases and it is advised that roots as well as the upper parts of the plants are treated.

Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration.

Quake Damage .....Bronze Lining?

2011-07-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

This may not be a silver lining, but perhaps I would refer to it as a 'bronze lining' for quake damaged home owners in Canterbury.

Recently I have had several enquiries about borer treatment from people in Christchurch. With so many homes damaged and in the process of being repaired, many are cottoning on to the fact that this provides an opportunity to protect timbers from borer.

This is the ideal time to treat the wood with Borer Fluid. NO Borer fluids get deep into the timber and both kill borer larvae present in the wood and protect the timber for many years. Often it can be difficult to treat wooden homes and homes with wood for borer. Treatment is often limited to slowing the damage with the use of Borafume and Bug Bomb fumigators because treatment of bare timber is not possible; it is normally hard to get at the interior of walls and the sub-floor of many houses. But, when repairs are being carried out, the timbers may be exposed.

Interior surfaces of weatherboards and structural timbers in the walls can be attacked much more heavily than is evident from the painted exteriors. In general there are 10 times as many flight holes inside the wall as on the exterior. Similarly the underside of floor boards are more heavily damaged. When repairs are being carried out and these, usually hidden, surfaces are exposed it is the time to treat them. Why put your home back together without protecting it from insect damage?

At the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, silver medals were awarded to the winners and bronze for second place.

Kiwicare in Top 3 Suppliers

2011-07-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

New Zealand's largest group of hardware stores, Mitre10, had their award dinner last night. Kiwicare were holders of the coveted Platinum Supplier of the Year having picked up the award for 2010. It was not expected that Kiwicare would win again following disruption from three major earthquakes centred near the head offices and factory during the year. But it was hoped that we would be able to sustain our long run of being in the top 10.

It was therefore with delight that we found we were in the top 3. This is a great result and reflects the hard work of all the Kiwicare team over the last year; production, administration and sales.

It is particularly satisfying to be in the top 3 for this award because it is the staff in the Mitre10 group stores that vote on a wide range of criteria; innovation, service, training, quality and sales.

A hippopotamus walks into a bar and asks for a beer.
"That'll be $15 please" says the barman. "We don't get many hippos in here."
"At $15 a beer, I'm not surprised!" says the hippo.

Australian Redback Spider

2011-07-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

Female Australian Redback Spider

Underside showing hourglass marking

It is Biosecurity Month and here at Kiwicare our ever vigilant staff noticed an unusual spider wandering across the factory floor. On identification it was found to be a female Australian Redback. This spider has a powerful venom and bite and has been known to cause death in rare occasions so we took care when collecting it and preserving it in 70% ethanol for id and reporting to MAF Biosecurity.

The Redback can be easily identified by the red marking on the back and a red hourglass shape on the underside of the abdomen.

Redbacks originated in Australia and are a cousin of the native Katipo. They have been spreading across New Zealand and are found as far afield as Otago and Bay of Plenty. I am not sure how common they are in Christchurch, it may be that this one hitched a lift on a container that recently passed through the facility.

What kind of doctors are like spiders?
Spin doctors!

Biosecurity Month

2011-07-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

July is Biosecurity Month.

Get ready for a month of biosecurity-related stories plastering the media.

Biosecurity is vital for New Zealand – so let’s encourage people to know more and be involved. Vice-President Pedro Jensen is again co-ordinating the NZBI Biosecurity Month activities. As we did last year we will aim to co-ordinate and highlight biosecurity stories from around the country. Contact Pedro Jensen (Pedro.Jensen@gw.govt.nz) for the NZBI Biosecurity Month email banner you can use in your emails. The design element can also be used as a temporary linked widget like the one below from your organisation’s website to our website.

Click on the widgets above to learn more about Biosecurity Month.

How many Kiwis does it take to eat a possum?
Two. One to eat, and one to watch out for traffic.

Bed Bugs Bite Again

2011-06-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

The 'popular' subject of bed bugs has been in the headlines again. In the run up to the rugby world cup finals the suggestion has been made that travellers, particularly backpackers, will be bringing bed bugs with them in their luggage or will be encountering them here in New Zealand while travelling.

A piece in the New Zealand Herald was followed by discussion on TVNZ Morning and various radio stations throughout yesterday and Radio Live today (1st July) at 16.55. The reports got most information correct but misquoted me in a few places. I didn't mention second hand furniture, but it could be a way that bed bugs are moved from one place to another. If you are considering purchasing any second hand furniture,or you have recently, I would advise checking it carefully for signs of bed bugs and perhaps giving it a preventative treatment with NO Bed Bugs spray; just to be on the safe side. The travellers for the world cup can prevent picking up bed bugs in luggage with proactive treatment of their luggage and vigilance when in hotels, motels and backpacker accommodation. The accommodation industry in New Zealand is very pro-active in preventing and controlling bed bugs and visitors are less at risk here than many other parts of the world. Let's help keep it that way.

Why is a train like a bed-bug?

It runs over sleepers.

Mild Weather Leaves Rats and Mice Out

2011-06-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

In April I predicted that rodents would be a problem of larger than normal proportions this winter, particularly in quake damaged Christchurch. See here.

Rats Surviving Outside This Winter

I am happy to say that this prediction has not come to pass yet. Rats and mice have been able to survive outside due to the mild weather that New Zealand has experienced so far this winter. While many rats and mice have invaded homes in search of food and shelter, this has, so far, been in the normal range and not been a plague.

The unseasonably mild weather has had implications for ski fields and the lack of snow has meant resorts like Queenstown have not been able to start the ski season leaving many ski field employees without work and skiers seeking alternative entertainment.

For animals in the wild it has meant that more food is available to them and less food is needed to keep warm. The result is a high survival rate but less movement of rodent pests indoors. However, if a cold snap does come along there is still a likelihood that rodents will move indoors to escape the cold. So it is important to be proactive and be prepared.

What did the lab rat say his mate?
"I've got my scientist so well trained that every time I ring the bell, she brings me a snack."

Kiwicare Wins Award at Fieldays

2011-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Kiwicare site and team won the Mystery Creek Pavilion Merit Award at Fieldays 2011 today. This award recognises Kiwicare as one of the best sites at this years Fieldays. Saturday is the last day of the show and I hope you will have time to come and visit us at the site and ask us your questions about the solution/s to any pest or garden care problem in your home, farm or lifestyle block.

Caz Woods of National Fieldays presents
Dave Riley (Kiwicare, Waikato Territory Manger) with the award

I will be there again along with Dave Riley, the local territory rep and Ben Adams, our new Auckland and Northland rep who is also an expert in horticulture and garden care.

See you there........there are rewards for those that visit us and mention this blog.

Why does a cockerel watch TV?
For hentertainment!

Fieldays 2011 Starts Today

2011-06-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

The National Agricultural Fieldays starts today at Mystery Creek, Hamilton. This is the Southern Hemisphere's largest agri-business event with over a thousand businesses showing their wares.

Kiwicare have a stand in the main Mystery Creek Pavilion at site PE26 which is almost opposite door 2. Come and say 'Hi' you will be rewarded with your choice of free NO Bugs Super to keep your home free from insect pests or Spectrum to keep your roses and other plants pest and disease free.

On site will be experts on pest control and horticulture. Come and ask us a question.

The Kiwicare Head Office and factory in Christchurch has been only slightly affected by the latest quake. Production and dispatch was restored yesterday although there may be some disruption to communication via email this is expected to be repaired today. Our apologies to anyone that has had trouble contacting us. You can now contact the office for orders and enquiries on our main number 03 389 0778 or via your local representative.

Did you hear about the farmer who ploughed his field with a steamroller?
He wanted to grow mashed potatoes!

How Fast do Bed Bugs Breed?

2011-06-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

"How fast do bed bugs breed?" is a question I have been asked several times recently. What people want to know is how fast will a bed bug problem grow after bed bugs are introduced to their home. It is not an easy question to answer because the answer is different in different situations. Temperature, availability of food (blood), availability of mates, predator numbers etc. will all influence the rate at which bed bugs can breed. But estimates can be made based on normal conditions. The answer is both interesting and disturbing.

Recent work has found that you should not expect a population explosion before 3 to 4 months has passed and it is only at this point that an infestation may be detected easily. When there are only a few adult bed bugs they can be difficult to detect. The infestation may not be noticed until the problem escalates because, even though people may be being bitten, the majority of people do not react to bites and may be oblivious of the fact that they are having their blood sucked in their sleep.

Month 1 - If a single pregnant female is introduced to a bedroom, perhaps as the result of bringing one home after travelling to and staying in an infested hotel, it is likely that there will still be only one breeding adult one month after introduction. However, there will be as many as 60 nymphs in various stages of development and 20-30 eggs. When bed bugs hatch from an egg they are very small and are unlikely to be seen by the naked eye. The bugs go through 5 stages of growth (instars), each growth stage requires a blood feed. Only in the final adult stage is a bed bug able to lay eggs.

Month 2 - By now there is likely to be less than 10 adult bed bugs, but as many as 150 nymphs and a few eggs.

Newly hatched and
3rd instar bed bugs on rice

Month 3 - Now things start to 'hot up' with as many as 100 adults and 1,000 nymphs and eggs.

Month 4 - By day 120 the bed bug population is into exponential growth phase with up to 200 adults, 5,000 nymphs and 2,000 eggs.

Month 6 - If there is sufficient blood to feed on and places to hide, an infestation could now be at enormous proportions and would undoubtedly have spread to all adjacent rooms. There could be 8,000 adults, over 100,000 nymphs and 70,000 eggs.

This scenario shows that early detection and treatment of bed bugs is vital. Carrying out a thorough inspection of a bed and bedroom as soon as there is any suspicion of bed bugs and treatment with the Kiwicare NO Bed Bugs Box can 'nip the problem in the bud.' Or better still, be proactive about preventing bed bugs being brought into the home by treating luggage before travelling.

A bed bug walks into a bar and asks for 2 blood lites!

Cockroaches Move Indoors

2011-05-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

Bush Cockroach

New Zealand native Bush Cockroaches are invading homes where warm moist weather in parts of the country is encouraging them.

There are about 15 species of Native Bush Cockroach. They are small wingless cockroaches, up to 15mm body length. They can often be mistaken for the Gisborne cockroach which is also a 'Wood Cockroach' like the Bush but is more likely to be a nuisance pest. The Gisborne will grow much larger; growing to over 30mm.

The Bush Cockroach normally lives in logs and leaf litter or under loose bark. They prefer damp, dark habitats and are not usually a household pest. However, when they do invade a home,wandering in from the garden or brought in on wood for the fire, they can cause a certain amount of revulsion and consternation.

Gisborne Cockroach

They will not survive long in most homes as it is too dry where there is heating and there will be a lack of their normal food of rotting vegetation. But 'not long' can be several weeks and it maybe that home owners want to get rid of them sooner.

Preventing the entry of Bush or Gisborne cockroaches to the house or other buildings is the first thing to do. Make sure doors and windows are tightly fitting and keep vegetation and bark chips away from the house. Don't store firewood close tot he house and take care when bringing the wood indoors not to carry cockroaches with it.

The use of residual insecticide such as NO Bugs Super inside and around the walls and possible entry points can deter the roaches and shorten their life in the home. But it is not necessary to use insecticides in the garden where they cockroaches are not a threat and pose no risk of harm. It is only when they move inside that that can be a nuisance.

"I was in that new restaurant across the street," said one roach to his mate. "It's so clean! The kitchen is spotless, and the floors are gleaming. There is no dirt anywhere--it's so hygienic that the whole place shines."

"Please," said the other roach. "Not while I'm eating!"

Casino Staff Wearing Flea Collars

2011-05-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

The recent news reports of some SkyCity staff resorting to wearing flea collars to prevent fleas in the casino biting them, raises some interesting points about fleas, flea control and the effectiveness of flea collars.

SkyCity say that they have regular cleaning of the casino and have a pest management program in place to deal with such pest issues. This is normal practice for any business catering for visitors and handling food or drink.

I do not believe wearing flea collars, even if they are worn around the ankle are an effective way to prevent bites, and pet flea collars may not be approved for use on humans. A good flea control program should deal with the flea infestation promptly.

However, getting rid of fleas may not necessarily get rid of the itching experienced by staff. It is well known that just thinking about fleas, bed bugs or other biting insects can induce us to feel itchy and cause scratching. Are you feeling itchy yet?

Scratching of the skin, which often happens subconsciously, will in turn cause inflammation and more itchiness. This feedback loop can easily lead people to think that the biting insect problem is continuing. There is also a social aspect of this phenomenon; if you see someone else scratching or they discuss feeling itchy, you will too, and so the phenomenon can spread through the staff.

The 'trick' to terminating the perception of fleas or other biting insects is to make it plain to the affected staff that a proactive and effective flea control operation has taken place. Wearing flea collars is only likely to keep fleas in the mind.

How do you find where a flea has bitten you?
Start from scratch!

Change in Distribution of Cluster Flies

2011-05-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

There appears to have been a change in the distribution of cluster flies around New Zealand. There has been a shift from the Lower North Island to the South Island as shown by the information in Table 1. The table shows enquiries to Kiwicare regarding help in getting rid of cluster flies.

Table 1. Cluster Fly Enquiries

The increase in the South Island is largely due to cluster flies hitting Southland in a big way. Invercargill, Southland has seen number of visits increase (24, 26, 167) over the three years.

This is an interesting switch. It has been reported previously that cluster flies seem to go through a ‘boom bust’ cycle in local areas. My suspicion would be that this is governed by both weather conditions and the availability of their earthworm food source. If they are in big numbers for one or two years in an area, they may significantly reduce worm numbers and so suffer a drop off in their own numbers the following season as a consequence.

This fly goes into a bar and says "Is this stool taken?"

Bed Bugs as Carriers of Disease

2011-05-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

A report in the Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases* this month reports that bedbugs carrying methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a bacterium resistant to many common antibiotics were found on patients in a Vancouver hospital. Also, on two patients, they found bedbugs with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, or VRE, another bacterium resistant to common antibiotics.

This result raises the possibility that bed bugs can carry and transmit disease, something that has never been shown previously. While this result does not demonstrate that the bed bugs transmitted disease during their blood feeds it shows that there is the possibility. This result will, no doubt, spark further investigations around the world.

Should this result be confirmed and the transmission of disease by bed bugs during taking blood feeds from people and animals demonstrated, this will have great implications for the control of bed bugs around the world.

As I have previously blogged, there has been a resurgence of bed bugs around the world and in New Zealand. The combination of this resurgence and evidence that bed bugs transmit disease would be most concerning. It would make the control and eradication of bed bugs not just a matter of preventing nuisance and itchy bites but a matter of preventing serious disease and illness.

*The Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases is a journal of the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

A bed bug walks into the tearoom and says "Is it chai?"

Thailand Bed Bugs Death

2011-05-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

The tragic case of the death of New Zealander Sarah Carter and other travellers in Chang Mai, Thailand, may be a case of pesticide poisoning according to a United Nations scientist Dr Ron McDowall. Dr McDowall has revealed that traces of the organophosphate chlorpyrifos were found in the hotel in which Sarah was staying at the time she fell ill. It was the same hotel that a British couple, a Canadian and a local tour guide stayed in before their deaths in similar circumstances. According to Dr McDowall the symptoms of the deaths were in line with those of chlorpyifos poisoning.

It is thought the insecticide may have been used for the control of bed bugs and Thai police will be investigating.

Bed Bugs

The use of chlorpyrifos for indoor pest control has been banned in many countries. Because bed bugs are predominantly found in bedrooms and other places where people spend large amounts of time it is important that any insecticide used is particularly safe. Kiwicare NO Bed Bugs spray and fumigator products do not contain organophosphates, instead containing the very safe low toxicity pyrethroids permethrin, cyphenothrin and an insect growth regulator, pyriproxifen; all of which are insecticides approved for bed bug control in bedrooms by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Bed bugs are difficult insect pests to control and there is a danger that pest control operators, under pressure to eliminate the bugs quickly, will be tempted to use more powerful chemicals. This may be particularly the case in the accommodation businesses where room downtime and bad publicity from bed bugs is very costly.

It is almost certainly the case that, if the death of Sarah Carter was caused by chlorpyrifos (aka chlorpyriphos), it was not just due to using the chemical, but the extreme over use of the chemical. I find it difficult to imagine how chlorpyriphos could be used at the strength required to cause illness and death.

I am aware that some 'professional' pest control operators in New Zealand use organophosphates for control of bed bugs. It would be hoped and expected that any such pest control companies would use these chemicals in a safe manner. But I would advise the use of the much safer NO Bed Bugs spray and fumigator in conjunction with the time and effort to find and treat all the possible bed bug hiding places.

Rat "Blows In" with Auckland Tornado

2011-05-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting enquiry from a home owner in Auckland's North Shore along with a series of great photos. Graham sat at his kitchen window shortly after the tornado that devastated parts of Albany and watched a young Norway rat sitting in a fern stump for 10 minutes before making a get away.

It is possible that the heavy rain the accompanied the tornado flushed the rat out of its burrow. Norway rats, sometimes referred to as brown rats, water rats or sewer rats, normally live in burrows, often near river banks or sewers. So rising water can flush them out. It’s cousin the Black rat (aka roof rat, ship rat) is arboreal and lives more in trees and high places such roof spaces.

The pale colour of this rat is not uncommon, the Norway rat can vary from dark grey to even paler than this individual. The very pale underside is the easy way to differentiate Norway from Black rats.

Graham said the rat slowly walked down the fern stump and he was amazed how agile it was. Norway rats are good climbers as can be seen by these photos, but they are not as good as Roof rats. It is good advice to make sure trees and vegetation do not lead to your roof. Rats and mice will readily climb a tree and drop down onto a roof where they are likely to find a way in at the eaves.

I suggested Graham set some bait out for this rat and his friends.

NO Rats & Mice weatherproof blocks would be most suitable. Use short lengths of pipe such as spouting down pipe approx 60cm long. Place the bait in the middle in a plastic bag and secured by a piece of wire or nail through the pipe. Rats and mice will happily eat through the plastic bag and the bag will keep the bait in place and fresh for longer. The bait tunnel should be placed securely against a wall or where rats have been seen travelling. Rats prefer to be in enclosed spaces and the tunnel will protect the bait and keep pets and birds out. Check and replace bait regularly and continue until no more bait is taken.

Thank you to Graham for letting me use his great series of photos.

Did you hear about the dyslexic rats?
Each thought they were a star.

The Mars Bar Mice

2011-05-03T23:29:00.000-07:00

In my blog of on catching rats and mice alive on Monday July 19th 2010 I ended by saying I would tell the story of the Mars Bar mice. It has taken me a long time to get round to it, but a comment on that article has reminded me of my promise.

Some years ago, back in Ireland, I was contacted by the owner of a business located in the same business centre as my pest control company. We'll call him Paddy which wasn't his name, but it suits the story. Paddy told me that he was having terrible problems with mice at home. He said he was catching as many as 20 every night. Now, I have seen some heavily infested homes, but never one where that many were caught every night.

I queried these numbers and it transpired that Paddy had purchased 20 live capture mouse traps; his wife was "dead set against using poison, even if the mice were eating her cashmere sweaters to make a nest." Paddy had been setting the traps all in his roof voids and around the house, baited with Mars Bar. Each morning every trap had caught a mouse. "Big fat healthy mice!" said Paddy.

I asked Paddy what he did with the caught mice. "Oh. I take them way across the field and let them go." said Paddy.

I suggested that that night he set the traps again as usual. But next morning, mark each mouse with a dab of correction fluid before releasing them. And set the traps again for the following night.

Sure enough the second morning 20 'corrected' mice had been caught in the traps.

The mice were fat from Mars Bar and fit from the exercise and fresh air they got each day making their way back across the fields to the house for another Mars feed.

This wasn't quite the end of the story however. There was still the question of how the mice were getting back into the house. Paddy insisted that he had put much effort into finding and sealing all possible entry points. I agreed to visit the house and take a look.

It doesn't take much of a gap for a mouse to enter a building; a gap as narrow as a pencil is all they need, even well fed Mars mice. I was confident I would find a broken air vent, gap under a door, ill fitting pipe, or climbing plant leading up to the eaves. But when I checked the house I could find no possible entry. It was unlikely that all the mice would be able to sneak in an open door when Paddy or his wife opened and closed them after themselves.

How could they be getting in?

A common entry point for rats and mice is via the garage if the garage is attached to the house. But Paddy's garage was 15 metres from the house. But I did find a gap under the garage door and I found little 'messages' letting me know that mice were getting into the garage.

In Ireland and the UK central heating is common in most homes to combat the cold, wind and rain. Rats and mice love the heat from central heating boilers and the pipes carrying hot water to radiators. The pipes can often provide highways for mice to travel around a building as the holes on walls and joists are rarely sealed tightly. And this was how the mice were getting into the house. Paddy's central heating boiler was in the garage and the pipes ran underground to the house. the mice had followed the pipes, eating their way through the insulation around the pipes.

Once I sealed up the gaps around the pipes, and Paddy had caught and released the mice a long way (over 2km) away from the house, the problem was solved.

There are several messages from this story:

Mars Bars and regular exercise make for big healthy mice
You can train mice to get caught in traps
Mice will find a way in if there is one
Mice often follow pipes and cables
You can keep mice out if you find and seal all the entry points
Mice will find their way back to a home from over a kilometer away
If releasing mice that you have caught in live capture traps, release them more than 2 km away
Mice like Mars bars

A mouse walks into a bar and says to the barman "I'll have a Milk 'n' way and two Moro a Mars."

Biosecurity Conference

2011-05-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

The National Education and Training Seminar (NETS) conference, NETS2011 Tomorrow's Pest today, is to be held 6th - 8th July 2011, at the Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna Auckland.

NETS is the annual conference of the New Zealand Biosecurity Institiute (NZBI). If you are interested in biosecurity (the protection of New Zealand environments from invasive animals, plants and diseases) or the biodiversity (protection of the diversity of native New Zealand flora and fauna) of the country then come along to learn about the threats and what organisations around the country are doing to protect and prevent pests.

A draft programme is available here and information on pricing and accommodation can be found here.

Online registration to NETS2011 is now open and all members and non-members are welcome to join us for a fun packed and informative three days.

It would be great to see you there.

Three animal pest guys and three pest plant people are going to NETS by train. They meet at the station. The pest plant guys say "With things tight we can't afford three tickets but we have a plan to buy only one."

The animal pesties watch as the three plant pesties buy one ticket and then get on the train and squeeze into one restroom. When the conductor knocks on the door and says "Ticket please" the ticket is slipped under the door.

Thinking this was a smart way to save hard to find money the animal pesties decide to do they same thing on the return journey. But they notice the plant pesties don't buy any tickets!

On the train the animal pesties are squeezed in the restroom when a plant pestie knocks on the door and says "Ticket please."

Do Rats and Mice Need Water With Their Bait?

2011-04-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

This week I have received several queries from people asking whether it is necessary to place water out with rodent baits. They have been told, or have read, that poison baits make rats and mice thirsty and that they will gnaw pipes to get at water to drink; so that placing water with the bait means they are less likely to gnaw pipes.

This is one of those stories that has some truth and sounds plausible but but comes to the wrong conclusions.

Damage to cables from gnawing rats

Almost all rodent baits contain an anti-coagulant toxin* such as the coumatetralyl used in NO Rats & Mice. Anti-coagulants do indeed have a slight tendency to make the rats and mice thirsty, but the rodents are likely to find water in their usual places if they are able.

Rodents do indeed often gnaw at pipework and cables causing considerable damage. But they do this because their incisor (front) teeth grow continually throughout their life and must be kept worn down and sharp by regular gnawing. This is why rats and mice gnaw things other than their food. Plastics, including plastic pipes and cable covering, seem to be of a consistency that they get 'pleasure' from gnawing.

Placing water alongside baits is unlikely to influence the likelihood of them gnawing pipes. Anti-coagulant poisons take several days to begin to take effect. So the rats and mice are likely to be some other place when they begin to feel ill and thirsty. In most cases they fall ill and die in their nest.

The delayed action of anti-coagulants is very important for their effectiveness and in making anti-coagulants a safe type of poison for use in homes.

If a poison makes a rat or mouse feel ill quickly, they will associate the illness with the bait and will avoid eating any more. If they have not yet consumed a lethal dose they can recover and will be 'bait shy' meaning baits will no longer be effective. With ant-coagulants the delayed onset of illness means they do not associate the illness with the bait and they have already taken several feeds of bait ensuring they have taken a lethal dose from which there is no recovery.

The slow onset of illness also has the advantage of giving plenty of time to administer the antidote to any non-target animal, such as a pet, that accidentally takes bait. Vitamin K is a fast and effective antidote for anti-coagulant poisoning.

Another interesting fact about mice is that they can obtain all their water from their food and may live their lives without ever needing a drink.

In conclusion, there is no need to leave water out with rat and mouse bait. But it is important to control rats and mice promptly to reduce the risk of damage to pipes and cables caused by their gnawing habits.

*Kiwicare Natural NO Rats is a novel rodent bait that does not contain an anti-coagulant poison. It does not contain any poison! Instead it works by physical action. Rodents do not posses the enzymes in their gut necessary to break down the cellulose in the bait. Rodents cannot vomit and so the bait remains in the alimentary canal where it prevents feeding and causes dehydration and death by heart attack. The bait is safe for other animals.

Who is the king rat in Rome?
Julius Cheeser.

Concentrated Organic Weedkiller

2011-04-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

In October 2010 Kiwicare launched the new BioGro Certified Organic NO Weeds (now call Organic Weedfree Rapid) ready to use trigger spray and I blogged about how it works. Since then sales of this product have soared and it is available in hardware stores, garden centres and supermarkets across New Zealand.

I have been contacted many times since the launch of the product by organic farmers, horticulturalists and gardeners asking when the concentrate version would be available. Well, I am happy to tell you that NO Weeds Concentrate is now available in 5L and 20L sizes. The concentrate is also certified by BioGro the main New Zealand organic certification agency.

The concentrate is diluted 1 part concentrate to 14 parts water or 10 parts water for tougher weeds. Like the ready to use spray it combines fatty acid and pine oil in a product that strips the waxy cuticle and cell wall from weeds so that they rapidly dehydrate and die. You can almost watch the weeds fall over within minutes.

What's the strongest weedkiller?
The one that lifts the earth. Naturally!

Cool Snap Sends Cluster Flies Indoors

2011-04-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

The cool (maybe that should be cold) snap we are experiencing in New Zealand is driving cluster flies to seek shelter for the coming winter. They find dry dark places such as attics, ceiling voids, eaves, spaces around ill fitting windows and doors, and other nooks and crannies around houses and other buildings.

The flies had begun clustering in the middle of March but this cool snap will encourage more to join the congregations. In such cool weather the activity of the flies is greatly reduced and they cause less nuisance to homeowners as they remain in a dormant state. But the cool snap is due to end this weekend. As warm sun heats the spaces the flies have found then they become active and drop out of light fittings, buzz around rooms and attract many more of their kind to the affected houses. So if you live a rural part of New Zealand watch out for the clusters that have gathered waking up and filling your home.

Kiwicare have recently added to the arsenal of products available to prevent and get rid of cluster flies. New NO Flies Bait has been found to be very effective against cluster flies. Place the bait around the exterior of affected buildings to intercept the flies before they have a chance to move in.

A woman walks into the kitchen to find her husband walking around with a fly swatter.
'What are you doing?" She asked.
"Hunting Flies" He responded.
"Oh! Killing any?" She asked.
"Yep, 3 males, 2 Females." He replied.
Intrigued, she asked. "How can you tell them apart?" He responded. "Three were on a beer can, two were on the phone."

Christchurch Vulnerable to Pest Plagues

2011-04-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

Rats Plague Christchurch

I have been warning that the damage caused to Christchurch’s infrastructure has left the city and its people vulnerable to plagues of pests. Rats and mice are able to take advantage of damaged sewers and buildings. Flies, mosquitoes and midges find new breeding sites in stagnant and contaminated puddles. Ground dwelling ants have been disturbed and have moved into homes and other buildings. Plus the normal pest operations that keep pests under control have been disrupted.

As the weather cools in autumn it is normal that rats and mice seek shelter and food in buildings. This annual influx of rodents is likely to be more serious this year, particularly in areas where damage to buildings and sewers provides them with easy access. I previously predicted a greater than usual problem with rodents this year. Warm and moist weather across the country has provided near ideal breeding conditions with more available food than normal.

Now is the time to be proactive, and whether you are in Christchurch or elsewhere in the country, it is the best time to place rodent bait in vulnerable places around buildings. Weatherproof bait blocks should be used around the exterior of buildings and the blocks or bait and tracking powder should be placed in attics, garages, and other places where rodents are likely to look for food and shelter. “The trick is to intercept them before they have time to set up a nest in the building.

The Kiwicare offices and factory are in Bromley, one of the hardest hit parts of Christchurch. We have been luckier than many. The strong building has meant that production was only disrupted for a week. But we are seeing at first hand some of the pest issues that are likely to be a particular problem in the damaged areas of the city. Disruption to the nearby sewerage settling ponds and the standing water formed in sink holes and liquefaction is providing breeding sites for mosquitoes, midges and flies. These insects have been seen in and around the offices. The midges, which can be mistaken for mosquitoes, are found covering the windows and walls. Although they don’t bite, not having mouth parts, their large numbers can be an unpleasant nuisance.

Rodents and flies are carriers of disease and increased number of these pests combined with the problems of sewerage leaks makes for a serious risk to health.

Cooler weather is likely to help keep the insect pests reduced, but it will also encourage the rodent pests to move in, so whichever way the temperature goes it is likely to cause increased pest problems for the already embattled people of Christchurch. You can help the city by making sure your property is not a breeding ground for pests.

A swarm of flies go into a bar.
"What's the buzz?" Asks the bartender.

Wasps Compete With Native Ants in Surprising Way

2011-03-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

A recent study by researchers at Victoria University has shown that invasive Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) will pick up and remove ants that are competing with them for a food source. Phil Lester and Julien Grangier took video of the wasps picking up native brown bush ants, flying off and dropping them away from the food.

Dr Lester says the ants are not always physically hurt, but appear stunned by the experience and often do not return to the food. He said the wasps "outcompete all sorts of animals for food in these beech forests and drive off anything" - sometimes even native parrots.

But, despite being 200 times smaller, the ants are able to hold their own by spraying the wasps with acid and biting them. The acid defence may be part of the reason wasps carefully remove the ants rather than kill them.

"When the wasps pick them up and drop them, I would imagine they are getting a mouthful of acid at that time and if they bite too hard they would get an even bigger mouthful of acid - they are really attempting to carry them rather than bite and kill them."

This is wasp behavior had not previously been recorded. It highlights the way in which invasive species can have surprising affects on natural habitats and ecosystems.

An ant walks into a bar and says to the barman.
"500,000 beers to go please!"

Wasp Numbers Soar - Sting in the Tail

2011-03-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

Wasp numbers are usually at their peak at this time of the year but the weather this year has seen wasp colonies grow to very high numbers and consequently the products such as NO Wasp Dust and Carbaryl are in very high demand. Many stores have sold out despite the best efforts of manufacturers to supply.

Insecticide dust is placed or puffed into the entrance of nests where workers land and carry it into the nest on their bodies and feet, thus destroying the colony. An alternative powder insecticide that will also work well to control wasp nests is available but less used. Maldison is also a powder and can be applied in the same way as Carbaryl. So if you are seeking carbaryl for controlling wasp nests and you find the hardware store or garden centre is sold out, you may find Maldison available.

Is the lead singer of the Police a wasp?

First Signs of Cluster Flies Clustering

2011-03-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

I am getting the first reports of cluster flies beginning their clustering season. Cluster flies are members of the blow fly family. As larvae they feed on earthworms in pasture and lawns before emerging as slow dull black flies. They vary in size from a little smaller than house flies to much larger (up to 16mm). They are characterised by being slow moving and easy to catch or squash compared to other flies.

Small cluster of cluster flies in roof void

Now is the time to be pro-active and prevent cluster flies clustering in your house or other buildings. Cluster flies seek dry, warm, dark spaces to group together and try to survive the coming winter. The flies release a pheromone that attracts other cluster flies to the cluster. as the cluster grows the strength of the pheromone increases and it attracts more flies. If the early stages of the cluster can be prevented you can stay free of cluster flies this season.

How to Prevent Cluster Flies Clustering

Where possible, seal up the entrances to roof voids, eaves, ceiling spaces, wall spaces, gaps around window and door frames, and other potential cluster sites.
If sealing is not an option, then spray the entrances to such places with Long lasting surface insecticide such as NO Bugs Super.
Use a paint brush or sponge to apply NO Bugs Super to gaps in and around doorways, window frames, eaves, gaps between weatherboard, gaps around pipes and cables etc.
Any cluster flies found should be immediately killed, collected and removed in a sealed bag in the bin. Cluster flies continue to release attractant pheromone even when dead.

Prevention is always better than cure. Preventing cluster flies clustering in your home is much easier than getting rid of them once they have begun large clusters. this is because once a cluster has formed the pheromone will linger at the cluster site even after the flies have been removed and collected.

What has two wheels and flies?
A rubbish bin.

Bed Bugs and Clutter

2011-03-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

I have read some comments recently that say clutter in bedrooms causes bed bugs and I recently spoke to a customer asking advice on how to get rid of bed bugs, she asked whether they should remove the 'loads of stuff' in their bedroom.

Clutter does not cause bed bugs, but if a bedroom is cluttered there are likely to be many more places for bed bugs to hide and should bed bugs be brought into the room eradication is going to be more difficult.

A lot of 'stuff' (furniture, boxes, clothes, lamps, and objects of all sorts) provide more places for bed bugs to hide. Also, when treating for bed bugs the clutter will make examination and treatment more time consuming as each thing will have to be checked and treated. There is also an increased likelihood of transporting bed bugs from room to room on or in the 'stuff'.

So, if you are treating for bed bugs, take care not to transport bed bugs from the room to other places. Carefully check all objects before removing them from the affected room. Bag and freeze or treat with NO Bed Bugs spray if necessary.

If you are at risk from bed bugs, clear away clutter that might provide hiding places for bed bugs. Seal and fill cracks and crevices where bed bugs might find shelter, taking care not to leave spaces where they can hide more difficult to treat.

The same can be said for treatment and prevention of other crawling insect pests such as cockroaches, fleas and ants.

Make life easier and clear the clutter.

A bed bug walks into the blood bank to make a withdrawal.

The Principles of Integrated Pest Management

2011-03-06T12:37:00.000-08:00

What is Integrated Pest Management?

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the use of several methods in a co-ordinated approach to preventing and controlling pests. IPM principles are as important in Do it Yourself (DIY) home and garden pest control as they are for professional and agricultural pest management.

It is rarely likely that one approach to controlling any pest will be sufficient on its own. For best ongoing success a good overall view of why there is a pest problem and what risks there are of a pest becoming a problem is needed.

What are the main approaches of Integrated Pest Management?

Assess the risks of a pest becoming a problem:
- Learn about the habits of the pest
- Apply the knowledge gained to reduce the risks
Change the habitat at risk to make it unsuitable for the pest
If the habitat cannot be changed in this way, apply preventative measures:
- Physical barriers - stop the pests getting in
- Apply chemical barriers - repellents, insecticide
Monitor to identify the entry of pests
Ensure pests that gain entry are controlled or removed as soon as possible
If the pest becomes established plan and prioritise the eradication of the pest and look to prevention of future infestations.

What does IPM mean for you at home?

If we look at it from the home DIY pest control and gardening perspectives and simplify these principles it means:

Some numbers of pests are not a problem, take action when they are or could become a problem. E.g. a few aphids can be removed by squashing them with fingers or left to beneficial insects such as ladybugs to control, one or two flies flying in an open window may not be a significant nuisance, but one mouse in the house may be too many. The threshold depends on your reaction to the problem.

Look out for and take note of pests. E.g. If you don't go into your garden and look at the roses you won't see the aphids building up. Look out for signs of rodents. If you find something gnawed or some droppings, take time to check around the house for other signs.

Stop pests becoming a problem. E.g. Don't wait until your vulnerable roses have aphids, treat with preventative systemic insecticides on a regular basis. Prevent rodents gaining entry to your home by sealing gaps around pipes and in the eaves of your roof etc.

Getting rid of pests can rarely be achieved by the use of a single product or approach. E.g. Ants are best controlled by baiting followed by insecticide barriers used inside and outside, followed by removal or denial of nest sites. Moss in your lawns is best controlled by using Mossclear moss killer, then improving soil condition with fertiliser, aeration, improved light and drainage.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists four steps in IPM;

Set Action Thresholds
Decide what level of pests is unacceptable and above which action should be taken.

Monitor and Identify Pests
Not everything is a pest. Detect insects, animals and weeds, identify them and decide whether they pose a risk that requires action.

Prevention
This is the first line of defence. Plan to prevent a potential pest becoming a problem. This can be selecting plants for your garden that are resistant to insect pests or proofing your home against the entry of rats and mice.

Control
Once a pest has reached the set action threshold, has been assessed as posing a risk, and has gained entry to the protected environment action is taken to eradicate the pest.

A woman and pest control technician are having a passionate affair.
Her husband comes home early one afternoon while the pestie and her are fooling around.
She quickly shoves her lover in the wardrobe, naked.
The husband, on finding his wife naked in bed is suspicious and soon finds the pestie in the wardrobe.
"Who are you?" he asked him.
"I'm a pest control technician" said the exterminator.
"What are you doing in the wardrobe?" asked the husband.
"I'm investigating an infestation of clothes moths," the man replied.
"And where are your clothes?" asked the husband.
The man looked down at himself and said,.."Those little bastards!"

Christchurch Quake - No Water Cleaning Advice

2011-03-01T16:13:00.000-08:00

Many affected parts of Christchurch City are still without water and many that have water should not use the water without first sterilizing it by boiling. With water pipes and sewer pipes breaking in the devastated areas of the city there has been contamination of the water supply by sewerage. Sewerage will carry disease organisms that can cause gastroenteritis and other diseases.

It is vital to prevent the spread of illness by following some simple rules:

Unless otherwise advised by your water service, boil all water before drinking or using for brushing teeth. Even showering in contaminated water can risk organisms entering the mouth.
Water should be boiled for at least 1 minute. In automatic kettles this means bringing to the boil again after the it has switched off once.
Washing hands with possibly contaminated water can be followed by drying and the use of alcohol based hand sanitisers of at least 60% alcohol e.g. NO Germs Hand Sanitiser.
When using alcohol sanitisers rub the gel into hands for at least 15 seconds then allow to dry. Do not use tissues and do not use with water.
Where no water is available the alcohol sanitiser can be used on its own, but wash accumulated dirt from hands as soon as possible; as in 2 above.
Children can be particularly vulnerable because they may play in contaminated areas and then unconsciously suck fingers or ingest contaminated material. Use sanitiser regularly and keep children away from material that may be of risk.
Portable toilets and chemical toilets are being shipped to and distributed around affected areas of Christchurch. As there are not likely to toilets for each household there will be sharing of the facilities. There is a risk of spreading disease when using the toilets. Sanitize before and after using the toilets.
Chemical toilets use chemicals such as NO Germs Racasan which is a formaldehyde based sterilization fluid. Racasan can also be used to clean down and sterilise hard surfaces.

Stay clean and stay safe.

When going to bed always take a full glass of water and an empty glass.
In the middle of the night you don't know if you'll be thirsty or not.

One Week on from Christchurch Quake

2011-02-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

Kiwicare is now operational and has begun production again following last week's quake. Internet and email communication has been restored and orders can be received as normal. A great effort by staff and service providers.

Pallets ready for collection

Repairs underway to wall

It is one week since the quake. At 12.51, the time the quake struck last week, two minutes silence and reflection was observed by the staff of Kiwicare. We remember that we are luckier than many others. Some have lost lives and loved ones, some have lost homes, some have lost jobs and possessions.

I am inspired by the people and the spirit of Christchurch and New Zealand. As an immigrant, I have once again been impressed by the speed and efficiency of the clean up and the restoration of 'normal' services around the city. That is not to say that there is still not a huge amount to do, but with the help and good will that is poring in from around New Zealand and around the world the city will, like a 'Pheonix from the flame' rise from the liquefaction mud bigger, brighter and better than ever before.

Kiwicare Back Into Production After Christchurch Quake

2011-02-27T22:27:00.000-08:00

The fantastic team at Kiwicare turned up to work this morning in full force following Tuesday's earthquake in Canterbury. Service providers worked tirelessly to get our power, water, phones and fax up and running today; internet and emails are expected to be working tomorrow.

Deliveries are already being sent out from the factory, our Auckland distribution centre has, of course, been unaffected.

With a full team, the factory and offices have largely been tidied ready for recommencing production on Wednesday or even earlier. One of the first products on our list for production is Racasan Sanitary Fluid for use in portable toilets and for sterilizing surfaces. It will be produced and sent out for use in many of the thousands of portable and chemical toilets being used in the affected parts of Christchurch. Kiwicare has also offered donation of NO Germs Hand Sanitiser in an effort to prevent diseases, such as gastroenteritis, spreading as people in the city must clean either without water or with water possibly contaminated with sewerage.

Thank you to all our customers for your patience. If you need to make any urgent orders and are not sure that normal service is available please contact us at any of the numbers found here.

Always give 100% at work .......
12% On Monday
23% On Tuesday
40% On Wednesday
20% On Thursday
5% On Fridays

Kiwicare Gets All Clear

2011-02-25T13:04:00.000-08:00

The Kiwcare factory and offices in Bromley, Christchurch were given the all clear by structural engineers yesterday and the clear up has begun. Good progress was made by the team at the factory and our first delivery since Tuesday's quake was sent out.

First Delivery Since Quake

Although power, water and phones are not yet reconnected it is hoped that these services will be available early next week. Temporary power helped us confirm that our server and computer network is un-damaged and as soon as phone lines are restored we expect to be able to take orders as normal.

Many of the staff at Kiwicare have suffered great damage to their homes and the homes of their families. It is a testament to the spirit of the Kiwicare team that so many people have turned up at work to help in the clear up and the process of getting the business running fully again.

More of the Clean Up Team

Thank you to all our friends and customers for your good wishes and patience. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Christchurch Earthquake Affects Kiwicare

2011-02-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

The factory and head office of Kiwicare is located in Bromley, a suburb in the hard hit eastern part of Christchurch. I am happy to report that all the staff and workers at the factory were uninjured apart from small cuts and bruises.

The factory and offices are all still standing and largely undamaged. However, the quake ejected goods and materials from racking, shelves and cabinets. Those staff able to get to the factory yesterday made spills safe and prepared the premises for the clear up. It is not clear at the moment when we will be able to get into the buildings in force to clean up and get back to distributing and manufacturing. There is currently no power, water, sewerage or communications (other than cell phones), to the area and we expect it will be days and maybe weeks before some of these services are repaired.

My Office. I was in the chair in the corner

Main office

Some of the goods to be cleared up. All racking survived well but many pallets bounced off on to the floor.

Thank you to all that have sent good wishes. We wish all the people of Christchurch good luck. We will be back.

Early Wasp Boom - How to Get rid of Wasps

2011-02-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

In late summer and autumn wasp numbers are at their highest. It is normal for people to be bothered by more wasps and find more wasp nests in the months of March and April (in New Zealand). As mentioned in my recent blog on the affect of the La Niña weather pattern on insect numbers the wasp boom has come early this year. As you can see from this chart, the numbers of enquiries tot he Kiwicare website are still rising and are far above the peak of last year already.

Visits to Kiwicare.co.nz re wasps 2010/11 (blue) vs 2009/10 (green)

The German Wasp and Common Wasp are the main pest wasps in New Zealand, but the Asian Paper Wasp can also rise to considerable numbers in the North Island.

How to get rid of Wasps or Bees

Nests - The nests of German and Common wasps generally have only one entrance/exit. If this can be identified the colony can be destroyed by sprinkling or puffing the apicide NO Wasps Dust or NO Insects Carbaryl 80 into the entrance. The workers will then pick up the dust as they enter the nest and take it inside where it will kill larvae and queens.

Great care should be taken in treating the entrance to a nest as there is a risk of being stung. It may be advisable to do this operation at night when there is no wasp activity.

In some cases a nest may be in a difficult to reach situation where powder cannot be applied to the nest entrance. NO Bugs Bug Bombs or NO Bugs Borafume fumigators can often be used in sheds and roof voids to destroy wasp colonies safely and without need to access the nest entrance.

If the nest site cannot be found it is possible to reduce wasp numbers (and maybe kill a whole colony) using NO Wasp Bait Concentrate mixed with a suitable bait such as sugar* or canned fish.

NO Wasps Trigger sprays are useful to treat around rubbish bins and other areas where wasps are attracted.

*Caution: Where there is a risk of attracting bees to the bait, sugar and syrup baits should not be used. In such risk areas use canned fish, raw meat, carrion or fish skeletons as an attractant and spray with water based mix described above. Fix the bait inside an inverted can and suspend from a suitable tree. Respray every 2-3 days.

Honey bee swarms - if you find a large 'clump' of bees, hanging from a branch or the side of your house, this is likely to be a bee swarm. This is a queen with her new colony looking for a place to build a nest. Contact you local beekeeper (see the National Beekeepers Association swarm collection contact list) and he/she will try and collect the swarm without harming it for use in honey production. The swarm may move on of its own accord within a day or two.

Note: Honey bees are generally not aggressive while swarming.

A man walks down a street, and enters a shop. He spends a few minutes browsing round the shop, and then apporaches the check-out desk.
"Hello", he says, "I would like a dead wasp, please".
The shopkeeper replies "I beg your pardon sir? This is a Pharmacy - we only sell medicines and bathroom products".
The man says "Yes, I know this is a Pharmacy. However, I would like to buy a dead wasp".
The shopkeeper is a little confused "Sir, this is a Pharmacy. We DO NOT sell dead wasps."
The man replies: "So why have you got one in the window then?!"

TV3 Targets Flea Control

2011-02-07T22:57:00.000-08:00

Adult Flea

I have been rather shocked watching tonight's TV3's Target program showing pest controllers dealing (or not dealing) with flea problems.

The weather this year is particularly suitable for flea breeding and many people and their pets are suffering from these parasitic, biting, blood sucking insects.

The only thing that makes some of these people professionals is the fact that they take money from the customer.

Do it yourself and do it properly!

Why did the flea fail his exams? He wasn’t up to scratch!

How to Get Rid of Black Field Crickets

2011-02-02T17:45:00.000-08:00

Black Field Cricket

This is the season for crickets damaging lawns and entering our homes as a casual intruder pest.

Black field crickets are normally a problem only in Northland, Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and parts of Taranaki. Eggs are laid in moist soil from February to May, and nymphs (immature adults) emerge from November to January. Adults appear from February and live for two or three months inhabiting cracks in the soil. During long drought periods the growing crowns of grasses are attacked; this often kills the plants and leaves the soil open to weed invasion.

How to Get Rid of Black Field Crickets

A bait can be made by mixing NO Insects Maldison with grain (wheat, barley or crushed maize) at the rate of 12.5g to 1kg grain and spread on 500-1000m2 depending on extent of infestation. This should applied around February when the adults appear.
Prevent crickets with NO Insects Lawngard Prills, kill the insects in the soil. Sprinkle the prills on affected lawn and water in. Eggs and nymphs and adults the hide in cracks in the ground will also be killed on contact with the insecticide.
Stop crickets entering your home. Spray entrance points and areas where crickets are seen with NO Bugs Super surface insecticide.

Why is it better to be a grasshopper than a cricket?
Because grasshoppers can play cricket but crickets can't play grasshopper.

La Niña Brings Insect 'Plagues'

2011-01-31T13:04:00.000-08:00

The La Niña weather pattern is not only bringing New Zealand a warm moist summer, it is also bringing ‘plagues’ of pest insects.

Last month saw a record of over 20,000 visits to the Kiwicare website from New Zealanders, nearly double the same period last year. Sales of all insect control products are up this year and some such as flea products are as much as double sales last year. Enquiries for fleas are up 117%, wasps 110% and spiders, cockroaches, ants and flies all up more than 50%.

The pests causing most concern in these conditions are fleas, mosquitoes, wasps, flies, cockroaches and ants. These pests pose a risk of causing harm to people and animals; fleas and mosquitoes bite us and our pets, wasps sting and even threaten life on rare occasions, flies and cockroaches transfer disease from rubbish and drains to our food and kitchens, and ants are a general nuisance in homes and workplaces.

Because insect metabolisms are governed by temperature, insects are generally more active and breed more quickly when it is warm. Moisture levels are also critical for many insects. In dry conditions many insects experience stress due to water loss and this slows their breeding. However, when moisture levels are high, as they are this year in many parts of New Zealand, then numbers are not limited. The third vital ingredient of this recipe for ‘plagues’ of insect pests is food supply, and there are reasons to believe conditions are also increasing food sources, for example:

Adult fleas and mosquitoes feed on the blood of animals, often including people. In warm weather, blood is more easily available to fleas and other blood sucking pests because mammals such as cats, dogs and ourselves move blood into capillaries near the surface of our skin to radiate heat and keep us cool. Also, the larvae of fleas feed on dust, including skin cells from animals and people. In warm conditions there is more of this dust available.
Wasps feed on a variety of food sources including nectar, pollen, other insects and decaying animal material. The weather conditions have been good for flowers, giving wasps a head start in food supply this spring and the general increase in insects has provided more insect prey for their carnivorous habits.
Flies and cockroaches feed largely on decaying organic matter. The warm weather encourages more rapid decay and easier feeding for fly maggots and cockroach nymphs as well as adults.
Ants feed on a variety of foods depending on the species and the requirements of the colony at the time. For example, Argentine Ants feed on other insects and invertebrates when they invade a new territory; thus removing competition. Then they change to feeding on higher levels of sweet foods such as the honeydew from aphids with which they have a symbiotic relationship; protecting them in return for the honeydew.

This all means that we are more at risk from pest insects this year than normal. There is more likelihood of being bitten by fleas and mosquitoes, stung by wasps, given food poisoning by flies and cockroaches and generally pestered by ants and other insects.

Pro-active prevention of problems with pest insects is preferable to having to deal with an infestation. Think prevention and remove food that insects could feed on and create barriers to stop pests entering your home. Don’t forget to treat your pets with flea treatment from your vet but also spray places where pets sleep as this is where the fleas spend most time. I advise extra caution in dealing with wasp nests this year as they seem to have formed particularly large nests already. One wasp sting is almost always painful and can be life threatening in a few sensitive individuals. To avoid stings treat wasp nests with powder insecticide as powder tends to keep wasps calm, and treat at dusk or night time when wasp activity is low.

A man walks into a bar. There is a flea behind the bar serving drinks. The man stares at him amazed.
The flea says "What are you staring at. Have you never seen a flea serving drinks before?"
"No. Its not that" says the man. "It's just I never thought the ant would sell the place."

Embarrassment

2011-01-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

I was driving through Hagley Park here in Christchurch last evening and I was reminded of an embarrassing story from my first year in New Zealand.

I had recently joined Target Pest to help develop the urban pest management division of the company. Target Pest was a Local Government Owned Enterprise owned by Environment Canterbury and focused largely on the control of possums and Tb for the Animal Health Board and Department of Conservation. Target had also established divisions dealing with weed spraying, wilding pines, and forest biosecurity. My previous experience of pest management and studying the spread of Tb in cattle seemed to make me fit well into the company.

The new urban pest management division was to compete with companies like Rentokil and EcoLab for contracts with factories, restaurants, shops, offices and homes for control of rodents and pest insects. I believed I had a good knowledge of these pests as most of them were the same as I was experienced in from Ireland and the UK, rats, mice, flies, ants, cockroaches, fleas, borer (woodworm) etc..

Occasionally a customer would call with a problem insect and I would try and identify the species. Sometimes this meant asking the customer to bring an example of the insect into the office for me to examine. One day, a month or two after starting with Target, I had a call from an Englishman, recently moved to NZ like myself, who described strange insect exo-skeletons on the trunks of his trees. This sounded strange to me and I asked him to bring the skeletons in for me to look at. As I put the phone down I noticed a certain amount of amusement from my colleagues in the office who had overheard my conversation. 'The dopey Irishman did not know about cicadas!' In my defense, cicadas are not found in Ireland or the UK and although I had heard them when on holiday I had never seen one.

Chorus Cicada

Of course, I made some effort to learn more about cicadas and learned how the female lays eggs in bark, when the eggs hatch the cicada larvae drop the ground and there they they live in the soil for many years, some species up to 17 years, before the adult climbs a tree, sheds its exoskeleton, finds a mate and starts the long cycle over again. Know I knew it all?

The company provided me with a brand new ute for my travels around New Zealand talking to businesses about their pest control, I was the 'bug expert'. Soon after picking up the ute I was driving through Hagley Park on a warm summer day and there was a squealing from a wheel as if a stone had been caught in the brakes, I wound down the window and sure enough the squeal was louder. I was naturally frustarted at this happening to a brand new vehicle.

However, when I pulled over I realised the sound continued even when I stopped. The penny dropped. I then knew what a chorus of cicadas sound like; the squeal of a stone stuck in the breaks of a vehicle.

Last evening the cicadas were out in force giving Hagley Park a hot summer Mediterranean feel. If you are a recent immigrant to New Zealand from a temperate clime, it's not your car, it's the chorus cicadas.

Why don't cicadas bite clowns?
Because they taste funny.

Plant Fungal Diseases and Humid Weather

2011-01-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

Sooty mould on citrus

The warm humid weather of recent days and weeks is providing many plant fungal diseases with ideal conditions to attack our garden plants.

It is a good time to check your garden and take a close look at the plants for signs that they are sick. There are many reasons that your plant might look sick. Not all sicknesses are caused by disease. Go to the Sick Plant section of the Kiwicare website to identify what might be making your plant look sick. Stresses such as lack of water, or too much water, low nutrients, too little or too much light, frost damage, insect damage and others can harm plants and make them look sick. Stressed plants are more susceptible to disease and keeping your plants healthy should be your first line of defence. Here are some hints to making sure your plants have the best chance of fighting off disease themselves:

Choose plants that are disease resistant - Some varieties of plants are selected or bred to have natural resistance to disease. Ask your garden centre or nursery for advice when picking new plants for your garden.
Pick the right place in your garden for the plant - Most plants obtained from garden centres or nurseries will have instructions relating to the needs of the plant, such as light levels, soil type, pH (acidity/alkalinity) and moisture. Also ask your garden centre staff and look up books or online reference material.
Pick the right time to plant your plant - Planting inevitably puts some stress on a plant as it is being put in a new environment. Make sure that the extra stress is as low as possible. For example don't plant out in hot or dry or windy or frosty conditions. Always chose a time when the plant will be able to settle into its new habitat. Give it the best start by watering well and providing the nutrients it needs in the form of compost of fertiliser.
Clear disease away from your plants - Keep the soil around your plants clear of dead or diseased leaves and twigs. Cut back and away from your plants any diseased growth. Remove any leaves or branches of your plant as soon as disease is noticed or treat with the appropriate curative and protective product. Thin out growth on dense plants to encourage air flow and reduce humidity.
Regularly check your plants - The sooner a problem is observed and dealt with the better for the plant. Check for insects pests and insect damage. Insects both carry disease and wounds from insect damage may allow wind borne diseases to enter. Protect from and prevent insect pests. Encourage beneficial insects such as ladybugs that eat aphids.
Pro-actively treat susceptible plants - Some plants such as many rose types are at constant risk from fungal diseases such as black spot and rust and insect attack from aphids, even when healthy. Protective treatment with systemic insecticides and fungicides can help prevent disease getting hold.

Fungal Diseases

The majority of plant disease is caused by fungal infection. Plant fungal diseases include black spot, rust, downy mildew, powdery mildew, blight, botrytus, verrucosis, dollar spot, red thread, and many others. These diseases can be spread from other diseased plant material through direct contact, transfer by insects, through the air as spores and through the soil via root systems. Warm moist conditions will encourage fungi in most cases and particular attention should be payed to your plants when the weather is humid. Thinning out plant growth will encourage air flow through around leaves and stems and help to prevent fungal disease.
Choose the Kiwicare product suitable for the protection of your plant from particular fungal disease or to cure your plant once it has become infected by using to the Fungal Problem Solver table.

What is a cheerful mushroom's favorite drink?
Fun guy cider.

Have You Seen This New Butterfly in Auckland?

2011-01-20T10:12:00.000-08:00

On 15 January 2011 an unusual butterfly was seen fluttering around and feeding on Agapanthus flowers in an Epsom garden. It was clearly one of the swallowtail butterflies in the genus Papilio of which there are many species throughout the world but none in New Zealand…until now!

It was seen briefly up close but it was not able to to be captured for an an accurate identification. It was similar in general colour and appearance to the one pictured here but there are many species that look much like this and the differences between them can be subtle. Slightly smaller than a monarch and being much paler in colour (a nice creamy lemon) with contrasting oblique black bands across the forewings made it stand out from a distance. Its flight is more swift than the lazy lolloping flight of a monarch.

What species of Papilio is it? Where did it come from? How did it get here? Is it established and breeding here? Is there only one or are there more? Is it only in Auckland or also in other parts of NZ as well? Your help is vital in answering these questions.

If you see a butterfly looking like this please contact John Early at Auckland Museum (Email. jearly@aucklandmuseum.com Tel. 09 306 7042) with details of where and when you saw it. An actual specimen to confirm the record is needed, failing that a good photo.

Four Europeans got into a discussion on whose language was the most eloquent and pleasant sounding.

The Englishman said: "English is the most eloquent language. Take for instance the word "butterfly". Butterfly, butterfly... doesn't that word so beautifully express the way this delicate insect flies. It's like flutter-by, flutter-by."

"Oh, no!" said the Spaniard, "the word for "butterfly" in Spanish is "maripose". Now, this word expresses so beautifully the vibrant colours on the butterfly's wings. What could be a more apt name for such a brilliant creature? Spanish is the most eloquent language!"

"Papillon!" says the French linguist, "papillon! This word expresses the fragility of the butterfly's wings and body. This is the most fitting name for such a delicate and ethereal insect. French is the most eloquent language!"

At this the German stands up, and demands: "Und vot is rongk mit 'SCHMETTERLING'?"

Explosive Start to 2011

2011-01-11T12:21:00.000-08:00

There has been an explosion in the number of enquiries to Kiwicare looking for help and advice to get rid of several insect pest species. The El Nino weather cycle that is bringing warm moist weather to New Zealand is ideal for breeding of many insect species.

The most spectacular rise in enquiries are for fleas, wasps, cockroaches, ants and borer. As an example the chart below shows the trend of enquires to the Kiwicare website for information on getting rid of wasps. The blue line in 2010 and the first week of this year. The green line is for 2009 and the first week in 2010. The wasp season is usually much later in the year, see the large spike in March and April 2010. But as you can see this season has started early and last week saw more enquiries that the peak of the season last year. A similar picture is emerging for the other insect pests I mentioned particularly fleas, see the second chart.

Wasps Enquiries - Comparison of 2010/11 with 2009/10

Fleas Enquiries - Comparison of 2010/11 with 2009/10

My advice is to be proactive. If you are likely to have problems with any of these pests now is the time to carry out preventative actions. Proof yourself against insects by carrying out a flying and crawling insect treatment.

Two fleas walk out of a bar. One says to the other "Shall we walk or take a dog?"

Expected Pest Trends for 2011

2011-01-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

A Happy New Year to you all.

2011 has started with warm and moist weather which encourages breeding of insects and spiders. January and February are usually the peak time of the year for problems with pest insects and spiders both in the home and garden.

I am able to monitor searches on the Internet and visits to the Kiwicare website along with the sale of all Kiwicare products both to our retailers and off the retail shelves. This information along with long term weather predictions and historical trends provides me with information that I use to predict trends in pest abundance in New Zealand.

Here are my major predictions for 2011:

Cockroaches - Warm damp weather is ideal for cockroach survival and breeding. I expect a greater than usual problem from pest cockroaches particularly in the North Island.
Ants - High temperatures make ants more active but heavy rainfall can have the effect of drowning nests. Ants such as Argentine Ants and Darwin Ants are continuing to spread across the country. Over the next two months I expect to see increased problems with ants in the hot parts of the country except where flooding occurs. There will also be many more parts of towns where ants are a problem where they have not been before.
Spiders - You may already have noticed more spiders and spider webbing around your home, garden and car. Increased insect activity provides more food for spiders in general and more spiders means more food for White Tail Spiders. I expect to see a boom and bust of White Tail and other spiders.
Bed Bugs - The steady rise of bed bug problems around New Zealand will continue, but increased awareness of the problem and new solutions such as NO Bed Bugs Total Solution Box and luggage protector will help to reduce the spread.
Cluster Flies - Cluster flies began clustering in homes and other buildings early last year (early March), I expect a long summer this year and clustering to not begin until mid-April.
Aphids - Aphids such as greenfly have already had their peak. They prefer new spring growth to feed on but the higher levels of soil moisture encourage some plants to continue new sprouting. The aphid boom we have already had has encouraged beneficial insects such as ladybugs that feed on aphids. These will help to keep aphids under control for the rest of the summer.
Fleas - Fleas love warm damp weather and there has already been an early spike in flea numbers. I predict fleas to be a big problem for pets and pet owners building up to a peak in February. Be pro-active; treat your pet and your pet's sleeping area now; they will thank you for it.
Borer - This is the middle of the borer flight season and is the time to treat inaccessible areas such as roof voids and sub-floors with Borafume fumigators to knock out adult beetles before they can lay eggs in your wood. I expect this to be a normal borer year but remember borer damage is cumulative, each year makes borer affected wood weaker.
Wasps - Wasps build up numbers through the summer months. When colonies are small they do not cause much concern, but later in the year when colonies may have several thousand wasps each, they can be the plague of gardens and homes. Wasp numbers tend to cycle through the years and last year was not particularly bad. In rural areas where honey dew is available from the scale insects on native beech was numbers can explode in a short period. Heavy rain tends to wash the honey dew away so in areas where rain is frequent it may serve to keep wasp numbers relatively low. On the other hand the warm weather encourages both insects on which wasps feed and wasp activity. I expect wasps to be a major problem where rainfall is low.
Rodents - If we get a long summer and mild autumn the seasonal influx of rats and mice into our homes and other buildings searching for food and shelter will be late (perhaps not until early April) but it is likely to be a sizable invasion following a longer than usual breeding season and bumper seed and fruit availability in autumn to keep numbers high.
New pests - Although New Zealand has tight controls to prevent the entry of organisms that would be pests here, no system is perfect and it is likely that some new pests of significant nuisance and/or economic importance will find their way in. Red Imported Fire Ants have been found several times in NZ but have on each occasion so far been identified rapidly and eliminated. Similar pro-activity is required for the protection from new pests of all sorts. If you see something that you have not before, contact MAF Biosecurity or Kiwicare for help in identifying the pest.

Have a great 2011 and stay vigilant and free from pests.

Two guys were discussing trends on sex, marriage, and values.
Dave said "I didn't sleep with my wife before we got married, did you?"
Pete replied, "I don't know, what was her maiden name?"

What do you want for Christmas?

2010-12-23T11:20:00.000-08:00

All we want for Christmas is good will to all men..........and women........and to hope this doesn't happen to Santa.

It is Christmas Eve and preparations are almost made for what I hope will be a great holiday for all of our customers and friends and all at Kiwicare.

This is traditionally Kiwicare's busiest time of the year, ensuring our retailers and customers have shelves filled with stock for all those wanting a pest free holiday and to work, rest and play in their gardens. The Kiwicare office and factory have been working long hours to keep up with what is our busiest year on record. For many there will be no long break as the factory and office will be open again on Wednesday 28th for the three days between Xmas and New Year and then again on the 5th January 2011.

Wishing you all a very safe and happy holiday.

Products for Professional Pest Controllers

2010-12-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

Kiwicare is New Zealand's household name in pest control and manufacturer of the best range of DIY pest control and garden care products. KCLCommercial is the arm of the Kiwicare business that supplies products to the professional pest control and horticultural companies and technicians in New Zealand.

If you are a pest controller or horticultural contractor or would like to add pest control or garden care to your business's services, KCL Commercial can help. A list of the products available to professional users can be found at the KCL Commercial website http://www.kclcommercial.com/

Products range from highly palatable rodenticide bait and long life possum bait, residual insecticides and organic insect control to herbicides and new herbicide gel. Whatever the pest, KCL Commercial are likely to have a solution for you.

Human Health - Insects Spiders and Mites

2010-12-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

In New Zealand we are all familiar with the direct threat of wasp and bees stings, how fleas and mosquitoes suck our blood and the bites sandflies take out of us. We also know that there are a few spiders that pose some risk to our health when they bite us and that the disgusting habits of flies can transfer food poisoning organisms from drains and rotting material to our food. But there are some other risks from bugs with which we might be a little less familiar.

Microscopic Mites

Dust mites are tiny microscopic creatures that live in the dust that accumulates in our home. They are part of the arachnid family which includes spiders. Most house dust particles are skin cells from humans and animals and the mites feed on this material. The mites are found in our bedding as well as carpets, clothes and furnishings. In fact anywhere dust collects. Asthma and chronic skin diseases such as eczema have been shown to be linked to the level of dust mites. These diseases are over reactions of our immune systems to some environmental stimulus. It is not the mites themselves cause these diseases but their waste material. The wastes contain proteins that induce the inflammatory responses as our bodies ‘see’ them as foreign. Vacuuming regularly using a vacuum with a fine hepa filter will reduce mite numbers and their waste. Changing the conditions in the home by improving ventilation and/or using a dehumidifier will also reduce house dust mite numbers.

The presence of spiders and insects such as head lice can have a detrimental effect on our mental health. We seem to have an inborn fear of spiders. It probably evolved to help our young avoid dangerous spider bites before they could learn. Venomous spiders would have been common in Africa where our ancestors came from. Just thinking about fleas, head lice or bed bugs is enough to make most of us scratch involuntarily. There is also a social stigma falsely associated with having an infestation of these parasites. Lack of cleanliness is rarely the reason for having an infestation. Vacuuming can form part of the eradication program required for getting rid of fleas and bed bugs but it is unlikely to be the solution on its own. Fleas, bed bugs and head lice can all infest the most fastidiously clean home and head lice seem to prefer clean hair because they find it easier to hold on to the non-greasy hair.

The social stigma involved with fleas, head lice and bed bugs has hindered understanding of these parasites, how to avoid them and how to get rid of them. Through more open discussion the stigma has been reduced over recent years with regard to fleas and head lice. But there is still little general knowledge and understanding of bed bugs because infestations are not talked about. It is a problem that is ‘swept under the carpet’ in more ways than one. As bed bugs are becoming more common around the world and in New Zealand knowledge will, by sad experience, become better. We can help reduce the rate of spread by being aware that bed bugs are spread by hitching a lift in things like our luggage or boxes of goods that are moved from one sleeping area to another. Bed bugs do not fly and live in close association with where we sleep. We can be pro-active in treating our luggage etc. with NO Bed Bugs spray prior to travel.

Which blood group do blood sucking insects prefer?
Fleas - A, because they lose A when they leave in a hurry.
Bed bugs - B, because without it they ed ugs.
Mosquitoes - O, because they need oes or they'd be like a pea.
Sandflies - A, AB, B or O. Because the bloodsucking ones are all female and they can't decide.

Spider Bites

2010-12-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

New Zealand has only three spiders that have bites that can cause us concern for our health; the common White-tail spider, the rare native Katipo spider and its cousing the Australian Redback. The Redback is also rare but becoming more common in New Zealand according to AgResearch scientists. The Redback and Katipo have powerful venom that can be very painful and on rare occasions Redback bites can be life threatening. However, the rapid administration of anti-venom has meant that no one has died from a Redback bite for more than 50 years in its native Australia.

Adult female White-tail Spider

There is controversy over the risks posed by White-tail spiders. There is much hearsay evidence that the bite of a White-tail can cause ulceration and necrosis, but published studies of confirmed White-tail bites have not shown any link. It is accepted that their bite is painful and can cause localised swelling and itchiness.

White-tail spiders are hunting spiders. They hunt other spiders. Their normal habitat is among leaf litter, but they find our homes and buildings suitable for them to live. They often find an abundance of other spiders to feed on and dark dry areas like roof voids to build their nests. The nest of a White-tail is a tangled mass of silk where they lay their eggs.

Insect and spider bites and stings, whether from wasps, blood sucking insects, biting flies or spiders involve puncturing the skin and therefore some risk of infection. The infection can be directly from bacteria on the insect or spider mouthparts or from subsequent invasion of disease organisms at the bite site. Because bites and stings often become itchy they often get scratched. Scratching can open up bites to infections that could be serious. Perhaps such infections are the source of the ulceration and necrosis reported following White-tail bites. Avoid scratching bites. Application of anti histamines or topical steroids can reduce itchiness and swelling.

Spider bites can sometimes (but not often) be differentiated from bites of insects such as fleas or bed bugs. Spider bites involving venom usually cause pain prior to inflammation. Spiders use two fangs to bite and inject their venom so it is sometimes possible to identify two puncture wounds very close together.

Spiders are a beneficial part of the natural ecosystem, but many people have a fear of spiders and as discussed, some pose a risk to our health. A simple spider proofing treatment of a house can be carried out that will keep spiders outside and leave our homes spider free. Residual insecticides such as NO Spiders or NO Bugs Super can be purchased from good hardware stores. Spray around the exterior of a building where spider webbing is seen and where spiders could gain entry. Inside, spray the bottom and tops of walls, behind furniture and appliances and in voids such as roof spaces. NO Bugs Bug bombs or NO Bugs Borafume fumigators can be useful in hard to access areas.

A whitetail spider walks into a bar.
The bartender asks "What's your poison?"

Insect Stings

2010-12-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

We have few stinging insects in New Zealand but the few we have can cause more than just a nuisance; they can be a threat to our health.

Wasp Sting

Wasps and honey bees possess stings they use to protect themselves and their colonies. The hypodermic sting is inserted through our skin and venom is injected. Pheromone chemical signals are released when a bee or wasp stings. The pheromone induces other bees or wasps to also sting. So if you are stung once it is good advice to ‘calmly’ move away from any other wasps or bees.

The venom in a single sting will always cause pain but it can also cause life threatening anaphylactic shock in sensitive individuals. If they are aware of their hypersensitivity to stings such people will carry a supply of adrenalin for rapid administration. Adrenalin can save the life of someone suffering anaphylaxis.

Those that are not hypersensitive to stings can still be threatened by bees and wasps. Honey bees can form colonies of up to 50,000 individuals and Common and German wasps may have several thousand in a nest. These very large numbers can make them a very real threat to life if they are disturbed. More than 10 stings can cause serious swelling in most individuals. Medical attention should always be sought if sting sites are near airways where swelling might impede breathing.

Bees and wasps only sting when they or their colonies are threatened. Unfortunately we can induce stinging accidentally, such as in cases of sitting on a bee in the garden or disturbing a wasp nest that has been formed in a compost heap.

Honey bees are regarded as beneficial insects, not just because of their honey production but because they pollinate many of our crops. Only if a honey bee nest is built in the ‘wrong’ place should it be moved or destroyed. If you have a swarm or nest in a bush in the garden your local beekeeper will often come and collect it at no cost. If the nest is in the eaves of a house or other inaccessible place they can be destroyed, but any honey store must also be removed or new colonies are likely to move in to take over the nest.

On the other hand German and common wasps are invasive pests and can be build up to large densities, particularly in New Zealand’s native beech forests where they feed on the honey dew extruded by scale insects. They are a threat to New Zealand’s biodiversity. Wasp nests can easily be destroyed with Kiwicare NO Wasps carbaryl wasp dust puffed into the entrance of the nest.

As well as wasps and bees there are ants that bite and then spray the bite wound with venom. There are not any such ants in New Zealand but there is a real risk that biting ants such as Red Fire Ants or Crazy Ants could be brought in to the country and become established. The sting of Fire Ants is painful to both humans and animals. There have been three incursions of Fire Ants in New Zealand since 2001 but these have been successfully eradicated by MAF Biosecurity. If you want help prevent invasive organisms damaging New Zealand's environment join the NZ Biosecurity Institute. A very modest $30 per year.

The Kiwicare website and help desks are often contacted for advice on identification of insects and how to deal with nests and prevent stings.

Did you hear about the dyslexic wasp?
It has six paws and zubz around all day.

Blood Suckers and Poison Injectors

2010-12-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

There are millions of insect species in the world. A few of them affect us by biting us and sucking our blood. In New Zealand we have fewer such insects than many other parts of the world, but there are several that are more than just a nuisance; they negatively affect our health.

Mosquito

Mosquitoes, fleas and bed bugs use needle like mouthparts to penetrate the skin and suck our blood. Proteins in the anaesthetic and anti-coagulants that they inject before extracting blood can cause itchy immune reactions where bitten. In many parts of the world, but not normally in New Zealand, mosquitoes and fleas transmit disease to humans. Mosquitoes can transmit malaria and dengue fever and fleas can carry murine typhus and salmonella. Bed bugs are on the increase worldwide but have never been shown to be implicated in disease transmission. However, the bites of bed bugs, as with mozzies and fleas can become infected, particularly when scratched.

Other biting insects include New Zealand’s sandfly or black fly. The female sandfly doesn’t bother with anaesthetic she just takes a bite at the skin and then sucks up the resulting drop of blood. She hopes to be able to fly away before she can be swatted. Horse flies and their like have similar feeding habits to sandflies, but their larger size can make their bites even more painful.

The Kiwicare website and help desks are contacted often for advice on identification of what insect or spider might be causing ‘bite marks.’ It can be very difficult to identify the insect or spider that has caused a bite just from looking at the bite. Bites tend to form similar sorts of localised reddening and swelling because the marks are caused by our immune systems reacting to foreign substances; whether proteins in the anti-coagulants and anaesthetics or just the physical damage caused by the bite. There are however some indications that can help to identify what pests might be responsible:

Bed bugs often give several bites in a straight line.
Fleas tend to feed at ankles, lower legs, wrists and torso.
Spider bites involving venom usually cause pain prior to inflammation.
If there appear to be two puncture wounds at a bite site this may indicate a spider is the culprit; spiders use two fangs to bite and inject their venom.

With insect or spider bites a puncture wound is usually visible and often includes the release of a small amount of blood. If no puncture wound is found it is possible that a red mark and swelling is due to some other skin reaction or damage to the skin caused by some other physical injury.

Just talking about fleas or bed bugs commonly makes people feel itchy and scratch the skin in response. Scratching can cause reddening and inflammation that can be mistaken for bites. It is therefore not easy for medics or pest experts to identify red marks as bites never mind being able to identify the possible culprit. However, if bed bugs, fleas, white-tail spiders or other biting insects are found then appropriate treatment to eradicate the pests can reduce the risk of bites.

A mosquito, a flea and a bed bug walk into a bar and order blood orange juice.
They get chatting and bragging about their capacity to suck blood. They decide to have a competition to see who can suck the most blood. They've got half an hour before meeting back at the bar.
When they return the bed-bug has blood dripping from his proboscis. "Where did you get that?" ask the mozzie and flea.
"From a woman asleep across the road" says the bed-bug.
The flea has blood all over its feet and is bloated, red and full of blood. "Where did you get all that?"asks the bed-bug and mozzie.
"From a tramp down in the park." Says the flea.
The mosquito's head is covered in blood. It's still dripping. "Where did you get all that blood?" ask the flea and the bed bug, most impressed.
"Do you see that bedroom window over there?" Asks the mozzie. "Yes" Say the bed-bug and flea"
"I didn't!" says the mozzie. Dazed.

The Final Mo! ........or is it?

2010-12-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

This is the Final Mo

Well Movember has come and gone. The Mo has grown and now that it is December it must go. Go the Mo.

The judging of the Kiwicare NO Mo Team took place yesterday and this magnificent Mo failed to gain the recognition it deserved. Neither winning the most magnificent mo award (which went to our Welsh colleague Nathan) or the award for 'best effort thanks for trying' award (which went to our ever hairy Shaun).

The Kiwicare NO Mo Team (and a few strangers)
Back row left to right - Jack(ie), Amy, Margaret, Karreena, Nathan,
Chris, Martin, Alister.
Front - Greg, Shaun, Mo(i)

To all those that took part in celebrating strange growths on the upper lip, a hearty thank you. And to all those that, like me, failed, better luck next Movember.

Where do rodents store their food?
In mouse stashes.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-11-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

Kiwicare production flat out to meet demand

Kiwicare is heading into the peak production and sales season as insect problems rise with rising temperatures. The La Nina weather pattern that we are experiencing this year is predicted to cause hot dry conditions in New Zealand and farmers have been warned to prepare for drought. Such weather is also likely to increase insect numbers including pests. Sales of Kiwicare insect control products is already showing a large trend upwards, above and beyond the usual rise at this time of year. This means that there is pressure within the factory to increase production to fulfill demand. I even found myself working on the production line on Saturday to help out. Many thanks to all the staff that are working so hard and so many long hours to ensure our retailers and the New Zealand public have the Kiwicare products they need.

The prospect of a bad year for insect pests means that I suggest you carry out a general insect and spider proofing of your house now, before you have to.

A normally busy bee,
is lazing under a tree.
When a wasp flies by,
and shouts "Hi!"
"Your usually busier than me."

New Zealand Biosecurity

2010-11-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

As a member of the national executive of the New Zealand Biosecurty Institute I had a meeting with the executive on Tuesday. Much was discussed, including the core focus of the members of the institute, namely the preservation of New Zealand's unique flora, fauna and habitats. These unique natural aspects of New Zealand's biodiversity are constantly at risk from pests and diseases being brought in from overseas. The recent discovery of a bacterial infection (PSA) on kiwi fruit vines across the country has highlighted the vulnerability of industry as well as natural ecosystems to organisms imported accidentally.

An incident today at work also shows how easily pests can be brought into the country. A container arrived at Kiwicare which had recently been offloaded from a ship in Lyttelton harbour having come from China through Hong Kong. Our ever vigilant store man and manager of our transitional facility (John Forrest) recognised signs of spider webbing and nests on the exterior of the container and immediately quarantined it before calling MAF Biosecurity New Zealand. MAF asked what was in the container and John had to explain that it was full of (irony of ironies) insecticide products.

John quckly sprayed the offending webbing nests with a dual action insecticide approved for the purpose to prevent any insects or spiders hopping off before MAF arrive.

The container has of course already been driven from Lyttelton through the Lyttelton tunnel and through a section of Christchurch. It is not inconceivable that anything on the container could have fallen off before getting here.

Within a couple of hours a MAF representative arrived to check the container and deal with any threats that it might pose.

The incident several things; firstly how vigilance and rapid reaction can reduce the risk of pest being imported and secondly how difficult a job protecting our unique natural environment and primary industry is. Many container are checked and treated with fumigants such as methyl bromide before being released from ports but insects and spiders, seeds and diseases can be on the exterior of containers as well.

Join us in the NZBI and learn how you can help prevent pests and diseases reaching New Zealand and deal with them if they gain entry. Membership is as little as NZ$30 per year.

A Red Imported Fire Ant walks into a bar in Auckland. The bartender says "How did you get in?"
"Oh. It was easy. I hitched a lift on an Acacia mearnsii."

New York, London..... Now Paris. Where Next for Bed Bugs?

2010-11-23T16:10:00.000-08:00

Paris has recently been added to the list of the world's major cities to have bed bug infestations hit the headlines. See here.

I don't believe that the bed bugs have been transported there from New York or London, any more than they have been transported in the other direction. Bed bugs have been in Paris, London, New York, Auckland, Christchurch, Wanganui ...........and everywhere people have lived in numbers for many years, probably millions. What the increasing media frenzy is due to is increasing numbers of infestations and the consequent increasing transport of bed bugs from one place to another. This is a world wide phenomena.

While we should be vigilant and protect ourselves from being unwitting vectors of infestation, bed bugs are still rare. The New Zealand accommodation industry is pro-active in preventing bed bugs and dealing with a problem quickly when it arises. We, the travellers, can help by ensuring we take care to treat our luggage before travelling and to check rooms where we sleep both here and abroad. Don't lay luggage on beds or floors, and use the luggage racks where the bugs are less able to 'hitch a ride' in your case.

New York, Paris, London, Auckland, .....bed bugs are coming to a hotel/motel near you. Are you safe? No one is.

There are two bed-bugs in Paris. One says to the other "Let's go to the Hilton. I hear the drink is tasty but non-fattening there."

Old New Zealand Housing at Risk

2010-11-16T17:01:00.000-08:00

Are you finding more of those little holes in the wood around your home?

Spring sees the beginning of the borer flight season when the adult beetles emerge from their wooden food source to mate and start the cycle of destruction all over again. Homes in cooler and damper parts of New Zealand such Otago and Southland are most affected by these destructive insect pests but no part of the country is immune. Each year, as more damage is accumulated, our homes and other affected buildings become weaker.

It might take more than 50 years for damage to accumulate to the point of failure but the number of homes reaching such a venerable and vulnerable age is increasing. It is estimated that over six hundred thousand New Zealand homes are now over 50 years old.

Thankfully borer do not damage timbers as quickly as termites. If the slow increase in holes is noticed at all, the progress of the damage is often ignored for years. Each year the floor boards might creak a little more and the weatherboards might take a little more filling before painting; but until a floor board fails and you fall through, or the weatherboards start to rot because of water penetrating the holes, you may not be aware that your home is in danger.

Borer tend to attack softer timbers, so the older houses with structural timbers made of good quality heartwood are likely to be structurally safe, but even these houses often have decorative or non-structural timbers of softer sapwood. We often see weatherboards or floorboards riddled with borer holes next to undamaged boards. Even the same board may be heavily damaged in one area and undamaged elsewhere.

Floor board showing borer damage in lower two thirds

In the 1950s preservative timber treatment was introduced to new buildings and this has protected many timber homes of less than 60 years of age, but not all later houses used treated timbers and treatment loses effectiveness over time; it should not be expected the treatment will give protection for more than 50 years. There are many homes older than 50 years with susceptible timbers and the slow chewing of borer beetle larvae is now making more and more timbers fail. It might be too late for some parts of older houses but the borer damage can be stopped or at least slowed greatly by the use of protective borer products.

The larvae of the common wood boring beetles (Anobium punctatum and Leanobium flavomaculatum) are slow eaters; they chew through the interior of untreated timbers for 2-4 years before emerging from the wood between October and March. As they emerge they open the small (2-3mm) holes in the surface of the wood that we identify as borer infestation. When we see these holes in our weatherboards, architraves, skirting, floorboards and furniture we only see the ‘tip of the iceberg.’ The vast majority of the damage is within the timber where a labyrinth of tunnels has weakened the wood.
Borer control can be carried out effectively by the use of borer fluids that penetrate deep into the affected timbers and provide protection for many years. Even the timbers that are hard to reach such as roof timbers and floor timbers can be given protection by the use of borer bombs during the flight season. These kill the adult beetles that have emerged from the flight holes and stop them mating and laying their eggs back on the timbers. There are also aerosol injectors that can be used to treat individual flight holes in damaged painted or varnished wood. This will kill larvae deep within the wood and prevent eggs being laid in the holes.

Spring is a good time to examine your home for sign of borer infestation. I suggest looking for fresh flight holes. These will have a clean appearance inside the hole. It may take examining the holes with a magnifying lens. Sand like dust known as frass may also fall out of the flight holes when the wood is given a tap. So check your home and protect it from damage now before you fall through the floor.

A borer beetle walks into a bar.
The bar says to the bartender. "I'm bored."

The Show's Over for Another Year

2010-11-12T10:03:00.000-08:00

The Canterbury A&P Show ended yesterday after three scorching days in the Christchurch sunshine. The quake and the economic climate didn't stop an estimated crowd of over 100,000 visiting New Zealand's biggest agricultural and pastoral show. The meteorological climate of three days of almost unbroken sunshine and temperatures well into and above the mid 20's brought people from the city to join the out of towners that make the pilgrimage to the show.

Kiwicare at Canterbury A&P Show 2010

Kiwicare supports the A&P Show each year as the company is one of the major manufactures in Christchurch. The Kiwicare display in the trade pavilion was visited by hundreds of people searching for advice on their garden and home. The stand was manned with me in the heat of the pavilion by a combination of volunteers from the office, factory, lab and sales team. Thank you to all those who came along to visit us.

We look forward to seeing you there again next year.

What do you get if you cross a hen with a brick?
A brick-layer.

Bed Bugs at the Canterbury A&P Show

2010-11-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Bed Bugs

I will be at the Kiwicare stand at the Canterbury A&P Show this week (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday). Come and visit us in the Trade Pavilion where we will answer your questions on pest control and garden care. I will also have some live bed bugs (safely sealed to prevent escape) to show those that want to know what to look out for.

See me deal with a bed bug infestation on TV3 Campbell Live

My Bed Bug Eradication on Campbell Live

2010-11-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

Apologies to those that tuned in to TV3's Campbell Live tonight to see me dealing with bed bugs. The piece was Outrageously bumped until tomorrow (10th Movember) by a piece on the last episode of Outrageous Fortune. Perhaps the Fortune will come my way tomorrow.

See the program on bed bugs here.

Why did the bed bug drive on the motorway?
Someone told him it was a main artery!

More Mo for Your Money

2010-11-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

My Mo on Morning of
7th Movember

For those that see me on Campbell Live talking about bed bugs I think I better explain the strange appearance of a 'smudge' on my top lip. I have not forgotten to wash or been attacked by some large hairy caterpillar. I am instead taking part in Movember and growing a mustache to help raise awareness of men's health issues.

This is me today and the state of the mo. If you wish to donate to my mo or to the Kiwicare mo team "The Mo No Team" you can visit the official Movember site and donate online. I have, perhaps foolishly, promised to dye my mo red should donations to it reach $100.

Click here to donate to my mo.

Click here to donate The Mo No Team.

Thank you. And Good Health.

Jetstar (Mis) Management

2010-11-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

I had flown up to Auckland from Christchurch early yesterday and was booked on the 7.35pm Jetstar flight back to Christchurch. I was at the airport with plenty of time and having booked in found the departure lounge quiet enough to catch up on some calls and work. By 6.30pm the departure lounge was full and I realised the Wellington flight was delayed due to technical difficulties with the plane. The Christchurch plane was at the gate and I watched our luggage being loaded. Then about 7.15pm I watched as luggage was being unloaded from the Christchurch plane. ‘Funny’ I thought. Could they have loaded the wrong luggage? Then there was an announcement (note the order of these things) that the Christchurch flight JT255 was almost ready and passengers in rows 16-32 would be called to board shortly. At this, many passengers got up and stood in a queue to board. I didn’t as I was in a row 12.

At about 7.25pm there was another announcement and the penny dropped. The Christchurch plane was to be used for the Wellington flight and the Christchurch flight might be cancelled. There was and audible ‘Oh no’ from the Christchurch passengers and a silent ‘Yippee’ from the Wellington passengers.

I can understand the economics of the Jetstar decision. The Wellington bound plane was to fly back to Auckland for a further flight to Wellington but the Christchurch flight ended in Christchurch. So it was a decision on cancelling one Christchurch flight versus cancelling two Wellington and one Auckland bound flights. What annoys me, as will become clear, is the manner of the management of the handling of the situation from the point of the decision to cancel on.

First, it is clear that the decision to switch planes and cancel Christchurch was made maybe as early as 7.00pm as I saw our luggage being removed shortly after this time. But the departure lounge staff were obviously not told this, leaving them to make false announcements. It is likely the possibility of the need to cancel a flight was known much earlier as the damaged plane had been sitting on the tarmac for sometime already and the Wellington flight had already been delayed for some time.

Secondly, the announcement of the cancellation was made and then immediately the announcer said it was maybe not cancelled and they were working on ‘a plan.’ After the Wellington plane was loaded and the gate closed it was finally confirmed the Christchurch flight was cancelled. We should all go to the luggage carousel to collect our bags before going to check in points 1 and 2. At the check in desks we would be booked on the next available flight the next day and get accommodation vouchers. Fair enough; until you think about 120 plus passenger being handled by two check in desks.

Perhaps more intelligent passengers went straight to the check in desks. I, like many other did as instructed and went to collect my bag. There wasn’t space in the check in area for the queue so it wound its way up the stairs and a second stream started building towards the baggage claim.

Thirdly, and most annoyingly, for most of the next FOUR HOURS it took for Jetstar to process the passengers flights and accommodation for the night there were at no point more than 3 check in desks working, and one very hassled supervisor. I quickly realised that being towards the end of the queue I was going to be there for some time. Each passenger was taking on average 5-10 minutes to process. During this period some Jetstar staff, obviously coming to the end of their shift, left to go home.Leaving the queue of ever more disgruntled passengers to their long stand. At no time did I see a manger from Jetstar. I suspect they knew what they had let their meagre overworked few young girls to handle. Could Jetstar management not foresee the difficulties such a small team were going to face?

I n my opinion the management, or should that be, mis-management team, of Jetstar should be either forced to stand in a queue at their counters for four hours, or better, be forced to handle the 120 plus passengers from a cancelled flight. I think there would be a lot more action in finding staff to help out the next time a flight is cancelled.

On the positive side, I applaud the young Jetstar girls left to try and sort out the mess, but more than this I applaud the passengers who were in the most part stoic and almost endlessly patient. I know those that ended up at the Grand Chancellor with me at 11.45pm are now all members of the 255 club. We have found a group of new friends. One lady of Indian origin named Angie who had been going to Christchurch for weekend, on her first visit and first flight within New Zealand, said she enjoyed the company so much she thought we should do it again. I think she might have meant the get together and chat and not the standing in the queue for four hours.

Perhaps this could be a story for another Campbell Live?

You'll know it's Jetstar if:

You cannot board the plane unless you have the exact change.
Before you took off, the stewardess tells you to fasten your Velcro.
The Captain asks all the passengers to chip in a little for gas.
When they pull the steps away, the plane starts rocking.
The Captain yells at the ground crew to get the cows off the runway.
You ask the Captain how often their planes crash and he says, "Just once."
Your life keeps flashing before your eyes.
You see a man with a gun, but he's demanding to be let off the plane.
All the planes have both a bathroom and a chapel.

Bed Bugs on TV3 Campbell Live

2010-11-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was in Auckland for the day and today I am still here. The reason I am still here will become clear later.

I came to Auckland to help in the making of a piece for TV3’s Campbell Live program. The reports I have made regarding the increase in bed bug problems tweaked the interest of the program makers and I was contacted to ask if I would help. What they wanted was some film of someone who was suffering a bed bug infestation and was willing to talk about the experience. And allow filming of the bed bugs in their home. A tall order.

Earlier in the week I was contacted by a lovely lady, named Jenny, who recounted a story of picking up bed bugs during her and her family’s travels sometime at the beginning of the year. As I listened to the story I realised how articulate Jenny was in telling of her experiences and how she wanted to educate people on what to look out for, what to do about them and to dispel the stigma surrounding bed bugs.

Once I had answered Jenny’s questions and had given her my advice I asked if she would be prepared to help in the making of the piece for Campbell Live. Jenny happily said yes, saying it would be a great way to get more understanding of these pests out to the public. When I contacted the Campbell Live office to say that I thought I had found a very good example of the problem with a very articulate lady to talk about it, they were also very excited.

There was one hitch. When I contacted Jenny again to arrange the filming; her husband and one of her daughters, when told, had been less enthusiastic and felt that there might be some risk to their workplace reputations. This was exactly the problem with the incorrect perception of linkage between bed bugs and cleanliness that we hoped the program would help to dispel. Jenny managed to convince her family that it would be a message worth helping to get across that bed bugs are coming and they will live in homes and hotels of the highest standards of hygiene; like Jenny’s.

The Campbell Live reporter Tristram Clayton, Jenny, Dave the cameraman and myself filmed the piece in Jenny’s lovely home over a period of nearly four hours yesterday and the piece will be shown on TV3 sometime early next week. I will let you know which day as soon as I know myself.

Who bit the big bold bald bear on the boulder on the shoulder and made the big bold bald bear on the boulder bawl?
A big bed bug bit a bold bald bear and the bold bald bear bled blood badly.

Flea Season Starting Already

2010-11-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

The flea season traditionally follows Christmas. But this year I am already handling enquiries from people having difficulty dealing with fleas on their pets and in their houses. I have also noticed an increase in traffic on the internet and sales of Flea products are already soaring.

There are adverts been shown on national TV at the moment from the major pet flea control products. Interestingly the ads mention that the eggs, larvae and pupa of fleas are not affected by their products. Products that are dropped on the skin of cats and dogs make the blood of those animals toxic to the adult fleas that then feed on them. The larvae of fleas do not feed on the blood from your pets. the larvae feed on dust largely comprised of the dead skin cells of the pets and people in the house. So the products used to treat pets only kill adult fleas and only when they have sucked the blood of the treated pet.

Treatment of pets alone can control fleas once all the eggs, larvae and pupae have become adults, fed on the pets and died before laying more eggs.

Best control can be achieved by a combination of treating the pets and treating the areas where the eggs, larvae and pupae are living.

How to Get Rid of Fleas

Almost all flea infestations are associated with pets, birds or other animals. Cat fleas are the most likely to bite humans but all will feed on a host other than their favoured when it is all that is available. Getting rid of fleas requires a multi pronged approach:

Flea Bites

Vacuum? Vacuuming before treatment is advised by some pest control experts as it will 'activate' pupae so that the adults can be treated. However, the adults first action will be to try and find a food source. The food source is likely to be you. To prevent bites we recommend leaving the vacuuming stage until 5-7 days after treatment.
Treat your pets – Flea control products can be obtained from your veterinarian or from pet supplies stores. If you have no pets check for other animals living around your house, such as birds in the eaves or cats under the floor. Animal flea treatments normally kill and/or sterilise the adult fleas when the fleas suck the blood of the treated animal.
For a quick knockdown of flea numbers use NO Bugs Bug Bombs (Flea Bomb).
Spray pet bedding areas and places where fleas have been detected with NO Fleas Total. This product will kill adult fleas and larvae that contact the treated areas. It also contains a growth regulator that stops development of fleas and terminating their life cycle.
Following treatment carefully collect all bedding from the room and place in a plastic bag for transport to your washing machine, being careful to make sure no insects are dropped on the way. If possible wash the clothes in a hot wash.
After 5-7 days – Vacuum – Thoroughly vacuum dust and other detritus from all areas. This will remove dead fleas, larvae and eggs and also remove the food that the larvae need to develop. It will also 'activate' remaining pupae and the hatched adults will contact the treated surfaces to be killed. Be sure to dispose of the vacuum bag immediately afterwards, by sealing in a plastic bag and placing in the waste bin outside.
Spray again with NO Fleas Total to protect from further infestation. NO Fleas Total will remain effective for at least three months in most situations.
Be sure to keep your pet's flea control up to date. This will help to prevent re-infestation. Regular vacuuming removes the detritus that flea larvae would feed on and help to reduce the risk of future infestation.

Be pro-active and protect yourself, your family and your pets from fleas now.

Shortest ever poem about fleas.

Adam had'em.

I am Getting Motivated for Movember

2010-10-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

Before

Hi,

I’m joining the growing club of modern gentlemen who believe in the virtues of fine moustachery, immaculate grooming and growing a moustache for Movember. I am looking for like-minded ladies and gentlemen to join my team to change the face of men’s health.

Movember is about raising funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and depression in men. Close to 3,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in New Zealand each year and 1 in 10 men will experience depression in their lifetime. Many of these men do not seek help.

I think it’s time we did something about this.

Kiwicare is supporting the cause with prizes for the best company Mo, as voted by the Kiwicare staff, plus a $20 donation to the Movember cause for every Kiwicare staff member who donates.

The more people I can get on board, the more lives we can impact. I am asking you to join my team and either grow a moustache as a Mo Bro, or join as a Mo Sista to help recruit other gentlemen.

To join my Movember team go to http://nz.movember.com/register/114172 and follow the steps. Once registered you'll be sent all the information you need to raise funds and start growing as part of the Kiwicare Mo NO Movember team.

Or you can donate to 'The Mo NO Team' or to me 'David Brittain'.

If you’re interested in learning more about the work that is being carried out as a result of Movember funds, feel free to read the details at http://nz.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs.

I hope you join me to change the face of men’s health.

Never put anything on paper, my boy, and never trust a man with a small black moustache. - P. G. WODEHOUSE

Is Your Home Being Eaten from the Inside Out?

2010-10-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

In New Zealand our older housing stock is weakening each year as more wood boring beetle damage is accumulated. The larvae of the common wood boring beetles (Anobium punctatum and Leanobium flavomaculatum) are slow eaters; they chew through the interior of untreated timbers for 2-4 years before emerging from the wood between October and March. As they emerge they open the small (2-3mm) holes in the surface of the wood that we identify as borer or woodworm infestation. When we see these holes in our weatherboards, architraves, skirting, floorboards and furniture we only see the ‘tip of the iceberg.’ The vast majority of the damage is within the timber where a labyrinth of tunnels has weakened the wood.

Floor board showing majority of damage in lower half

Thankfully borer do not damage timbers as quickly as termites. If the slow increase in holes is noticed at all, the progress of the damage is often ignored for years. Each year the floor boards might creak a little more and the weatherboards might take a little more filling before painting; but until a floor board fails and you fall through, or the weatherboards start to rot because of water penetrating the borer holes, you may not be aware that your home is in danger.

It might take more than 50 years for damage to accumulate to the point of failure but the number of homes reaching such a venerable and vulnerable age is increasing. It is estimated that over six hundred thousand New Zealand homes are now over 50 years old.

Borer tend to attack softer timbers, so the older houses with structural timbers made of good quality heartwood are likely to be structurally safe, but even these houses often have decorative or non-structural timbers of softer sapwood. We often see weatherboards or floorboards riddled with borer holes next to undamaged boards. Even the same board may be heavily damaged in one area and undamaged elsewhere.

In the 1950s preservative timber treatment was introduced to new buildings and this has protected many timber homes of less than 60 years of age, but not all later houses used treated timbers and treatment loses effectiveness over time; it should not be expected the treatment will give protection for more than 50 years. There are many homes older than 50 years with susceptible timbers and the slow chewing of borer beetle larvae is now making more and more timbers fail. It might be too late for some parts of older houses but the borer damage can be stopped or at least slowed greatly by the use of protective borer products.

The cool damp conditions found in the south of New Zealand suit borer well and the homes of Southland, Otago and Canterbury suffer more than most from the ravages of borer. Borer control can be carried out effectively by the use of borer fluids that penetrate deep into the affected timbers and provide protection for many years. Even the timbers that are hard to reach such as roof timbers and floor timbers can be given protection by the use of borer fumigators during the flight season. These kill the adult beetles that have emerged from the flight holes and stop them mating and laying their eggs back on the timbers. There are also aerosol injectors that can be used to treat individual flight holes in damaged painted or varnished wood. This will kill larvae deep within the wood and prevent eggs being laid in the holes.

This is a good time to examine your home for sign of borer infestation. I suggest looking for fresh flight holes. These will have a clean appearance inside the hole. It may take examining the holes with a magnifying lens. Sand like dust known as frass may also fall out of the flight holes when the wood is given a tap. So check your home and protect it from damage now before you fall through the floor.

Surveyor: "This house is a structurally unsound. I wonder what is keeping it from falling down.
Owner: "I think the woodworm (borer larvae) are holding hands."

Spider and Bug Proof Your Home

2010-10-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

How to Control Crawling Insect Pests and Spiders

Crawling insects are effectively controlled by treating surfaces with NO Bugs Super. Insects that contact treated surfaces are rapidly killed and in many cases the surfaces become repellent to insects and so acts as a barrier to insect pests.

Surface treatment using NO Bugs Super will give long term control of cockroaches, ants, spiders, silverfish, carpet beetle, booklice, fleas and other crawling pests. Insects and spiders are killed after they contact the treated surfaces and insecticide will not be inhaled by people or pets using the rooms. Spray around doorways and windows, skirtings, kick boards and the floor surfaces where insect pests have been seen crawling.

Before you begin - If the areas to be treated are dusty or greasy it is good practise to clean these down first to prevent runs and for the best effect of the treatment. Cover or remove all fish tanks, pets, food, food utensils, food preparation surfaces, clothes, toys and bedding. Pull furniture away from walls so that you can get a clear run of spraying rather than having to stop to move each item of furniture.
Crawling insects and spiders inside - Apply NO Bugs Super as a coarse mist around the edges of rooms, against skirting boards and kick boards. Pay particular attention to places where insect pests might gain entry to each room.
Crawling insects and spiders outside - Crawling insect pests and spiders can be controlled before they get a chance to enter your home. Spraying the exterior with NO Bugs Super acts as a barrier to many pests and will prevent the unsightly appearance of spider webbing build up around the home. Spray a band around the base of a ll external walls. Pay particular attention to doorways and around windows and vents. For spiders pay attention to gutters* and downpipes and other areas where spiders hide or build webs.
Choose a still day with a for cast of dry conditions for the next 6 hours. Apply NO Bugs Super as a coarse mist to exterior walls, window frames, door frames, vents, pergolas and other surfaces which pest insects and spiders might contact.
Note: Pyrethroids are broken down by UV light and have a shorter life in bright sunlight so a second spray in such areas will increase efficacy. NO Bugs Super is formulated to resist breakdown by UV light. Also pyrethrins are slower to work in higher temperatures; so on warm days the flies may take longer to die after contact.
Many spiders, particularly white tail spiders, and crawling insect pests will hide and infest voids around a house such as roof and ceiling voids. Kiwicare NO Bugs Bug Bombs and Borafume fumigators are ideal for eliminating spiders and insects in difficult to treat places such as these voids. The fumigants penetrate through the voids leaving nowhere for spiders and insects to hide.

Tips:

Porous surfaces that absorb the spray may require a second treatment once the first one has dried completely.
Do not over spray walls. Avoid spraying to point where liquid spray runs down the wall. If spray beads and runs, spray more lightly and repeat after first spray has dried.

Why did the fly fly?
Because the spider spied her.

How to Fly Proof Your Home

2010-10-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

"One spray lasts all summer long."

NO Bugs Super Professional Strength is the best general purpose insecticide for eradicating and controlling spiders and a range of crawling and flying insect pests in and around home, office, factory and shop. One treatment of a home will last for up to 6 months.

The new professional strength formula provides the same level of protection from pest insects and spiders as you would expect from a professional pest control company.......but at a fraction of the cost. Here we will describe how and where to use the product to get the same level of protection as that you would expect from a professional treatment.

NO Bugs Super is:

Available in both a handy Ready To Use spray and as a Concentrate for making up enough spray to bug proof a whole building.
NO Bugs Super provides control of most crawling and flying insects, including cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, ants, spiders (including white tail spiders), carpet beetle, silverfish and many others.
Due to its UV stability NO Bugs Super provides control of pests both indoors and out all summer long.
It does not stain or smell.
Applied correctly it is safe around children and pets making it the perfect product for use around the home.
Made in New Zealand for New Zealand pests and conditions.
It is effective, easy to use and cost efficient.

How to use NO Bugs Super

NO Bugs Super concentrate is formulated for dilution with clean water. The dilution rate varies depending on the circumstances of use. Check the dilution rates on the container and select the one for your situation. Trigger sprayers or clean garden sprayers can be used.

Learn - How to Mix Concentrates

The ready to use trigger spray is ideal for treating small areas or as a 'top up' treatment of particularly vulnerable areas but is unlikely to be sufficient to treat and entire house.

How To Control Flying Insects

It is rarely possible to entirely prevent flies and flying pests from entering buildings if doors and windows are open but the numbers can be kept to minimum and flying insects killed soon after entering.

Surface treatment using NO Bugs Super (or NO Flies) will give long term control of flies. Flies are killed after they land on the treated surfaces and insecticide will not be inhaled by people or pets using the rooms. Spray the surfaces that you see flies landing on; these are often the edges of doorways and window frames, light fittings, ceilings, tops of walls and wall corners.
Before you begin - If the areas to be treated are dusty or greasy it is good practise to clean these down first to prevent runs and for the best effect of the treatment. Cover or remove all fish tanks, pets, food, food utensils, food preparation surfaces, clothes, toys and bedding. Pull furniture away from walls so that you can get a clear run of spraying rather than having to stop to move each item of furniture.

Flies inside - Apply NO Bugs Super as a coarse mist to walls (especially edges), ceiling, window frames, entrance ways, doors, porches, and areas where flies congregate.

Flies outside - It is more difficult to deal with flies outside as it may not be possible to treat areas not within your control and there can be no way to proof against flies. However, there are ways to minimise the nuisance. Search for possible breeding sites of flies. Remove or treat with insecticide any decaying animal or vegetable matter that might provide food for maggots (fly larvae). Check and clean drains.
Choose a still day with a forecast of dry conditions for the next 6 hours. Apply NO Bugs Super as a coarse mist to exterior walls, window frames, door frames, pergolas and other fly alighting surfaces.
Note: Pyrethroids are broken down by UV light and have a shorter life in bright sunlight so a second spray in such areas will increase efficacy. NO Bugs Super is formulated to resist breakdown by UV light. Also pyrethrins are slower to work in higher temperatures; so on warm days the flies may take longer to die after contact.
Baits are being developed for the control of flies outdoors. These may be useful in areas such as compost bins, chicken coops, animal houses etc. In such areas spraying can be less effective because of dust the presence of a great deal of decaying matter to attract the flies.
Citronella candles and other repellents can reduce fly numbers in limited areas such as decks and around barbecues. However, windy days will dissipate the repellents rapidly.
Personal insect repellent can be useful in preventing flies as well as mosquitoes and sand flies coming close to us. There are synthetic and organic insect repellents available

To Keep Flying Insect Pests To A Minimum Follow these simple principles.

Remove or limit what is attracting the flies.
Remove or treat breeding sites.
Stop them entering by physical barriers.
Use residual surface treatments where entry cannot be prevented.
Use automatic aerosol dispensers in areas of high fly nuisance, but never where food is handled.
Use aerosol insecticide as a quick knockdown but stay out of the sprayed area for as long as possible after use.

Why were the flies playing soccer in the saucer?They where playing for the cup!

Bed Bugs Hit the Headlines

2010-10-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

What a busy week it has been. My bed bugs blog of a few days ago has been picked up by the media across New Zealand and I and our Chief Chemist and Sales Manager have been fielding questions from newspapers, magazines, radio .....and tomorrow morning, TV.

The increase in bed bug infestations across the world and in New Zealand has obviously hit a nerve with people. If you want to learn more about bed bugs, how to identify them, what signs to look for, how to prevent transporting them around the world or to your home and above all how to get rid of them watch the TVNZ morning show tomorrow (14th October 2010) at 07.35. Martin Carson the Kiwicare Chief Chemist will be interviewed.......he is not taking over from Paul Henry....although I think he would do a very good job of it.

Why do bed bugs not bite lawyers?
The blood suckers might get in first.

New Organic Weedkiller

2010-10-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

There is growing interest in using natural and organic methods and products to control pests and diseases in the home and garden. However, the definition of natural and organic can be difficult to pin down. There is an argument that everything is natural; even petrochemicals are products made from oil which is formed in a natural process from decaying forests over millions of years. But such arguments miss the point of what it is that users want. They want products of natural origin that are subsequently less damaging to the environment.

There are a growing number of products that have the words natural or organic on the label but that does not necessarily mean that the entire product is natural or organic. An insecticide label may say “contains 100% natural pyrethrum” but that does not tell you whether there are other non-natural contents. For example the synergist piperonyl butoxide is often added to pyrethroid insecticides to increase the effectiveness of the product, this is a synthetic chemical and not natural or organic.

One way of telling whether a product is really organic is to check for certification from one of the recognised organic certification bodies. There are two such bodies in New Zealand, the independent not for profit incorporated society BioGro® and the government owned AsureQuality. Products that display the logos of these organisations have been shown comply with the relevant organic standards.

Some companies in New Zealand have embraced the public movement towards organic products and have developed ranges of certified organic products. Kiwicare has recently added a BioGro certified organic weed killer to its range. The range already includes certified organic fertiliser, caterpillar control, fungicides, insecticides, rodent bait, ant barrier and insect repellent.

Watch your weeds wilt and die within hours with the new organic weed killer. Kiwicare Organic NO Weeds is certified organic by BioGro® and uses a combination of natural technologies to achieve spectacular results. With a combination of both natural pine oils and plant fatty acids in the formulation the product strips the waxy cuticles from weeds and disrupts plant cell walls dehydrating the weed and killing it. The product works fast, particularly on warm dry days.

Then: Killer Weed.

Now: Weed Killer.

What Else Might You Find in Your Hotel Room?

2010-10-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

On my Rarotongan travels the pest I had expected to encounter, but in fact didn't see at all, was cockroaches. When we are on holiday or travelling in warmer more humid regions of the world one can expect to encounter cockroaches and you should be aware of their habits and how to avoid them bothering you in your hotel room or bringing them home with you.

Cockroaches love warm moist conditions. Those of you in the warmer moister parts of New Zealand are probably well aware of them but those from the cooler drier areas south of Christchurch are only likely to come across them when travelling. Although there are many different species of cockroach their habits have many similarities and so controlling them can be generalised.

Roaches prefer warm, moist and sheltered areas close to food and water but it doesn't take much food to attract them. So when on holiday don't leave food in your room or if you do make sure it is well sealed in airtight containers. Although we tend to think of cockroaches as large, their nymphal stages can be quite tiny and so can get into non-airtight containers.

Cockroaches are largely active only at night and hide in cracks and crevices during the day. Their body shape is flattened so that they can squeeze into very small gaps. As nymphs the gaps can be tiny. So as with bed bugs mentioned in a previous blog it is important to place your suitcase where crawling insects will find it hard to access. You don't want cockroaches to hide in your case where there would be risk of taking them home with you.

Cockroaches lay eggs and egg cases in these cracks and crevices. Egg cases provide protection from insecticides and can remain hidden for months before hatching. So if egg cases were laid in your luggage you could unwittingly transport them home and only discover the infestation months later. You can protect your luggage from cockroaches by spraying with NO Bed Bugs luggage spray or NO Bugs Super prior to or during travel.

Cockroaches in tropical countries can fly. At night you might be woken by cockroaches battering themselves against you bedroom window. This is another good reason to keep your bedroom windows closed at night while in tropical countries or only open them when they are fitted with insect screens. In New Zealand the temperatures, although warm in some parts, re not generally high enough for cockroaches to fly.

Good hotels in tropical countries are used to proactively treating all areas of the hotel against cockroaches (as described below) and so you are only likely to have significant problems with cockroaches in accommodation premises with lower standards. Cockroaches are not just a nuisance pest; they are carriers of disease organisms. They can be found moving from drains, sewers and detritus to food preparation areas; kitchens, dinning rooms etc. and can be one of the ways that you can be at risk of picking up stomach bugs. You can reduce the risks of illness by maintaining good personal hygiene while on holiday. Wash your hands regularly or use NO Germs Hand Sanitiser after touching any surfaces that could be contaminated. Also avoid restaurants which might have lower standards and only eat food or drink water that you are confident has been cooked or boiled to high enough temperature to eliminate micro-organisms.

If you do bring cockroaches home with you, or you have a cockroach problem in your home carry out treatment as follows:

Place NO Cockroach Gel Bait in areas such as behind fridges and freezers, in rear of cupboards and areas where cockroaches have been seen. The bait will kill feeding cockroaches, those that these individuals regurgitate food for and those that cannibalise them after they die.

Knock down adults and immature cockroaches using NO Cockroaches (or NO Bugs) fumigators in each affected room. The fumigant penetrates into the nooks and crannies where cockroaches hide. Remove all dead cockroaches after treatment as females may be carrying eggs that could still hatch.

Spray around likely cockroach hiding places such as behind, ovens, fridges, freezers, cupboards etc. with NO Cockroaches or NO Bugs Super residual surface sprays. These give long lasting protection.

You can also spray accessible cracks and crevices with NO Bugs Crack and Crevice Spray or NO Borer Injector to flush out cockroaches and deny them these harbourages.

Also set NO Cockroaches Traps and NO Cockroach Gel Bait in affected areas. These will give early indication and control of any re-infestation.

Where do bed bugs save?
In blood banks.

Relaxed, Lightly Tanned and Without Bites

2010-09-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

I returned on Tuesday from a great trip to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. What a fabulously relaxing place. The weather was a balmy mid twenties, mostly sunny and just the occasional shower to keep the heat down and the grass green. The sea ranged from pale turquoise of the lagoon to deep blue beyond the reef where the whales played and waved to us the onshore tourists.

I didn't sit in the sun all the time. I did get off my rear to go snorkeling in the lagoon that rings the island and I took a 4X4 trip around the island and up into the hills. I also made sure I sampled as many of the restaurants and bars around the island as time would allow. I was particularly impressed with the quality of the food. I have not eaten so much seafood for many years and am now a convert to tuna and game fish steaks. One restaurant in particular stood out, the Windjammer. The sad thing is was its last week of existence as the lease was up. My suggestion to those looking for good food on the island would be to find out where the chef and staff of the Windjammer have gone and go there.

I went to Rarotonga prepared for attack by mosquitoes and other biting insects and armed myself with Safari Stick and Safari Wipes insect repellents. I am pleased to announce both worked admirably and I was not bitten at all, except one night before I applied the repellent. Apart from the mosquitoes I was told by the hotel that there is another biting fly on the island and that they take steps to reduce its harm to patrons by trapping. The repellent seemed to work well on these beasties too and I was not troubled by them. I suspect the preponderance of chickens on the island and even around the hotel grounds also help to keep many insects down.

Other pests on the island include rats and myna birds that have displaced the native birds to pockets high in the forests of hills. Although I saw many myna birds I saw no rats. The hotel pest control program was working well on them. Ants were common and there were some that I watched intently in the hotel room, but they were not in any numbers that caused alarm unless food was left out. Don't leave your honey roasted peanuts where ants can get to them! My next blog will discuss how to avoid nuisance ants while on holiday and keep your honey roast peanuts free from extra protein.

Why do mosquitoes not bite property agents?
Because they worry the blood suckers might bite them first.

Kiwicare is Mitre10 Platinum Supplier of the Year

2010-09-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

At a recent Mitre10 Award ceremony Kiwicare picked up the Platinum Supplier of the Year Award 2010. The Mitre10 stores and staff from around New Zealand vote in categories such as innovation, customer satisfaction and training. In all 10 categories Kiwicare was above average. Against stiff opposition from over a hundred other suppliers Kiwicare triumphed.

Kiwicare Sales Manager Neil Martin collected the prestigious award at the Mitre10 Expo in Auckland last week. This top award follows five years of achieving top ten placing in supplier of the year and caps a great year of progress in developing great new products and developing our range in both home and garden care for New Zealand.

Thanks must go to all the staff at Kiwicare and specially to the team of territory managers who have great relationships with all our retailers.

This will be a difficult award to hold on to in 2011 but with yet more innovative new products, new staff and new factory facilities we intend to make every effort not only to hold on to the trophy but to further improve our performance for Mitre10 and the other retailers who stock our products.

There were two platinum blondes that had just left a shop and one of them had locked her keys in the car. She was trying to pick the lock when she stopped to take a rest and her friend said "Hurry up, it's starting to rain and the top's down!"

Travel Pests

2010-09-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

I am taking a trip to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands starting tomorrow (or today, as I time travel back a day over the international date line). This, and my last blog on how to protect yourself from bed bugs while travelling, have suggested that you might be interested in ways to stay safe from all sorts of pests while overseas.

What are the pests you might need protection from while travelling abroad?

There are some obvious ones such as mosquitoes and other biting flying insects in tropical countries. Many of these carry tropical diseases and are more than just an annoyance.

There are many of the pests you would encounter in New Zealand that are also pests in other countries, rats, mice, ants and fleas spring to mind.

Then there are exotic pests that are specific hazards of certain parts of the world; venomous spiders and snakes, biting ants and even larger dangerous animals such as crocodiles. Perhaps the largest 'pest' problem I have ever had was during a stay at an African safari lodge when an elephant got into the hotel compound. It was a pest by definition as an animal in the 'wrong' place. It was not shot, I am glad to say, but was coaxed by a dozen men to leave the compound and the fence repaired to keep him out. This is what I would call elephant proofing.

I will over this and my next few blogs describe ways to protect yourself from some of these pest threats. Starting with my trip to Rarotonga in mind I will discuss the likely pests in those topical islands.

The mosquito is a blood sucking insect found throughout the tropics and sub-tropics and even into temperate regions. The mosquito is a carrier and transmitter of many blood borne diseases, the major ones being malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever but there are many more.

It is more than a wise precaution to be well prepared to protect yourself from mosquitoes and other biting and blood sucking insects while travelling, particularly to warm countries where the insects are accompanied by risk of disease.

Most hotels in susceptible countries will have routine programs of mosquito control where they search for mosquito breeding sites (stagnant water) and treat the hotel with mosquito control products. Even with these measures you may still be at risk of bites while sitting by the pool or lying in your bed at night. But when you are away from the safety of your hotel you are most at risk. Personal insect repellent is the essential tool for preventing mosquito bites.

Safari Insect repellents come in various forms. There is the stick and roll on that contain the two strongest repellents DEET and DMP. There is a handy aerosol containing DMP and then for those that prefer to protect themselves with natural repellents there are the Organic Safari Wipes containing a combination of essential oils.

Mosquitoes are active at dusk, dawn and during the night.They are attracted to their blood feed (you) by heat and carbon dioxide from your breath. So keep the windows and doors to your bedroom closed at night unless there are mosquito nets fitted.

Some people react badly to mosquito bites and the bite sites become itchy and swollen. Take antihistamine tablets and cream with you for treatment of itchy bites. If bites become particularly swollen or do not reduce over a day or two seek medical advice.

Stay safe on your next holiday and be prepared for the pests found at your destination.

Why are fleas, bed bugs and mosquitoes all so easily fooled?
Because they are born suckers

BBC Reports World on Threshold of Bed Bugs Pandemic

2010-09-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

A recent survey of a thousand pest control firms around the world by the University of Kentucky and the United States' National Pest Management Association, appears to show that the bed-bug problem is increasing everywhere. Says the BBC.

New Zealand is among those countries experiencing a rapid rise in bed bug infestations. I have previously (Dec 09) written on how to get rid of bed bugs. Since then Kiwicare has launched a new NO Bed Bugs Total Solution Box containing all you need to get rid of a bed bug infestation and protect yourself, your luggage and your home from infestations.

Bed bugs live near where their hosts (you) sleep. Although they have increasingly been found in places like shops, theatres and transport they are still most common in accommodation businesses; hotels, motels and backpackers, where there is a large turnover of travelling people transporting bed bugs in and out of the premises. Travellers do, of course, also return home and risk bringing them into their house.

While travelling there are some precautions you can take to avert a bed bug encounter on your travels, and prevent bringing them home with you.

You can protect yourself from transporting bed bugs in your luggage by giving it a light spray with NO Bed Bugs ready to use spray prior to travel.
When you check into your room, don't leave your luggage on the bed, floor or upholstered furniture – bed bugs commonly hide in the seams around beds, under carpet edges and in the upholstery of furniture.
You can place your suitcase on a metal luggage rack, it might be advisable to inspect it first.
Check the mattresses of the beds. Bed bugs are small (3-5mm, about the size of a grain of rice), oval, wingless parasitic insects. When they have recently fed they will be reddish brown but when they have not fed for some time they will be pale and almost translucent..
Also look for signs of bed bugs. The first sign of infestation might be blood or bed bug faeces marks (like a tick with a black ballpoint pen) on mattresses or sheets.
Bed bugs can also hide in the bed frame, head boards or dresser tables so be sure to check those too. Look in all cracks and crevices.
If you find bed bugs in your hotel room – don't panic. Ask the hotel to change you to another room. The management will probably be happy that you have helped them identify an infestation before it becomes established.
Check the new room in the same way.
When you return home inspect your suitcase for any signs of the bugs and place all your clothes that were packed in the suit case in the dryer for 15 minutes on the high setting – even if you didn't wear them.

Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite.

You know you're at a bad motel when:

The mint on the pillow starts moving when you come close to it.

There is still some yellow crime scene tape around the door.

There are bullet holes behind the pictures.

There's a chalk outline of a bed bug on the bed when you pull back the covers.

The receptionist has to move the body in order to get some ice for you.

The wake-up call comes courtesy of the pest controller.

Pests and the Canterbury Earthquake

2010-09-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

There are many things more important than pests for the people of Canterbury to think about at this time; friends and family, making buildings safe, continuing aftershocks, the clean up etc. However, there should, perhaps, be some thought put into pests. In the case of rodents and flies they can be transmitters of disease, and this is a time that disease is one of the major threats. In the case of borer and ants this would be an opportunity to carry out effective control programs.

The ground in Christchurch and surrounding districts has been given a good shake up. The buildings that many pests live in have also been shaken and many destroyed. Pests that naturally live and nest in the ground or live in buildings with us, such as rats, mice, borer, flies and ants will have had a shake up also. What is likely to happen to the pests? What effect will the quake have on them?

Rats and Mice
Norway rats (sometimes known as water rats) normally live in burrows but often make their homes in sewers, drains and buildings. They are strongly commensal with human activity. Roof rats are naturally arboreal, usually living and nesting in trees, but they often live in the roofs and higher parts of our buildings, as their name suggests.

It seems likely that rats of both types will have been shaken out of their normal routine. While many will have been killed as their nests collapsed, many more will have been induced to leave their 'homes' and will scatter, seeking new places to find food sources and shelter. The destruction of buildings and their contents will have broken food storage containers and facilities perhaps allowing access to the food for rodents and other pests.

With broken sewers and water systems there comes a risk of direct contamination of water supplies from sewers, but also of rats that had been living in sewers carrying disease to new areas. The same is probably the same with mice. Rats and mice dribble urine continually and produce many droppings each day.

Take care when cleaning up your home or workplace. Wear gloves and carry out good hygiene to prevent picking up disease such as gastroenteritis, Wiel's disease, salmonella, E. coli etc. Remove or secure possible food sources for pests as soon as possible. Carry out preventative rodent control.

Ants and Other Insect Pests
The major ant pests in Christchurch are Darwin and Argentine ants. Both these species commonly live in nests in sandy soil. Both also produce 'super colonies' where several nests co-operate and act as a single colony. Each nest contains multiple queens, each capable, with only a few workers, of setting up a new nest.

It seems likely that many ant nests have been destroyed. However, as with rodents, it seems likely that many more nests will have been disturbed and the colonies will have 'budded' as queens with their own groups of workers leave damaged and disturbed nests in seek of new places to set up home. So there may be an initial reduction of ant numbers across the city but those remaining will be seen more as they move. As warm weather arrives, ant colony size will rise quickly. New ant nests are likely to find new sources of food and shelter quickly.

While ants are under environmental stress from the disturbance of the earthquake it would be a good time to carryout an ant control program around your property to prevent ants setting up home there.

A similar story is likely to be the case for many other insect pests that casually intrude into buildings.

Borer
The damage to wooden buildings is not likely to have any impact on the borer larvae within. Many damaged old buildings will have to be pulled down and rebuilt and new timber will be treated and protected from borer attack. Many homes and other buildings will not be damaged to such an extent and will be repaired.

Some thought should be taken about rebuilding. If borer infested timbers such as weatherboards, joists, beams etc. are exposed during repair this is an ideal time to treat the bare timber with borer protection such as NO Borer fluid. You can get up to 20 years borer protection from such treatment.

Flies
The temperature reached 21C in Christchurch yesterday, which was pleasant for those living without electricity, but it is an indication of warmer weather to come in spring and summer and immediately encourages flies to breed. The warm weather combined with broken sewers, spilled food and other fly breeding places may see a rapid increase in fly numbers. Flies are carriers of disease and may move from sewerage to your kitchen work surfaces or food. It would be advisable to carry out pre emptive fly control and use surface sprays such as NO Bugs Super and NO Flies to reduce the risks and annoyance of flies.

Kiwicare product will continue to be available from our retailers throughout Canterbury. Kiwicare is a Canterbury company and we wish everyone in the region all the best in this difficult time.

A mouse walks into a bar and asks the bartender "Have you got any cheese?"
"No" says the barman.

"Got any cheese?" Repeats the mouse.
"No, I have no cheese" says the barman.

The mouse: "Got any cheese?"
Barman: "NO. Are you deaf? I said I have NOT got any cheese."

"Got any cheese?"
"I am cheesed of with you! But I have no cheese and if you don't stop asking me if I've got cheese I'll nail you to the bar."

"Got any nails?"
"No"

"Got any cheese?"