Forest & Bird User Favorites: kukupa

Tawaki on "Pest control, How to do it."

Tawaki — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:20:51 +0000

We visited Totaranui in the heart of Abel Tasman National Park last year, Kukupa. On the Anapai Beach Track I found all the feathers of a banded rail just like the one that you have caught here. It had been killed and eaten by a feral cat or stoat. So the answer is that you need to do something to control pests but the techniques need to be such that they don't kill the very thing that we are trying to save. Tragically, I have also seen weka killed in the stoat traps set in the Milnethorpe Scenic Reserve in Golden Bay where weka are now endangered. This "by catch" risk is one of the reasons why I much prefer bait stations to trapping especially in the places where I live where there are always very smart and inqusitive kea around.

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:22:24 +0000

The very birds we are trying to protect! Absolutley gutting!! I was told to make the holes on the DOC200 stoat traps bigger then the DoC standeds, (private property) so you catch hedghogs. What a mistake!

auckland anne on "Pest control, How to do it."

auckland anne — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 22:22:51 +0000

Someone's suggested this looks more like a cat-kill. Does anyone know if you can identify the villain? Lots of tracks in the nearby mud seem to be from stoats.

auckland anne on "Pest control, How to do it."

auckland anne — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 03:47:27 +0000

If we ever needed any reminder abiout why we are putting all that time into trapping stoats on Traherne Island, we got it today when a predated dotterel was found there, Stoat damage....

auckland anne on "Pest control, How to do it."

auckland anne — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:04:19 +0000

Should get interesting results from this: Various Auckland F&B branches have supported various research work and proposals put forward by students of ecology. Here's the latest that's come to us: I am a PhD student at Massey Uni, my thesis project is a development of a new method to detect and trap Norway rats (and possibly mustelids) using lab rats as lures. I have special trap cages with DOC 200 traps on one side and a compartment for lab rat on the other so using live lure rats as opposed to food baits). So far I have great results from various Hauraki Gulf island sites;, I now aim to check this methods on post (and ongoing) poisoning campaigns (I will do the same at Shakespear during December)

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:32:05 +0000

What a crack up guy! "Chiwi" lol

auckland anne on "Pest control, How to do it."

auckland anne — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:50:28 +0000

Exciting! The trapping a group of us have been doing at Motu Manawa (mentioned above) actually made it onto You Tube (TVOne filmed it for Asia Downunder special on Conservation Week) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kl4mg38MM4&feature=player_embedded" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kl4mg38MM4&feature=player_embedded</a>

horoeka on "Pest control, How to do it."

horoeka — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 07:15:16 +0000

Good news for Spring! After my second winter of decent pest control (thanks to the Kiwi Foundation for funding traps and toxins) the tui population is skyrocketting. When I first arrived at my place 6 years ago in the Far North there had been minimal pest control. With each year we all get better at it and hit the pests before they can get away on us at key times. Initially the forest was really quiet - except for the odd myna - and very rarely tui. Last Spring we hit the pests hard and it was evident by mid-Summer. Many species of native birds got to nest in peace and several clutches of chicks out of the nest by winter. Now the kids next door have got in on the act and between us knocked off 70 mynas in addition to the rat, possum, mouse, cat and stoat control. Yesterday I counted 21 tui flocking in a totara (many probably fledged from last winter's work) and have been hearing a juvenile kiwi nearby at night. Pest control rocks!

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 06:51:38 +0000

Yep, mice are a real pest! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATXFCryzvgU" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATXFCryzvgU</a>

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:45:26 +0000

Rats also eat mice, They love them. By killing off the rats you can get an explosion in mice numbers.

Tawaki on "Pest control, How to do it."

Tawaki — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 04:20:02 +0000

Someone may also be able to help with background on the information about the impact of mice on tiny rock wrens. I understand that mice eat the eggs and chicks of this tiny alpine member of our most primitive birds family, the wrens. Apparently there is some concern and awareness that if stoat trapping is undertaken in the alpine zone where rock wren occur, it might have an opposite effect to that intended. By reducing stoat numbers it could result in an increase in the numbers of mice and hence hasten the demise of rock wren to mouse predation. Again this highlights the wisdom of integrated pest control even in the alpine zone You should use a rodenticide to kill the mice, rats and possums (eg brodifacoum or 1080) and thereby kill these aniimals and also simultaneously kill the stoats through secondary poisoning when they eat the dead (or slow) rats, mice and possums. I understand that the DOC Researcher Josh Kemp is working on this as well as Dr Peter Gaze of Nelson.

ricky on "Pest control, How to do it."

ricky — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 01:25:32 +0000

This might give you a different perspective on mice - eating albatross chicks alive! <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4708899.stm" rel="nofollow">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4708899.stm</a>

auckland anne on "Pest control, How to do it."

auckland anne — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 23:39:08 +0000

They compete for the same food as many of our native birds and other animals (like seeds) and also they eat a lot of invertebrates (like wetas, snails, etc)

GillyJ on "Pest control, How to do it."

GillyJ — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 08:08:16 +0000

Why on earth do you want to kill mice?

Ertvarkie on "Pest control, How to do it."

Ertvarkie — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:19:53 +0000

Could the native tutu plant be the pest control poison of the future? The newly-opened Centre for Wildlife Management and Conservation at Lincoln University in Christchurch is working with Tuhoe to invstigate the potential of tutu toxin for pest control. Just 100g of raw plant material is enough to kill 2000 mice. It's the last story in this morning's Te Manu Korihi news: <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2497037/manu-korihi-news-for-2-september-2011" rel="nofollow">http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2497037/manu-korihi-news-for-2-september-2011</a>

Tawaki on "Pest control, How to do it."

Tawaki — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:51:06 +0000

Seems to me that trapping always claimed to be the humane way of doing pest control has got a bit to answer for as well!

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:03:43 +0000

Keep the chooks locked up while using the timms trap! R.I.P Butty Betty.

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 00:53:37 +0000

Hey Oscar, I hopefully will be able to answer that question about feracol for you soon because we are about to use it. If you go to our website <a href="http://www.baybushaction.org.nz" rel="nofollow">www.baybushaction.org.nz</a> then go to the page "What we are doing" and click on FERACOL you will see the results for a few trials they have done on rats. It's expensive, so I hope it works well!

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 00:43:48 +0000

Good stuff Anne!! Catching adult stoats at this time of the year will have huge benefits for the birds that start breeding this spring. Did you know that before the baby stoats leave their nest they are already pregnant!

auckland anne on "Pest control, How to do it."

auckland anne — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 23:57:29 +0000

Yahoo another one bites the dust. Slow work, but one by one they're getting caught. And this one was caught using just egg for bait, after having no luck earlier with egg we tried meat instead, caught a few, and then changed back to egg, and got one. Maybe they just preferred the meat during a particular time of the year, and now using eggs is enough? Using eggs is cheaper, cos the weka people nearby can get cracked eggs free from a local egg-farmer.

Oscar on "Pest control, How to do it."

Oscar — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:58:18 +0000

Kukupa - impressive to see the Bay Bush Action programme; a neat model for elsewhere in the country. How effective is the Feracol at preventing possum and rat irruptions? I'd heard of a few teething issues with Goodnature traps, but not to do with losing power quickly, more things like kea dismantling them! Havn't used them but reports were generally good once they got over the cost :)

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:33:38 +0000

I have one of the rat/stoat re-setting traps from Good Nature, and it is HOPELESS! No dead rats and the gas is flat after just one night. Maybe I have a dud? Anyone else useing them?

auckland anne on "Pest control, How to do it."

auckland anne — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:04:24 +0000

From tonight's news - DoC's new re-setting possum trap <a href="http://www.3news.co.nz/DOC-champions-humane-possum-trap/tabid/1216/articleID/220378/Default.aspx" rel="nofollow">http://www.3news.co.nz/DOC-champions-humane-possum-trap/tabid/1216/articleID/220378/Default.aspx</a>

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:39:23 +0000

Check out what I've got myself into!! <a href="http://www.baybushaction.org.nz" rel="nofollow">www.baybushaction.org.nz</a> Please share :-)

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 04:18:22 +0000

Leghold traps must be check every morning after setting! And must be set off the ground in areas with kiwi and weka.I realy hope the trappers of the weka in the story above get done, with cruelty to animals! It is an unfortunate reality of life that every single pest control method has an unintentional impact on non-target species. For instance, trapping is responsible for the deaths and injury to kiwi, kea, kaka, hawks, morepork, weka, pigeon, bellbird, robin and tomtit. Nobody would suggest that trapping is banned. Pest control is vital to protect the remnants of our native forests and the species that make New Zealand unique, but there is a cost. It is a matter of applying the right tools in the right places at the right times to get the right gains with the least cost. .

Ertvarkie on "Pest control, How to do it."

Ertvarkie — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 03:05:13 +0000

And how NOT to do it... <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/5290422/Rare-Wekas-die-caught-in-traps" rel="nofollow">http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/5290422/Rare-Wekas-die-caught-in-traps</a> <a href="http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/rare-weka-die-cruel-death-4306532" rel="nofollow">http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/rare-weka-die-cruel-death-4306532</a> The sad death of two rare North Island weka, caught in possum traps that were illegally set on the ground and left unchecked in the Pakihi Valley, south-east of Opotiki.

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:50:23 +0000

No I don't sorry. I was told that they have moved from victors to Snap-E-Rat traps. You can see a pic on the top of page 2 on this topic.

christabluff on "Pest control, How to do it."

christabluff — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:39:52 +0000

That's a great website, I love that it has so published so much of how they are going about pest control and monitoring, do you know of the rat tracking tunnel results since 2008? And I wonder how long those victors last, some of them seem to rot out pretty fast in moist conditions, they're a soft wood that isn't treated, work great though

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:20:32 +0000

Sorry they have used poison once at the start of the project and may need to again one day. Have a look at it here. <a href="http://www.puketi.org.nz/pest_monitoring.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.puketi.org.nz/pest_monitoring.html</a>

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:59:25 +0000

The Puketi forest trust only uses rat traps to control rats. They bait them with peanut butter or ferafeed. They have released 30 toutouwai lately so it must be working well!