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Pests and disease

Wasps for insect control?
olmec
Wasps for insect control?
During late summer and autumn there are a fair number of wasps around the garden, orchard and sometimes even the house.

Originally I saw them as a pest, just another thing to watch out for so as not to get stung.

However, on closer observation I noticed that these little guys are actually helping out by preying on other insect populations. I have seen wasps catch and kill large flies, butterflies and other winged creatures and having witnessed them crawling over formed cabbage heads I suspect they also target things that live on there (caterpillars, earwigs, butterfly eggs...?)

I'm not sure what sort of grief they cause for local bee hives.
Barberry (Berberis glaucocarpa)
Barberry (Berberis glaucocarpa)
This thorny, evil bush seems to thrive everywhere it gets established at the expense of the natives and other desirables.

More info
Mouse trappin'
olmec
Mouse trappin'
With this year being a mast year for native beech trees there have been an epic number of mice about.
I've lost count of how many we (and the cat) have caught. I have even witnessed the chooks chase down and eat a couple that I disturbed in a grass pile.

10 May 2010
Possums
Melisa Sinclair
Possums
One night I left a large basket of plums on the kitchen table. The window was open and the possum must have smelled the sweet plums and climbed inside to help himself. We did hear a lot of noise that night, but both of us assumed it was the cat running around. But when we woke up in the morning, we found several plums had been thrown around the table with bites taken out of them.
10 Jan 2010
Blackberries (Burning)
The First Mouse...
The First Mouse...
Little Gibson has caught his first mouse....that we know of....
He brought it up from somewhere down the hill in the bushes. He kept batting it around and then he lost it for a while and turns out he was sitting on it. He must be doing all kinds of hunting because he's hardly touched his dry catfood. It's been in his bowl for about 3 days now and there is still a little left. He's plump as ever though, so I know he's not on a diet.
03 Oct 2009
Stoats and Ferrets
Stoats and Ferrets

The stoat is a member of the mustelid family, along with weasels and ferrets. It was introduced to New Zealand late last century to control rabbits and hares.

Stoats are now considered "public enemy number one" for New Zealand birds.


Yes
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Aphids
Aphids
Aphids attack plants and are small greenish creatures that live on fleshy plants and leaves. Find out how to control them.
Yes
Dealing with aphids