Did you know there are two types of pests? For those involved in pest control, we distinguish between plant pests (or weeds) and animal pests. We recently joined forces with Graham Norton, plant pest specialist from the Northland Regional Council Partnerships Team, to visit Umawera Primary School where both ākonga (students) and kaiako (teachers) were keen to learn more about pests.
This small school is nestled between the Hokianga Harbour and Puketi Forest, with kiwi calling on one side of the school, and bittern booming just down the road. Mae Lewis, our Kiwi Coast Hokianga Coordinator asked the students what they knew about pests and was impressed with their enthusiasm about pest control. The ākonga confidently identified the taxidermied weasel, stoat and ferret and shared stories about their experiences controlling possums.
Graham Norton from the Regional Council told the students about what makes a weed so good at growing, explaining that weeds grow a lot faster than native plants, put out a lot of seed, and compete with native plants. The ākonga were then put to the test with a round of “weed or native?” with Graham showing cuttings from plants growing around the school, and the students identifying if the cutting was a native, or needed some weed control.
What’s the next step after learning about pests? How to control them of course! We’ll be back soon with some possum traps to help the school control the possum that lives outside their classroom. If your school is looking for some help to get started with pest control, reach out to the Kiwi Coast team.
