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Maygrove residents involved in trapping pests at the retirement village admit there have been some less than savoury moments.
There was the time when one of the rats in a trap was still alive, caught by the nose, and Glen Craven had the job of disposing of it. And Graeme Mayo’s wife wasn’t so happy to find a plastic bag on their dining room table with a dead possum in it.
Around seven residents of the village have been trapping pests since the end of January. Pauline Southwick has seen possums playing on a fence and they also damage gardens, stripping leaves off fruit trees and eating the lemon peel.
She says pests, especially rats, have become more prevalent in the vicinity since clearance for development began across from the village at Millwater. Bush, garden allotments, compost and rubbish bins are attractive to rats and the village is also located close to an arm of Orewa Estuary.
The residents’ pest control work coincided with the project that Hibiscus Coast Forest & Bird recently embarked on, to reduce pests around the estuary, supported by the Hibiscus and Bays Local board and Auckland Council.
Richard Chambers of Forest and Bird provided training. Pauline Southwick says Richard gave the group a clear understanding of what would be involved and is providing ongoing support. She says it was also fun setting off traps in the village’s reception area during training.
So far the 12 rat traps and two possum traps set out around the perimeter of the village have netted 22 rats, “too many mice to count”, one possum and a hedgehog. The largest haul was three rats in a single day.
The group takes it in turns to check the traps two or three times a week.
Pauline says early signs of success include seeing quail around the village for the first time. She recommends pest control work to residents of other villages, especially if rats are prevalent. “It only takes 45 minutes to walk around and check the traps and it’s good to find we are getting results,” she says.
Glen says the group may have to consider poisoning, rather than trapping pests at some stage but would need to consult residents fully and get approval from management, as well as erecting signs before taking that step.
If residents of other retirement villages are interested in setting up a pest control group, contact Richard Chambers, email HibiscusCoast.Branch@forestandbird.org.nz
