_The Evening Post_, 9 Sept 1922:
LOCAL AND GENERAL
…
Having regard to the fact that red deer are, by eating out all undergrowth and ring-barking the trees, threatening to destroy much of the reserved forest throughout the Dominion, Mr. W. H. Field (Otaki) is asking if the Government will provide every facility for the killing of these animals when they are found to be committing such carnage and destruction.
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19220909.2.25
#OnThisDay #OTD #PapersPast #NewZealand #Deer #Pests

Invasive species No 1 driver of biodiversity loss in Australia – and feral cats have biggest impact, report finds

"Australasia has been identified as a global hotspot for invasive species. In Australia, invasive species are the number one driver of biodiversity loss"

"Feral cats have the greatest environmental impact..."

"Australia has lost more native mammal species than any other continent, with more than 100 species listed as either extinct or extinct in the wild.'

“This report makes it clear that the Albanese government’s commitment to ‘no new extinctions’ will be no more than a slogan without increased focus and funding needed to prevent the next wave of invasive species."

“Invasive species are likely to be a primary driver of 85% of the next round of predicted vertebrate extinctions over the next 20 years"

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/04/invasive-species-no-1-driver-of-biodiversity-loss-in-australia-and-feral-cats-have-biggest-impact-report-finds
#NativeFlora #NativeFauna #biodiversity #FireAnts #pests #weeds #cats #pets #biosecurity #pathogens #trade #extinction makers

@genecowan I saw Washington Post and immediately thought you were talking about Republican politicians. #pests

My son discovered these wee bits sleeping in a can on the side of our house. Soon we’ll be at war with them in the great battle for food in our garage pantry. It’s a love/hate relationship I guess? Cute little fuckers.

#Mice #BabyAnimals #Cute #Pests #Rodents #Animals

#Aloe vera peels could fight staple food #crop #pests

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-aloe-vera-staple-food-crop.html

Japanese far-right ruling party politicians are showing off their support (*scoff*) for Fukushima,

by eating the fish🐟 (caught before the discharge) and fruits🍇🍑.

But who would be glad with your local food juiced by pests🤢?

#Fukushima #Japan #politics #environment #pests #contamination #water #wildlife #damage

A rat or mouse was dispatched by either a hawk or owl yesterday. Good job! #garden #pests

Is #sentinel prey useful for estimation of biological #pests in arable fields? Gardarin et al. observed with cameras that classic #aphid cards were consumed by completely different predators than unattached bruchid beetle larvae. Read more here: @gfoe https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2023.07.002

Are you bringing a pot plant from Queensland to NSW? You could be risking a million-dollar fine

"The NSW government is warning those convicted of breaking biosecurity controls could face enormous fines as it ramps up efforts to keep dangerous fire ants out of the state".

"The control order prevents high-risk materials such as mulch, woodchip, soil, compost, sand, gravel, baled hay, and turf being moved from within a five-kilometre radius of a site where fire ants were found unless inspected and issued with a certificate by the Queensland Agriculture Department."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-16/two-million-dollar-fire-ant-fines-nsw-invasion-fight-ramps-up/102737340
#pests #NSW #biosecurity #FireAnts #PotPlants #trade

Just great. It seems we have a wasp problem in the basement pantry. A few buzzing about and swept up about 100 dead ones. Found a crack where they seem to be coming in, guess I'll give a spray overnight when they're not active. Will not caulk the crack as I made that mistake about 20 years ago. Sometime, home ownership gets old but I'd rather deal with it than waiting on a landlord. #HomeOwnership #Pests #WellThatSucks

The #conifer #sawflies of eastern North America, some species are important #pests of pine trees - review of their biology, distribution and pest status with a key for the identification of the 22 species covered - article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management (@entsocamerica) by Jeremy S. Davis and others like @clinnen - https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmad011

More squash vine borer damage! First hint is this droopy leaf. Look on the underside and down the stem for small holes and/or lumps of frass. Sometimes you can extract the Squash Vine Borer and save the leaf, but this one is too far gone. Often the moth lays an egg right at the base of the leaf like this one did and you have to scrape it off before it digs into the vine and kills the leaf.

#vegetablegardening #gardening #growyourown #veggies #zucchini #squashbugs #svb #pests #squashvineborer

> "We need more #biodiversity, wildlife and #treeCanopy cover."
> "We can't have #trees that encourage small animals, they are #pests."

#wildlife #fakeGreens #cityDweller

Adult wasps are vegan and will turn up at outdoor events to tell you about it.

#wasps #insects #pests #vegan #vegans #picnic #barbecue #facts #QI #notQI

Massive #invasive #fruitfly #quarantine in #SantaClarita (likely introduced by someone who moved produce into the area across borders, without inspection). #pests https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/tau/regulation.html

#question of the day: I have the tasty blood type according to a wide variety of #insects / #bugs including #mosquitoes. I'd like to spend more time #outdoors but am often dissuaded by their pestering buzz (which annoys me almost as much as their bite).

What do you use to keep the #pests at bay? And what about keeping an area rather than just a person safe from these little carnivores?

Parasitized hornworm caterpillar - braconid wasps lay eggs under the caterpillar’s skin then grow in these cocoons until the cut themselves free. As much as I don’t want the hornworms eating my tomato plants, they do do a good deed by hosting these pollinating wasps. After they all hatched this morning - see the last two pictures - I put the poor hornworm out of its misery. #vegetablegardening #pests #hornworm #wasps #tomatoplant

NSW Fire ants alert
"NSW imposes movement restrictions on materials from Qld in fight against fire ants
The NSW government is trying to keep the destructive pest from entering the state."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-24/nsw-imposes-movement-restriction-queensland-fire-ants/102638106

"Red imported fire ants
are invasive exotic ants that cause serious social, economic, and environmental harm. They are aggressive and have a severe, burning sting.
Anyone bringing hay, turf, soil, mulch, potted plants or machinery into NSW from Queensland should check the measures that must be implemented before entering NSW."
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/insect-pests/fire-ants

Report an Exotic Ant, NSW DPI
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/forms/report-exotic-ants
#ants #Biosecurity #insects #machinery #vehicles #trade #PottedPlants #PlantFair #Bellingen #NSW #GoldCoast #pests #biodiversity

https://blog.zaccohn.com/Fruitflies-and-the-Little-Shop-of-Horrors/

Taking care of a Pitcher Plant

A few notes on taking care of your new Audrey.

You have to use distilled water.
Filling the pitcher.
Hand-feeding your pitcher plant.

#nature #bugs #pests #plants

https://blog.zaccohn.com/Fruitflies-and-the-Little-Shop-of-Horrors/

“Passive countermeasures like Audrey IV works great because it prevents them from going exponential. If you’re taking fruit flies out early and continuously, they don’t have a chance to reproduce. A female fruit fly starts mating 8 hours after it emerges from the larval state, and lays about 400 eggs, which take 12-15 hours to hatch at typical room temperature. Needless to say - you gotta keep these under control!”

#nature #bugs #pests