Which animals are pests

It didn't work and now rabbits and mustelids are both classed as pests in New Zealand. Mustelids are secretive animals that are rarely seen by humans. Weasels are the smallest of the mustelids at 20 centimetres long. They are brown with a white belly, and like to eat mice, small birds, eggs, lizards and insects.

Stoats look similar to weasels but they are about 40 centimetres long, which means they can tackle larger prey. They have a chestnut-brown coat, which turns white in winter, a light-coloured belly, and a bushy, black-tipped tail. Stoats are more common than weasels because they survive on a wider variety of prey. They are the biggest killer of kiwi chicks. Ferrets were farmed for their fur in the mids.

When the fur industry collapsed, many were released into the wild and quickly became established so that New Zealand now has the largest known population of wild ferrets in the world. Ferrets are the largest of the three species and are about cm long, including the tail. Their colours vary but they are usually dark brown or blackish with a creamy under fur, but they can appear almost white. The tail is uniformly dark. The face is pale with a dark mask over the eyes. Adult males are generally larger than the females.

They like to eat small animals such as rabbits, rodents, possums and birds, as well as eggs, lizards, frogs and insects. They are capable of killing adult kiwi and eat their eggs. Many people love cats, but most do not understand that these great hunters are estimated to kill up to million birds in New Zealand each year. Cats do not distinguish between species.

As well as rats and mice, some of their prey can include rare native species. When cats attack birds, they will often kill the parent of chicks and also eggs in a nest. Cats also often eat lizards and frogs. In the early s, the Stephen's Island wren was discovered on an island in Cook Strait. It was the only flightless perching bird known in New Zealand. Shortly after its discovery, the lighthouse keeper's cat killed all the birds, making the species extinct. Feral cats are widespread in Northland.

They have become established and are breeding in the wild as a result of people dumping their unwanted pets. Under the Northland Regional Council Pest Management strategy it is illegal to dump unwanted live cats in the wild. The council also wants people to control feral cats on their properties. Do not attempt to touch or pick up a wildcat, or even a kitten. They bite and scratch and can spread disease.

Goats were brought to New Zealand in the s by Captain Cook to establish a food source for shipwrecked sailors. The goats quickly colonised and have become a major forest pest. Goats destroy the low-hanging vegetation and, when combined with possum damage to the upper canopy, severe deterioration of native forest occurs.

They're one of the most destructive animals found in forests. A goat population can double in size every two years because females start breeding at about six months of age and twins are common.

Goats are able to stand on two legs to reach higher vegetation. Wasps have good and bad characteristics. Beekeepers don't like them because they compete with bees for food. People don't like them either because of the possibility of being stung, which can be a serious health risk for anyone who is severely allergic.

There are four main types of wasps in Northland - Australian and Asian paper wasps, German wasps and common wasps. German and common wasps look very similar - they both have yellow and black bodies. Nests are often underground, although they can also be found in trees.

The Australian paper wasp is brownish black or yellowish, sometimes with yellowish or whitish bands on the abdomen. The Asian paper wasp is yellow and black in colour. Paper wasps compete with other insects for nectar and honeydew resources. They build umbrella-shaped nests of wasp paper above ground on houses or other buildings and will also nest in trees or bushes.

Feral deer are a pest because they are prolific breeders, they seriously damage native bush by browsing, grazing, bark stripping and trampling and they are potential carriers of bovine tuberculosis.

This disease is not present in Northland, and any outbreak would be a serious threat to the cattle industry in the region. Control of feral deer is a specialised job for experienced hunters. There are known to be a few wild deer still eluding hunters in Northland, and the Northland Regional Council will respond immediately to any reports of sightings. Red deer in the forest. Photo: Gordon Roberts. Opossums can be little terrors if they enter your roof space and decide to set up home there.

This article explains in detail about the problems associated with having an infestation of Opossums such as noise and transference of diseases. If you have a problem with Deer eating plants and shrubs then a good solution is to employ Deer resistant plants. It is a lot easier than building high fences and they look so much nicer as well. Mark has a strong background in Engineering and a huge interest in Pest Control as a way of getting rid of rodents and other unwanted pests who can cause a nuisance in your home and garden.

You can subscribe to his free daily paper on Pest Control Solutions and follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. All mammals can carry rabies, not just skunk. Having these animals in your home can result to terrible consequences. New Trap and Bait Station from Bell Labs Bell Laboratories have designed a new bait station which looks like it has been well-designed and addresses many of the problems associated with leaving rat and mouse traps unattended for periods of time like preventing children and pets from tampering with it.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Comments All mammals can carry rabies, not just skunk. What Is the Lifecycle of a Cockroach? What Attracts Cockroaches to My Home? What Are the Different Types of Cockroaches? The information on these pages is for information only, and must not be seen as expert advice. Pellet bait remedies can help keep these mollusks from destroying plants. Aphids: Pests that target inside and outside plants, aphids are small, long-legged insects that feed on leaves.

They leave behind a sticky residue that yellows leaves and stunts plant growth. Remedy: Encourage beneficial insects, such as lacewings and ladybugs, by including plants suitable for the region and maintaining a healthy landscape. Protect gardens with row covers and remove when plants are healthier. Finally, rinse plants with daily doses of water. If this gentle approach fails, you can also apply a product, such as Sevin , which can be quickly sprayed on infected plants.

Voles: Often mistaken for a mouse, a gopher or a mole, a vole is a small rodent that burrows and eats plants, nuts and roots. The damage caused by voles is three-fold: They girdle trees and seedlings, destroy plants in garden beds, and create extensive tunnel systems that can ruin lawns.

In addition, voles are prolific breeders; they can take over landscapes with large infestations. Remedy: Protect trees with wraps, and then adjust the wraps as trees grow. Be sure to maintain a healthy, debris-free yard and use locally-approved baits according to directions. With small eyes and a long tail, voles are often mistaken for other moles and gophers. Fire ants and carpenter ants: A danger to plants, animals and people, fire ants are particularly invasive in areas with warm climates, such as Florida and Texas.

They deliver painful bites that sting, transmitting venom that can be deadly. Fire ants create mounds and can kill trees and non-nuisance wildlife, while carpenter ants, if left untreated, can tunnel into wood-framed homes and create structural problems. The time it takes to control these pests depends on infestation and yard size. Remember to continue using products as directed. Tomato hornworms are long—about four inches—and transform into moths.

Because tomato hornworms eat both leaves and fruit, they can decimate crops. Remedy: Pick hornworms off plants by hand, and then drown them in a bucket of soapy water; keep your garden healthy and weed-free; and encourage beneficial insects, such as parasitic wasps, by including plants suitable for the region and maintaining a healthy landscape.

Grasshoppers: Hard to catch and voracious, grasshoppers make quick meals of plants and flowers. Remedy: Use Sevin products as directed. Cover lawns and the leaves of vegetables, fruit, ornamental shrubs and flowers with S evin Dust , and use Sevin Ready-to-Spray for spot treatment.

Apply row covers to protect plants until they are healthy, and encourage an opportune growing environment with mulch, proper moisture and by controlling weeds. Squash bugs: Unattractive, gray and squat, squash bugs are hardier than you might think.