After a long dreary wet winter its great to feel it warming up again. We have been busy over the winter with people having plenty of problems with rats and mice for us deal with. Even though it has been wet the temperatures have not been particularly low and it is suggested that these pests are now breeding year-round in warmer areas. This will lead to great numbers which means a proactive approach to rodent control is required. If you already have rodent stations installed it is best to get them checked regularly to keep the rodent numbers down and reduce the risk of incursion of new rodents coming into the area.
There has been considerable damage caused by rats. We have attended jobs where there have been pipes chewed in the ceiling causing flooding and ceilings to collapse, wires chewed damaging all sorts of electrical items even fires due to wires shorting. This is besides the usual damage of chewed holes damage to doors and walls and food being taken and contaminated. (see photos below).
Besides rodents we have had regular calls for ants over the winter this has been the case for the last couple of years. We very rarely used to do ant jobs in the winter, but we now have 2-3 per week. This may also be due to warmer weather but also because cold tolerant invasive species such as the Argentine ants are spreading. If you have ants at your place, it would be time to consider a treatment as the numbers will only increase over the summer making the problem worse.
With spring arriving we are getting calls for ants, Gisborne cockroaches and whitetail spiders. All of these are more active as the weather warms up and the changeable weather often drives them inside. If you have a problem with any of these pests feel free to get in touch. We would like to let you know more about the whitetail spider.
Whitetail spider
The whitetail is introduced to New Zealand from Australia. It is common in the Bay of Plenty. The above photo was taken in our garden a couple of weeks ago. People are concerned about this spider due to the risk of bites and the possible chance of infection from these bites.
The whitetail spider is a hunting spider. It spends the day hiding in dark sheltered places and comes out at night to hunt. Its main prey is the black or grey house spider. Due to its habit of moving around and hiding during the day it encounters us when we disturb its hiding place. For example, this is one we found hiding in the back of a sofa.
When it feels threatened it will bite in defence. This bite can be painful, and people are worried about the venom causing infection and necrosis. The venom is not shown to be the case of infection. There was a case study done in an Australian hospital that showed no post infection in over 100 positively identified whitetail bites. This is not conclusive as the lack of infection may be due to prompt medical attention and keeping the wound clean. Secondary infection may be caused by scratching or itching the bite site and not keeping it clean. Also people with lower immune systems may be more prone to secondary infection. The jury is still out on this.
Whitetail spider
What can be done to reduce the risk? We recommend an interior and exterior treatment of your home. In some cases, if several whitetails have been seen treating the ceiling cavity and under the building as well reduces harbourage sites. These treatments all will control the other spiders the whitetail spider eats. This will remove their food source giving them no reason to hang around. The products used will also give residual control so if any new spiders arrive they will not be able to set up home. Another benefit is control of other pests such as Gisborne roaches, flies etc
If you would like help with whitetail spiders or any other pest, give us a call or send and email. We look forward to seeing you over the summer.
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