Born & Bred in WA
KIDS PERTH in
The
,
NOVEMBER 2019
Parents Paper
www.kidsinperth.com
From our family to yours • FREE every month
The household pest that loves Christmas trees!
T
is the season to be jolly but it’s also the favourite time of year for the European house borer (EHB), a serious pest that loves the dead coniferous softwood found in and around Perth homes. EHB can cause major damage to homes and other buildings by laying eggs into structural timber (often roof timber) where larvae hatch and eat through the timber from the inside-out over a number of years. In Western Australia, EHB is found mainly in dead pine trees, logs, debris and dead parts of living pine trees, but they can also infest pine timber, furniture, pallets and more. The adult beetles emerge from host wood from the beginning of September to April the following year. This is when you’re most likely to see them flying around looking to mate and find new food sources. You can protect your home by making sure there is no exposed dead pinewood or timber in your yard to attract the flying insect. Don’t leave your dead Christmas tree laying about! Check your eaves for small gaps that might allow a flying EHB access
PRICELESS
Something in the air
into your roof space to lay eggs. New builds should use H2 treated structural pine (often blue in colour) or a non-EHB-susceptible alternative. Regular timber pest inspections by a licenced pest control operator are also recommended. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) would like you to help stop the spread of this serious pest and protect your home. Look out for the adult EHB beetle resting on your walls during flight season, and any signs of larval infestation in nearby dead pinewood or timber at any time of year (oval-shaped exit holes running with the grain of the wood). You can also recruit your kids as pestinspectors over the summer holidays – they’re often more observant than adults! If you spot one of these pests, or a suspicious looking hole in your timber, please take photos and report it to DPIRD. For more information on what to look for, and reporting information, please see the advert below.
O
ur grandparents may have been onto something when they used to say the salty sea air was good for our lungs. Salt therapy as an alternative health practice is growing in popularity, with replica ‘salt caves’ opening across Australia. Known as halotherapy, salt therapy usually involves spending time in a spalike ‘salt room’ while breathing in tiny negatively ionised salt particles. ‘It’s an all-natural, drug-free solution that clears mucus, kills bacteria and viruses and reduces inflammation throughout the whole respiratory system,’ said owner of The Salt Room in Perth, Kat Kupsch. ‘Think of all the a’s – salt has natural antihistamine, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties which detoxify the body, strengthen the immune system and relieve symptoms for a range of conditions.’ ‘It can also help people suffering from skin issues such as psoriasis, acne, eczema and dry and flaky skin.’ Kat says salt therapy can be traced back as far as Ancient Greece when Hippocrates recommended visits to salt caves as an
effective treatment for respiratory issues. ‘Then in 1843, a Polish doctor, Felix Boczowski, noticed workers from a salt mine had fewer respiratory problems than other mineworkers,’ she said. His findings led to the first salt therapy clinic near Krakow, a health spa inside the Wieliczka Salt Mine which still operates today and is included on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List – I’ve been lucky enough to visit and it is amazing.’ While modern day salt rooms are set up to mimic salt caves, modern day science has only relatively recently started studying salt therapy’s potential benefits. Kat says she sees on a daily basis how salt therapy helps optimise wellbeing in her clients. ‘It increases lung function and breathing capacity in a completely natural way and there’s such a feeling of calm and wellness that comes afterwards – I see it in nearly everyone we treat from the very young to the very old,’ she said. ‘And as for myself I have not been sick a day since I started the Salt Room.’ For more information, visit thesaltroomperth.com.au
Don’t let EHB bore its way through WA! It’s EHB flight season! (September to April) What to look for BEETLE - The adult beetle is brownish black to greyish black with distinctive white patches on their wings. It is 8-25mm in length with antennae half as long as their body, and has two raised black shinny knobs behind its head.
LARVAE - The larvae are creamy white with a rippled body and can grow up to 40mm long. They bore tunnels inside the host pine wood for food. There will be no external sign of their activity until they create an exit hole to emerge from the wood as an adult beetle. EXIT HOLES - Exit holes are oval shaped, about 5-10mm in length, and run with the grain of the wood. Powdery wood dust can sometimes be found below exit holes.
Goodstart is committed to giving Australia’s children the best possible start in life, and continually listens to how we can support our families. All Goodstart centres across Western Australia provide:
How to report
• quality education and care, individualised to your child’s developmental needs
Download the MyPestGuide™ Reporter app or report online at mypestguide.agric.wa.gov.au You can upload photos of the suspected pest and its location and get a response.
Or contact Pest and Disease Information Service (PADIS) Phone: 08 9368 3080 • Email: padis@dpird.wa.gov.au
For more information about EHB visit agric.wa.gov.au/ehb
ONLINE WWW.KIDSINPERTH.COM
• a focus on forming close relationships during this critical time of brain development • nutritious and balanced home cooked meals catering for all allergy or dietary needs • quality Huggies Essential nappies for children aged six weeks to four years
Visit your local Goodstart centre to see the difference our centres are making.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
KIDSINPERTH