Waimea Weekly Locally Owned and Operated
Wednesday 22 December 2021
Santa Claus comes to town Evelyn Louis, Kelly Waller and Khloe Waller were some of the lucky kids that were able to meet Santa Claus during his annual visit to the Richmond Mall this December. Santa has been meeting some children in the region on the nice list in the lead up to Christmas and will be at the mall until Christmas Eve before heading back to the North Pole. Photo: Erin Bradnock.
World’s most invasive ant set to explode Jo Kent Reporter
jo@waimeaweekly.co.nz
One of the world’s most problematic ants is set to explode in Richmond this summer after a wet winter and humidity have created the perfect breeding ground for the pest.
The Argentine ant is on the top 10 list of invasive species on the planet and pose a serious threat to New Zealand’s biodiversity. Tasman District Council biosecurity officer Ken Wright says they accidentally arrived at Port Nelson in 2001 and since then, they’ve infiltrated the whole region.
“The first place they were detected in Richmond was a bakery on Queen Street. Now they are all over Wensley Road and are rampant in the Hart Road and Hill Street area.” Debug Nelson owner Shane Warland says they are aggressive and territorial and can bite people.
“They literally eat every other insect in the garden, good or bad. I’ve been to places in Richmond where you can’t put your kids out on the back lawn as they will get covered in ants and get bitten. They’ve even been known to crawl into cots and eat the contents of a baby’s nappy.” Besides being a major household and garden pest, Argentine
ants pose a serious threat to our natural areas and biodiversity because of their aggressiveness and appetite. “These ants will also invade your property and they are on the rise this summer because of the weather conditions this year,” Shane says.
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