Plea to get serious on Argentine ants
Jessica Wauchop
Gisborne District Council needs to take more responsibility for the eradication of Argentine ants in the region, says Manutuke woman Angela Rean.
Ms Rean presented the council with a petition signed by 815 people to support a total control strategy and commitment to eradicate Argentine and Darwin ants during a hearings committee meeting this week.
It was not fair to expect residents to cover the full cost of killing the pests when they came from neighbouring council land that was poorly monitored and maintained, said Ms Rean.
“We have only been at Manutuke for 13 months and our piece of paradise has turned into a nightmare.
“Not long after moving we realised we had a problem but we didn’t realise how big it was going to get. These ants started pouring out of every fence, all through the garden, everywhere . . . we felt as though we were drowning in them.
“We had sprayed the house with Ripcord when we moved in and that has been our only saving grace which has kept these ants out of our home.”
Argentine ants were first seen here in 2006 and have spread across the city towards Stout Street and the Botanical Gardens. They have also been sited in Wainui and are well established in Manutuke. This year Gisborne Boys’ High School had to spray for Argentine ants.
Ms Rean said her home neighboured council land and the ants continued to come back after spraying.
“We have spent hundreds of dollars in sprays . . . so I am asking the council to help, to step up and deal with the problem.
“The (Argentine ant) will have a serious impact on the environment of Gisborne. They monopolise pollen and nectar and have the gruesome appetite to eat nestlings in trees and on the ground.”
Ms Rean said Argentine ants, the 48th most invasive pest in the world, and Darwin ants could wreak havoc on the region’s citrus, wine and forestry industries.
“Everyone needs to act immediately and not wait because it will become a bigger problem.”
It was important to educate people about the ants to ensure they knew what they looked like and how to deal with them. It was important to eradicate the species early, she said.
Council officers suggested Argentine and Darwin ants retain their limited control status but for councillors to approve a commitment to treat council lands and start an education and advisory service.