Sanford to join wasp battle
Sanford has cast its line in the battle to sink the wasp invasion in the Marlborough Sounds.
The aquaculture company’s Havelock-based staff have partnered with the Department of Conservation (DOC) to provide raw materials and manpower for this Wasp Wipeout season.
The company’s workers will help lay out the bait and the company will also cover the associated costs.
Sanford general manager of aquaculture Ted Culley said the decision to lend support to Stuff’s Wasp Wipeout project stemmed from meetings with local groups regarding the space or allocation of mussel farms in the Marlborough Sounds.
A key issue that came from the meetings was the increased impact of wasps in the Pelorus Sound in particular, which affected tourists and locals alike.
‘‘These wasps ruin people’s enjoyment, they ruin the wildlife, and also impacts on honey producers as well because they attack the bees at that stage as well,’’ Culley said.
‘‘Sanford and our employees live and work here too, so this is playing our part in making it a better place to be and we’re happy to make that contribution.’’
Sanford’s initial contribution would see staff assist DOC in the Pelorus Sound area, where most of its business operations were based.
A little closer to home, the management team had taken on an area near Cullen’s Point as their own pet project.
Culley said Sanford’s participation in the Wasp Wipeout programme was an extension of other environmental projects which saw staff taking on guardianship roles at local beaches and campsites.
He was unsure of the total investment that Sanford would make towards the project, beyond the purchase of around 10 per cent of raw materials required for this season.
‘‘We’ve talked to [DOC] and said well, let’s have a look after that to see what we might be able to help with in the future.’’
Adam Riding, of the DOC partnerships team, said Sanford’s involvement was ‘‘a perfect example’’ of community-led action, from contributing funds to handson involvement
‘‘Sanford are a big employer in the region, they see the value for their staff and also the visitors to the area of having less wasps which are obviously a major problem.’’
Riding said DOC was working with Sanford to ascertain where wasp numbers were at their worst and where the most value could be gained from sending Sanford to do the work.
‘‘We can’t say exactly where we’ll be doing things but we’re very much at the stage in summer where wasps are switching onto a protein diet, so what we’re doing is getting out and doing some testing which involves putting out some protein, usually fish, in the areas we think we’re seeing the wasps and think they are on proteins.’’
This process involved putting the baits out, counting the numbers of wasps on the baits an hour later and making sure the right threshold was being achieved.
Once the results of the prebaiting determined where the main work would take place, teams would then lay the Vespex bait stations in February.
DOC’s wider Sounds operation would focus mostly on areas of human interest; campsites, picnic areas, and the Queen Charlotte Track.
The Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve and the predator-free Motuara Island would also get the wipeout treatment.
‘‘We’ve got some of the highest wasps numbers in the world around here, but the Wasp Wipeout programme gives us the best possible chance of giving a boost to the local biodiversity giving them a helping hand and also allowing people to enjoy these areas and recreating these areas without having to worry about being stung,’’ Riding said.