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Good progress on tackling highly invasive aquatic pest plants in the lower Waikato River area is a feature of an annual report presented today to Waikato Regional Councils integrated catchment management committee.

Alligator weed and yellow flag iris can clog waterways, crowd out native species and affect the productivity of farmland. They are a particular concern downstream of Huntly but can also be an issue in other parts of the region.

In response to the threat they pose, the council and other organisations last year obtained a regionwide resource consent to tackle designated aquatic weeds by spraying wherever they occur, using the most effective method available. Then, in the past financial year, the council employed a specialist aquatic weeds spraying contactor, who uses flat-bottomed vessels to reach hard to access places.

The work of this contractor, combined with another boat-based contractor and aerial spraying, had seen 80 hectares within the 2200 hectare lower Waikato River delta area treated for alligator weed, the 2013-14 report for the regional pest management plan said. The combined cost for control and surveillance work on a range of pest plants across the region last year was about $260,000.

"This has been a sound investment in keeping on top of plants that have significant potential to disrupt natural habitat and farm productivity in our region," said committee co-chair Stu Kneebone.

Other report highlights included the councils ground-based and aerial possum control operations exceeding targets in all areas. "Excellent possum control results are a credit to the regional councils dedicated contractors," the report said.

The Hamilton Halo possum and rat control work to bring native birds back to the city had continued to have solid success, with pest control targets being maintained in seven bird breeding areas near the city.

Council chair and Hamilton councillor Paula Southgate, who has taken a close interest in Halo, said: "We continue to get very positive feedback from the community about the numbers of tui in Hamilton and its exciting to see the recent reports of kereru and bellbirds in the city."

The council had also laid the groundwork for a saving of $196,000 over three years on possum control by amalgamating 17 treatment areas in the north-west Waikato into three new management areas and implementing multi-year control contracts.

"This latest annual report highlights very good work by staff and contactors when it comes to containing animal and plant pests," said the committees other co-chair Stuart Husband.

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Invasive aquatic weeds targeted

CHANDLER, AZ (CBS5) -

A Chandler man with bees on his property said he got stung pretty bad. However, he wasn't talking about the bees, but about the bee removal company he hired to get rid of them.

Over the years, consumers have told CBS 5 News thatwhen they have a pest emergency, especially bees, they often can't get a lot of information from companies over the phone regarding price and time to complete. Not getting at least a rough estimate before technicians come out, can lead to a bad experience.

"They should do it right the first time," Glenn Shupe said.

This past June, Shupe found a swarm of bees in his backyard.

He said the bee removal company he called refused to give a price estimate over the phone or upon arrival at his house. Shupe said the technician took a total of five minutes to complete the job and then handed him a bill for $170.

"Right away I was uncomfortable with the price, but the job was done, so, at that point, I had written a check to him," Shupe said.

If the bees returned, Shupe said the technician promised to come back, but that second visit would cost up to $75.

The bees did come back. Shupe said the companydidn't respond to his calls for help, so he bought his own bee suit and exterminated them himself. Shupe's phone logs show his many calls to the company to discuss the matter but he says all he got was the cold shoulder.

"After I would talk to them, they'd hang up on me, I'd call back again, they didn't answer. So that was the frustration, I knew they were looking at the phone number and not answering," Shupe said.

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How to handle pest control companies on the phone

Molino de viento en lagopark restaurante en los patios norte de santander
a travs de YouTube Capture.

By: Agrotools Surgente

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Molino de viento en lagopark restaurante en los patios norte de santander - Video

For Sale, 266 Rouge Road in Westwood Winnipeg
Wonderful Westwood! This 2-storey home features a centre hall plan with huge living room; updated eat-in kitchen with cherry stained maple cabinets and newer patio doors to the deck and large...

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For Sale, 266 Rouge Road in Westwood Winnipeg - Video

266 Rouge Road in Westwood Winnipeg with Andrea Wiebe
Wonderful Westwood! This 2-storey home features a centre hall plan with huge living room; updated eat-in kitchen with cherry stained maple cabinets and newer patio doors to the deck and large...

By: Andrea Wiebe

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266 Rouge Road in Westwood Winnipeg with Andrea Wiebe - Video

View of where the patio doors will be overlooking the backyard/hill/river.

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View of where the patio doors will be overlooking the backyard/hill/river. - Video

For homeowner with an outdoor space (patio, deck, porch, etc.) attached to their homes, patio doors are a vital component. Without easy access to those outdoor spaces, gathering with family and friends there becomes less inviting. Replacing older, difficult to open and close patio doors will provide a warm, inviting atmosphere for friends and family to gather together in the beautiful New Jersey outdoors.

The patio doors we at All County Exteriors install are of the highest quality. Each one is designed using insulated frames and advanced, energy efficient glass in order to maximize durability and minimize the amount of energy that escapes through your doors.

Your patio doors provide a protective barrier for your home against the elements, and unless they are study and durable they will break down. A broken down patio door will lose its initial beauty and become more and more difficult to use. And for a door that opens to an outdoor gathering space you need your patio doors to swing or slide freely.

Not only are our patio doors durable and easy to use, they are also designed with expansive glass panels to allow natural light to stream into your home. On sunny days this allows you to turn off your electric lights and save a little extra money on your energy bills.

Dont go another spring or summer with outdated, underperforming patio doors. Make the switch to elegant replacement doors from All County Exteriors and see the difference they will make in your home.

As with all of the products we install, our patio doors are backed by a manufacturer warranty as well as our own 15-Year Workmanship Warranty. For full details on patio doors and windows in Monmouth County NJ and beyond, call us at All County Exteriors or request a quote today!

Start Improving Your Home Today!

One call to All County Exteriors and youll be on the path towards a better home. Call us at 732-370-2780 or visit our Contact Us page to request a quote on doors and windows in Monmouth County NJ and Ocean County NJ.

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Artist Alice Sinclair and her husband Len stand next to her winning painting of a family truck at the Taieri Art Group Exhibition in Mosgiel two weeks ago. Photo supplied.

Alice Sinclair painted an old Karrier truck that had been a part of her family for 57 years, and won the award for best Taieri painting in the Taieri Art Group Exhibition two weeks ago.

The truck was one of the first bought by Mrs Sinclair's husband Len and his brother Ray in 1957, as part of their local contracting business.

The painting clearly showed the truck's original paintwork with ''R and L Sinclair Contractors, Mosgiel'' written on the door.

''It's a well-known truck,'' Mrs Sinclair said.

It was used to cart logs, firewood and gravel from Outram to Dunedin airport.

Local farmers also used it to cart hay and Mrs Sinclair had even driven it herself.

''It was used everywhere.''

The truck is no longer in its prime and lies dormant in long grass behind the Sinclairs' home.

Mrs Sinclair said they hoped to have it restored at some point, but she was not sure when.

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Award-winning painting of old truck staying put

October 14, 2014, 12:57 PM Last updated: Tuesday, October 14, 2014, 12:57 PM

PATERSON The citys Historic Preservation Commission has named various individuals, businesses and organizations as recipients of its annual awards.

The Good Graces Award went to Alpine Painting & Sandblasting Contractors for their leadership and generous donations of resources and professional expertise to help the community in repainting Patersons field of dreams, Hinchliffe Stadium, a National, State and Municipal Historic Landmark.

Scott Seale won the Stewardship Award for a Paterson Historic Commercial Building for his efforts to maintain and preserve the historic character of his historic commercial building.

Related Management will be honored with the Stewardship Award for a Paterson Historic Industrial Building for the companys preservation of the Essex and Phoenix Mills building in the 1st Ward.

The Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders will be recognized for the Restoration of Lambert Tower with the Stewardship Award for Outstanding Public Project in Historic Restoration/Rehabilitation.

The Commission will also honor The Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson for its rehabilitation of St. Michaels Church with the Stewardship Award for Rehabilitation of a Paterson Historic Ecclesiastical Building.

The preservation commissions annual awards dinner is scheduled for Wed., Oct. 29 at 6:30 pm at the Hamilton & Ward Steakhouse in the Center City Mall. Tickets are $65 per person, for a buffet dinner and dessert. Profits realized from the event will be dedicated to the Historic Markers Fund administered by the Commission.

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Paterson Historic Preservation Commission announces award winners

1 hour ago by Bob Yirka LED Lamp with E27 Edison screw. Image: Wikipedia.

A pair of researchers with the New Zealand research institute Scion, has found that flying invertebrates are more attracted to LED lights than to conventional outdoor lighting. In their paper published in the journal, Ecological Applications, Stephen Pawson and Martin Bader describe a simple study they carried out to see how attractive lighting was to flying bugs and what they found in doing so.

LEDs are in the news of course, because the trio of researchers that invented the blue-light variety just won the Nobel Prize in physics. Their work has led to LEDs that are bright enough to use in regular lighting applications but use far less energy and last much longer. In this new effort, the research pair suggests that there is a side-effect of LED lighting that might cause ecological problems.

Modern street lights are generally sodium vapor lampsthey're more efficient than most other pre-LED lighting and emit yellow rather than white light. Insects, as we all know are attracted to light, white or yellow, but it seems they are even more attracted to blue light, and that's the kind of light that is generated by LED bulbsthey only look white because of a phosphor coating that stretches much of the light into a longer wavelength. We may not be able to see the blue light, but bugs can.

To find out just how much more attractive moths, flies, etc., find LEDs (as compared to sodium vapor lamps) the researchers set sticky paper next to both types of lights out in a field for a period of time at night, then collected the results and counted how many specimens they'd captured. They found that the paper next to the LEDs had approximately 48 percent more bugs than those next to traditional lighting. This could be a problem they suggest because it could mean LEDs are interfering with food webs or drawing more flying critters into urban areasin one extreme example they note putting LED lights at seaports could contribute to the spread of invasive species such as gypsy moths.

The researchers also tried the same experiment using different LED brands and types and with different filters but found the results remained the samethe bugs came at all of them in hordes.

Explore further: US Nobel winner sees 'dream of LED lighting' become reality

More information: Ecological Applications. Volume 24, Issue 7 (October 2014). DOI: 10.1890/14-0468.1

2014 Tech Xplore

As a modern culture, we crave artificial white lightsthe brighter the better, and ideally using less energy than ever before. To meet the ever-escalating demand for more lighting in more places and to ...

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Researchers find LEDs attract more flying invertebrates than conventional lighting