Being Pest Savvy In 2021

Every now and then New Zealanders have a moment where they secretly – or not so secretly – thank the stars that they don’t live in Australia. Case in point: nature. From crocs to snakes to kangaroos, and their hundreds of species of toxic plants, it seems that just about everything in Australia’s natural environment is out to severely maim if not outright kill people. The smug Kiwi, at this point, may like to boast that our nature and wildlife are far less dangerous.

But not so fast! New Zealand has its fair share of problematic wildlife too. Of course, it’s to be expected that an unpleasant encounter with an animal or insect may occur in more rural areas. Ironically, negative encounters are most likely to be with a domesticated animal like a dog rather than with something actually wild. But even in the more urban areas of the country, it’s not uncommon to find infestations of unpleasant critters.

Indeed, New Zealand cities are often home to many pests, including rodents, wasps, cockroaches, and flies. Auckland pest control, for example, is a booming industry, as both residential and commercial properties in this city are often in need of extermination services. Without such services, these more densely populated areas could see a sharp increase in all kinds of health concerns, including salmonella poisoning and diarrhoea outbreaks.

Pests also need to be monitored in more rural areas, as they not only pose health risks to humans, but to animals as well. A further concern is that should livestock become infected, it could have a serious impact on food production and the country’s overall economy.

So, while yes, there are many reasons to be thankful for living in New Zealand, it might be time to give the Aussies a bit of a break and admit that we, too, have potentially deadly creatures in our midst.

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