Waimea Weekly Locally Owned and Operated
Wednesday 21 June 2023
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Retiring crewman reflects on career
Waimea post backto-back wins
‘Game changer’ wasp control insects die MAX FRETHEY
Local Democracy Reporter
A “game changer” wasp biocontrol programme has been delayed after the two insects imported to deal with them failed to breed in captivity and have all perished. The insects were originally
planned to be released in April this year. “This was going to be the one thing that would be so awesome for our community,” says Tasman District Council’s environmental information manager, Rob Smith. Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research has been overseeing the
application and preparation of the two insects: a species of hoverfly and the wasp nest beetle. Project lead Dr Bob Brown says the two insects are “extremely difficult” to rear in captivity. They were imported from England and are reared in a quarantine facility to meet criteria set
out by the Ministry for Primary Industries before they’re released. “The colonies of these two species did not survive the simulated overwintering programme that they must go through to synchronise them with the Southern Hemisphere season,” he says. The artificial winter initiates dia-
pause within the insects, an essential step to trigger their development into adults. “It’s this process in which the insects are at their most vulnerable,” he says. “While I was extremely
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Cycling the Nullarbor Plain to a wedding ANNE HARDIE Hamish and Joan Blanch have lost count of the kilometres they have cycled across the globe and have just added another 3,000km in crossing the Nullarbor Plain between Adelaide and Perth. During the five-week mission to get to their son’s wedding in Perth they tackled flies, road trains and running out of water, yet experienced the incredible vastness of the plain and spectacular sunrises and sunsets. It was the tenth long-distance cycling tour for the Richmond couple who set out on their first tour nearly 50 years ago and plan an annual long-distance trip. Over the years, they have crisscrossed North America and Canada on their bikes, including the Trans America Trail, explored Europe, cycled in near-freezing temperatures across Iceland despite it being summer, and island-hopped from
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Hamish and Joan Blanch cycled across Australia’s Nullarbor Plain to get to their son’s wedding. Photo: Anne Hardie.
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