10/05/2005

'Termite HIll' nightmare ends

It was the end of the nightmare for Otorohanga residents after the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) officially declared the town "'termite-free,"' last week.
The declaration came after 15 years of uncertainty for residents in termite-infested areas of Otewa Rd and Old Te Kuiti Rd - a neighbourhood dubbed "'Termite Hill"'.
The infestation problem initially came to the community's attention in 1990 after a resident in the area noticed winged insects emerging from a doorjamb and informed Otorohanga District Council.
The insects were later identified as Australian Subterranean Termites- an unwanted organism under the Biosecurity Act 1993.
While the source of the termites was originally unknown it is now believed they were introduced into the area in the 1950s through two imported utility poles.
Initial attempts to exterminate the termites were unsuccessful.
In 1999 local and international experts formulated an eradication plan, which made use of advanced methods that had been developed since the termites were first reported nine years earlier.
Led by Mark Ross, national advisor for MAF, the eradication programme included the placement of 300 bait stations using a slow acting toxin, sticky traps to catch termites as they flew around as part of their breeding cycle, and 200 wooden stakes as well as inspections of hardwood utility poles and other areas to monitor termite activity.
Intense monitoring was carried out at 28 properties in Otorohanga to ensure the successful eradication, with about a dozen houses initially infested.
By March 2000 - three months after the plan was put in place - termite activity had ceased.
No further activity has been detected in the past five years, despite ongoing and intensive monitoring.

'Termite Hill' - people's biggest assets were being chewed apart

At Thursday's meeting MAF representatives, local residents and council representatives met to celebrate the official end of Otorohanga's termite eradication programme.
Deputy mayor Hugh Earwaker said the council was thrilled with the formal announcement the pests had been eradicated. I
"We are very appreciative of the work that MAF, and particularly Mark Ross, have put into achieving this great result for our community"
Former Otorohanga mayor Eric Tait presented Mr Ross with a special certificate thanking him for the hard work he put into the eradication programme.
"We've been lucky that over the whole process we've only had one face," said Mr Tait.
Mr Tait, who was mayor during the majority of the eradication process, said the termite infestation was extremely traumatic for the families who were affected.
"Here were people's biggest assets being chewed apart," he said.
Residents affected by the infestation formed a support group called RASTs - Residents Against Subterranean Termites.
Mr Ross said he hoped that Otorohanga could now leave behind the stigma attached to having a termite problem.
"Hopefully from now on Otorohanga can be known as Kiwi Town rather than Termite Town."
However he still encouraged residents to be aware of any signs the pests may have returned.
"We still need the resident's support that they keep their eyes and. ears open."
Anyone who notices anything suspicious should collect a specimen and contact MAF or the district council.
As part of the general forest biosecurity surveillance programme MAF will also continue annual checks of the area to ensure the termites do not return.
"Let's hope we've put it to bed, but bear with us. We will continue annual monitoring in Otorohanga," said Mr Ross.
To mark the end. of the process, Mr Ross has written a paper on Otorohanga's successful termite eradication programme.
He said. the paper has been accepted, for publication and will feature in a journal in Singapore.