Pests of the Bay of Plenty - Bay of Plenty Regional Council

RESTRICTED pestsWonder Tree Idesia polycarpaA deciduous tree up to 12 m tall with ornamental heart-shapedleaves and yellow-green flowers, followed by hanging clustersof fleshy orange-red berries. Flowers are dioecious; individualflowers are either male or female on separate trees, therefore bothmale and female plants must be present to produce berries.Risk area: Roadsides, waste land and coastal areas.Restricted Pest AnimalsArgentine ants Linepithema humileArgentine ants were first found in Auckland at the Mount Smartsite of the Commonwealth Games in 1990. They are very small,approximately 2-3 mm long, and it is easier to tell them from otherants by their colour and their trails. Light to dark honey-brown,they move in trails up to five or more ants wide and travel up treesand buildings. Argentine ants have now moved to various parts ofNew Zealand.Darwin’s ants Doleromyrma darwinianaNative to Australia, Darwin’s ants are thought to have arrived inNew Zealand during the 1970s. Darwin’s ants are now establishedat many sea port locations including Mount Maunganui. They are2 mm long, with dark brown heads and light brown bodies andlegs. They are similar to Argentine ants, but Darwin’s ants producea foul odour when crushed. They can be found in cities and urbanareas where they enter homes in search of sweet foods.Eastern rosella Platycerus eximiusThese Australian parrots first established in Dunedin around 1910and later around Auckland in the 1970s. Vividly coloured, with aloud, carrying call and swift, undulating flight, eastern rosellas arelarger and much more colourful than native parakeets. They havewhite cheek patches, a scalloped yellow-green back, pale greenrump and yellow and green belly. Average size is around 330 mm.40Pests of the Bay of Plenty