Tom McFarlane (left) and Tyrell Dawson (both 5) look at a
South African praying mantis at North East Valley School,
Dunedin, yesterday. Photo by Linda Robertson.
A biosecurity breach was avoided in Dunedin this week,
thanks to curiosity and communication.
A praying mantis, taken to North East Valley School by an
excited Tyrell Dawson to show his friends, created quite a
stir.
The insect had been found by Tyrell's father, who works for a
catering company, in a box of Dargaville kumara.
Tom McFarlane, a classmate of Tyrell's, told his mother Mandy
Tocher about the insect, sparking an instant response.
She and Tom had been searching unsuccessfully for native
praying mantis, a type of insect she had as a child kept as a
pet.
When researching Tyrell's bug on the internet, she discovered
the insect was a South African praying mantis, which was a
threat to New Zealand's mantis population.
The breed was first identified in the country in 1978, but
had only become established in areas north of Nelson.
She contacted the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Maf)
and was told to not release the insect.
A Maf Biosecurity spokesman said, while the South African
praying mantis was not an "unwanted pest", they were"very
aggressive" and "compete with the native praying mantis".
A Department of Conservation staff member would visit the
school, talk to the children about biosecurity and why it was
important to protect native species, and remove the insect.
He was pleased the incident could be educational about
biosecurity.
ellie.constantine@odt.co.nz
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