Borer, rats and wasps in Upper Moutere
Old village houses, lifestyle blocks, vineyards and orchards. Richard gets under the floor and into the roof space to find what’s working there, treats it, and checks in after the job.
If Richard’s on a job when you ring, your call is still answered and he calls you back.
“… he listened to my concerns … he was very thorough. Would I recommend, yes definitely.”
- Treats
- Rats and mice, wasps, borer, ants, spiders, flies, cockroaches and fleas
- Where
- Motueka, Riwaka, the Moutere, Māpua and Ruby Bay
- Experience
- More than 15 years in the trade
- Quotes
- Free inspection and quote
- You call or send the formA photo of what you’re seeing helps
- Richard rings youTo go over it and book a time
- Free inspection and quoteAt your place, before any work starts
- Treatment, then a check-inHe makes sure it’s worked
What’s about this month?
This month is lit on the strip. Where a pest keeps a season, its band shows the months it’s most about.
This monthBusiestIn season
Tell Richard what you’re seeingBorer
Busiest October to February.
Borer beetles chew their way out of the timber from October to February, leaving fresh holes and fine dust.
Rats or mice
Busiest June to August.
Winter is the commonest time for rats and mice to get into the house.
Wasps
In season September to May; busiest February to May.
Queens start new nests in spring. Nests grow all summer and are busiest in late summer and autumn, raising next year’s queens.
What Richard treats in Upper Moutere
Upper Moutere is mostly lifestyle properties now, among vineyards, orchards and pine, around an old village with homes going back to the 1880s. That gives Richard three main jobs here: borer in the older houses, rats and mice in the sheds, and wasps in the banks and hedges.
He starts under the floor of an older house, checks the roof space, then the sheds and outbuildings, and quotes the lot.
If you’re doing up one of the older village houses, have Richard look underneath before the work starts: borer in the bearers and joists is far easier to treat before new floors go down.
How a job runs in Upper Moutere
Tell us what you’re seeing
Ring, or fill in the form and add a photo if you have one. Richard gets back to you, goes over it and books a time.
The free inspection
Richard visits and goes through the roof space, the subfloor and the outbuildings, finding where they’re living and how they’re getting in.
Quote, then treatment
You get a quote before anything’s done. Once you’re happy, Richard and the team treat it, working around your household, pets included.
The check-in
After the job, Richard checks in with you to make sure it’s worked.
He came out to quote and sent it through the same day. We booked right away.
… worked around our dog with no issues …
Upper Moutere, the old German village
German families off the St Pauli founded the village as Sarau in 1843, and it was renamed Upper Moutere during the First World War. The Germans brought the first grapes into the region, and vineyards still sit among the orchards.
The hills behind the coast were mostly orchard by the late 1920s. In the 1930s depression many were ripped out and planted in pine, and today’s lifestyle blocks sit in that mix of vines, fruit and forest, with plenty of cover for rats and banks for wasp nests.
Any village house built before 1952 went up before boron-treated framing, so Richard checks its subfloor for borer.
Tips and questions for Upper Moutere
- In an older house, check the subfloor bearers between October and February for new holes and fine dust.
- Keep feed and fruit in sealed bins in the shed through the winter.
- Walk the vineyard and orchard banks in late summer and watch for wasps using one hole.
Upper Moutere questions
Do you check old village houses for borer?
Yes. Richard gets under the floor with a torch, finds any fresh holes and dust, and tells you how far it’s gone before he quotes.
Can you treat the sheds on a lifestyle block?
Yes. Sheds, garages and outbuildings go into the same inspection and quote as the house.
When should I look for borer?
From October to February, when the beetles come out and fresh holes appear.
Richard also covers Motueka, Lower Moutere and Māpua. All towns we cover
Get a free quote in Upper Moutere
Tell Richard what you’re seeing and where. Photos help.
What to send Richard
- A photo, if you can get one: droppings, a nest, holes in timber or an ant trail
- Where they are: inside, up in the ceiling, under the floorboards, in the shed or out in the orchard
- When you first noticed them
- Who’s home, or when the bach is empty
- For borer, the year the house went up, if you know it
Richard gets back to you to go over it, then visits to inspect and quote, free of charge.
Thanks, we’ve got your details.
Richard will get back to you to go over it and book a visit.