Related FAQs

Where should I take garden waste from the vegetation control zone?

All garden waste from within the vegetation control zone must be disposed of at either of these two facilities:

  • Living Earth Refuse Transfer Facilities, 2 Rosebank Road, Avondale.
  • Waitakere City Council Refuse Transfer Station, 20 Concourse Road, Henderson.

Remember that violating the vegetation control zone is an offence under the Biosecurity Act carrying a penalty of up to 3 months imprisonment or a fine of up to $50,000. For a corporation the penalty is a fine of up to $100,000.

Are there any alternatives to the vegetation control zone?
Aerial spraying is the only reliable way to reach larvae high in the canopies of hard-to-reach trees. MAF has investigated alternatives to aerial spraying but, unfortunately, none of them are viable. Two most frequently mentioned alternatives are ground spraying and host removal. (Hosts are plants that the painted apple moth eats or lives in.) Unfortunately neither are as effective as aerial spraying. Ground spraying doesn’t reach larvae high in canopies. Removing hosts wouldn’t work either because the pest would simply move to new hosts. The moth has quickly adapted to several native and introduced plants common in New Zealand and it is likely that it will adapt to many more.
What should I do if I live in or near the vegetation control zone?

Don’t take plants or garden waste - including trees, branches, shrubs, and flowers - outside the vegetation control zone. If you need to dispose of garden waste, you must take it to one of the two approved garden waste dumps:

  • Living Earth Refuse Transfer Facilities, 2 Rosebank Road, Avondale.
  • Waitakere City Council Refuse Transfer Station, 20 Concourse Road, Henderson.

and remember to be sure to cover infested vegetation when transporting it.

Residents wanting more information on the vegetation control zone should contact the painted apple moth information line.

What and where is the vegetation control zone?

MAF has established a vegetation control zone under the Biosecurity Act to limit the spread of the painted apple moth. The pest can be easily spread by moving plants they are living in so the vegetation control zone establishes a containment area that vegetation cannot be moved out of.

The vegetation control zone extends beyond areas where painted apple moths have been found and beyond the area covered by aerial operations.

A map of the vegetation control zone is now available:

  • Map of vegetation control zone - small GIF
  • Map of vegetation control zone - large JPG

Please contact the painted apple moth information line for more information.

Violating the vegetation control zone is an offence under the Biosecurity Act carrying a penalty of up to 3 months imprisonment or a fine of up to $50,000. For a corporation the penalty is a fine of up to $100,000.

Why is it taking so long to wipe it out?

Wiping out a pest like the painted apple moth takes time. It took three years to wipe out the white spotted tussock moth after it was discovered in Auckland in 1996. MAF has taken a less aggressive approach to the painted apple moth because it spreads more slowly and it was worth trying alternatives to aerial spraying first. Even so, MAF has successfully contained the painted apple moth to western Auckland and is on track to wipe it out.

What is being done to monitor the success of the programme?

MAF has an extensive monitoring programme to keep track of the painted apple moth.

  • Every week MAF conducts a ground survey of known infestations.
  • MAF frequently monitors traps set in and around the painted apple moth zone. The traps use live female moths as bait to catch male moths so that their breeding cycles can be monitored. The number of traps ranges from 100 in winter to 1,000 in spring and summer (when male moths are more active).
  • Every 7-8 weeks MAF conducts a detailed ground survey of thousands of western Auckland properties over a wide area in and around the painted apple moth zone. Surveyors search for egg masses, pupae, and caterpillar lifestages of the painted apple moth. Infestations are sprayed from the ground when found and plants which the pest is likely to feed on are often removed.
How do I notify MAF if i find a painted apple moth?

If you find a painted apple moth, contact the painted apple moth information line immediately:

How can I help wipe out the painted apple moth?

Residents have an important role in the fight to wipe out the painted apple moth. There are three things that residents can do:

  • Keep an eye out for painted apple moths in your garden, in parks, and on your dog after walking through parks.
  • Notify MAF immediately of any painted apple moths you find
  • Don't move garden waste out of the vegetation control zone to help prevent the pest from spreading

MAF has established a vegetation control zone under the Biosecurity Act to limit the spread of the painted apple moth. The pest can be easily spread by moving plants they are living in so the vegetation control zone establishes a containment area that vegetation cannot be moved out of.

The vegetation control zone extends beyond areas where painted apple moths have been found and beyond the area covered by aerial operations.

A map of the vegetation control zone is now available:

  • Map of vegetation control zone - small GIF
  • Map of vegetation control zone - large JPG

 

How did painted apple moth get here in 1999?

Nobody knows for sure how it got here but it was probably a stowaway on a shipping container from Australia. This is the most likely explanation because the pest was first found in an industrial area and till then wasn’t found anywhere in the world outside Australia.

What is the painted apple moth?

The painted apple moth (Teia anartoides) is a native Australian pest accidentally introduced to New Zealand. The moth is a minor pest in Australia but poses a serious threat to our gardens, crops, forests, native bush, and the communities that depend on them.

Is painted apple moth harmful to people?

Some people may be allergic to the caterpillar’s hairs.

Why is painted apple moth a pest?

The painted apple moth poses a serious threat to our gardens, crops, forests, native bush, and the communities that depend on them. The pest is a voracious and indiscriminate eater and destroys plants by eating their leaves. It is considered a minor pest in its native Australia where it and other moths are controlled by orchardists using pesticides. It poses a much greater threat to New Zealand’s horticulture and native forests and the moth has already adapted to native and introduced plants common throughout New Zealand.

What does the painted apple moth look like?

The painted apple moth is recognisable once you know what to look for.

There are five stages in the painted apple moth life cycle -- egg mass, larvae, pre-pupae, pupae (cocoon), and adult moths -- and the pest looks quite different at each stage. The painted apple moth is most distinctive in the larva (caterpillar) stage, when it is brightly coloured, hairy and easily recognised by the tufts of hair on its back. (No native caterpillars are hairy like the painted apple moth.)

What should I do if I find a painted apple moth?

If you find a painted apple moth, call 0800 96 96 96 immediately.

How does painted apple moth threaten our forests?

The painted apple moth is quickly adapting to New Zealand and has been found on several common native species already. The pest is a voracious eater, defoliating, and eventually destroying, trees it feeds on. If uncontrolled, the pest could spread throughout our native and exotic forests causing widespread destruction.

How does painted apple moth spread?

Female moths are flightless but male moths can fly and newly hatched caterpillars can "balloon" up to a few hundred metres in the wind using silken threads. Most importantly, the pest can be spread by residents moving plants they’re living in.

How much damage could painted apple moth do to our economy?

If it isn't wiped out the moth could cost the country $350 million over the next 20 years.