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Category: Activities

A photomontage of 4 different wasp traps made from coke bottle hung up

Wasp and Hornet traps

We typically put a waap trap up around the house in summer to keep the number of wasps at bay. This year, they discovered a queen yellow legged hornet in the early stages of building a nest in Glenfield on the North Shore in October, while two males were spotted earlier in the year in Grafton and Albany. It is the first time a Queen has been found in Aotearoa.
Cows steaming in the cold air against the sunlight

Winter done and dusted

There was nothing extraordinary to write about this winter, really. It’s not been too wet and not too dry, neither too cold or too warm. We had a few frosty nights and a few pretty rainy days but all in all it was reasonably warm and okay from a mud perspective.
View into the valley with lots of fog on the ground, only hills and trees sticking out.

Frosty Days

The days have become short and cold, with some frosty mornings. Luckily, so far winter has not been as wet as last years.
A picture full of little red tomatoes

Good bye, sweet summer

Summer has come to an official end, and one can tell. The nights are getting colder, the fog in the morning gets more, although beautiful to watch.
Front picture of a brown cow in a paddock with blurry trees in background

Summer greetings

Half of January is over, and you be wondering what we have been up to.
Long table with lots of food on it and lots oof people looking into the camera smiling

Welcome to 2024

Bring on the challenges, 2024. It won’t always be easy, there may be hard work, there may be tears, but we will grow stronger together.
A wooden box (trap) with label next to a tree stump in the grass.

Keeping predators at bay

Pukeatua farmstay has 12 traps spread around the buildings and the paddocks. Every 2nd day they need checking for any caught rats or hedgehogs.
View across a lush green paddock with a house in the midground and sunset with lots of paddocks and forest behind in the background

Spring made space for Summer

Spring came and went, Summer took over without much changing. It’s still raining every other day and the sun shines intermittently. But on the bright side that has made all the grass grow.
Two wooden tunnel traps with open lids

Trap maintenance time

Pukeatua Farmstay has a number of various mechanical traps and bait station spread around the property.
Group of pinecones

Pinecones – Great Firestarters for Winter

With winter just around the corner your home will start to feel colder. We have some dry excellent quality pinecones for sale.
Two calves, one plain brows and one brown with white patches standing in the corner of a shelter

Our 2023 Newcomer calves

When our son did a placement on a nearby dairy farm during calving season, they forgot to book a calf for the bobby truck. That was the beginning of Caramel’s story.
Wom standing in the water in the paddock

February was more exciting than needed

February was thought to finally bring summer. What it brought instead was more rain – and storm.