The Ahuahu Argentine ant eradication has been running since 2018. Argentine ants are one of the world’s most invasive species. They form super-colonies and out compete and predate many other species, threatening our native flora and fauna. Volunteers are critical to our project eradicating these ants, by working in groups to monitor the ants and also applying paste bait to control colonies. Volunteers must be fit and capable of walking up and down hills in hot and windy conditions. Ant project trips run over the summer months.

Our weed control projects run from autumn to spring, drawing on volunteers who enjoy more physically challenging work. Our efforts mainly target woolly nightshade and mothplant in the forested southern area of the island. Previous volunteer weeks have been successful at mitigating the spread of woolly nightshade, with noticeable reduction in the density in those weeds and improved recruitment of native plants there. However, due to the long viability of woolly nightshade seeds in soil, we need to maintain the pressure and not allow new growth to mature and wind back our efforts.

Our volunteer trips run for one week, requiring a commitment to stay for this time. There is often an option to stay for more than one week.