Advice for Working Bee workers*:
When working around Kauri If you possibly can, please:
● Dig an old pair of tramping or gum boots out of your cupboard to use exclusively for
working bees and working around Kauri
● Keep a bucket or strong plastic bag in your car boot for transporting your ‘Kauri’
boots and tools
The night before a weeding bee:
● Scrub boots and tools the night before a weeding bee removing every trace of dirt
● Spray with bleach
● Allow to dry overnight
● Wear different footwear to the site
● Put your boots on at the site
● Spray generously with trigene
On site around a Kauri tree:
• The root zone of a Kauri is approximately three times the size of the canopy- its
green, leafed head, and is most intense in the area under the canopy
● Remember – Kauri are communicators. Say a few quiet words to yourself
acknowledging the tree as a reminder of its sentient nature
● Avoid the use of sprays or chemicals within the area of the canopy. Hands and tools
are generally sufficient in this area
● Before leaving the site scrub and spray your boots and tools with trigene before
putting them into your bag or bucket.
Before you leave a site:
• Every tiny speck of dirt can contain 1000 spores of kauri dieback. Before you leave a
site change back into the footwear you were wearing when you arrived. Do not wear
boots off site, or have boots or tools loose in your car
• Do not remove weed and soil material from kauri rootzones –compost on site ONLY
When you get home:
● Scrub every trace of dirt from your boots and tools
● Allow to dry
● Store for use in weeding bees
* These recommendations have been made because the KDB pathogen Phytophthora agathidicida can last in soil on boots or any other surface for ten years. These practices have been developed with input from Mels Barton and ZaccForbes Smith as recommended for being the closest to a sterile technique we can develop for our volunteer workers
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