Supplement feed the bushbabies every evening:- chopped up banana, make a porridge of Nestum No1 mixed with plain, low fat or fat free yogurt and sweetened with a tiny bit of honey. Meal worms make a high protein snack. (It is wise to wait until the Thrushes have gone to bed!).
Plant indigenous trees and plants in gardens and on pavements with special emphasis on the Acacia karroo (Sweet thorn) and save the surrounding bushbaby habitat that still remains by encouraging developers to be sensitive to the needs of these cute and harmless creatures.
Control the cat population by spaying and neutering, reducing the number of ferals roaming the area. Young bushbabies are very vunerable to cats.
Make the electric fences bushbaby friendly by making the top and bottom wires dummy wires and widening the space between it and the next.
ENSURE that you REALLY HAVE rats in the roof (bushbabies also nest in rooves), before using an environmentally less damaging rat poison i.e. Racumen. Try adopt new strategies of dealing with pests in your garden, limit the use of herbicides and pesticides the key is to maintain a healthy ratio of pest and predator in your garden.
Ensure that swimming pools have some sort of escape route i.e. a sturdy branch
A rope bridge made from Polypropolene can be strung across high traffic areas, put knots in at regular intervals.
Install as many nesting logs as possible, in and around complexes and houses.
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BUSHBABY NESTING LOGS must be durable - sisal logs are short lived. Entrance hole = diameter of 50 mm*, depth 200 to 300 mm, chamber diameter of +/-100mm (larger tends to be attractive to bees). This can be a box made from pine or a drilled out log. It should be at a minimum height of 2m in a tree or on a pole. see illustration. There should be no leaves around the entrance. * Any larger and it may be used by Indian Minors |
This is a list of Indigenous trees and shrubs that are suitable for the Craigavon area.
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Bushbabies are at home in all trees but prefer indigenous trees because of the insect life and especially the Acacia karroo because it supplies gum, is rich in insect life and nesting sites.
* These trees suitable for the low-lying/colder areas.
**Take care not to get the very similar invasive alien stinkwoods Celtis sinensis and Celtis australis
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Acacia karroo * (Sweet thorn)
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Hardy, deciduous, drought resistant. Produces edible gum. Pretty yellow sweet scented flowers.
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Bushbabies,
Birds, Butterflies
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Roads
Gardens
River
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Combretum * erythrophyllum (Bush willow)
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Hardy, deciduous.
Leaves turn russet in Autumn
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Birds
Insects
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Roads
Gardens
River
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Gymnoaporia buxifolia * (Pendoring)
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Hardy, evergreen, much branched shrub. Cluster of small white flowers with an unpleasant smell.
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Birds,
Insects,
Butterflies
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Gardens
River
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Rhus Pyroides * (Taaibos)
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Hardy, deciduous, drought resistant shrubby tree, edible fruit
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Birds,
Insects
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Gardens
River
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Celtis africana * (White stinkwood)
NB See **
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Hardy, deciduous, grey/white stemmed attractive tree which can grow up to 20m high.
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Birds,
Insects
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Roads
Gardens
Rivers
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Rhus lancia *
(Karee)
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Hardy, evergreen, drought resistant
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Birds,
Insects
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Roads
River
Gardens
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Euclea crispa
Bloubos/Gwarrie
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Semi-hardy, evergreen drought resistant, rounded shrubby tree
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Birds,
Insects
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Roads
Gardens
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Dais cotinifolia
Pompom tree
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Smallish, pretty, drought resistant tree, flowers pink and showy
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Birds,
Insects
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Roads
Gardens
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Ziziphus mucronata
Buffalo Thorn
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Semi-hardy, drought resistant thorny, flowers sweet scented, fruit edible
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Birds,
Insects
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Roads
Gardens
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Kiggelaria africana
Wild peach
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Almost evergreen, semi-hardy, attractive fruit , needs water.
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Birds(esp cuckoos)
Insects(caterpillars)
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Roads
Gardens
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Diospyros lyciodes *
Blue bush
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Small hardy scrambling shrubby tree deciduous, scented cream flowers, edible fruit
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Birds,
Insects
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Gardens
River
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Dombeya rotundifolia
Wild pear
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Hardy drought resistant, deciduous. Covered in cream flowers in Spring
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Birds,
Insects
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Roads
Gardens
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Cussoia paniculata
Cabbage tree
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Hardy deciduous, drought resistant. Picturesque
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Birds,
Insects
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Roads
Gardens
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Acacia caffra
Common hook thorn
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Large, deciduous, hardy tree, showy cream flower catkins
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Birds,
Insects
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Roads
Gardens
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Olea africana
Wild Olive
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Hardy evergreen dense tree
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Birds,
Insects
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Roads
Gardens
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Buddleja saligna
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Hardy evergreen shrub/tree Showy scented flowers
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Birds
Insects
Butterflies
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Gardens
River
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Buddleja salvifolia
Wild sage
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Semi-hardy evergreen drooping shrub. Sweetly scented flowers
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Birds
Insects
Butterflies
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Gardens
River
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Meal Worms - larvae of the Darkling Beetle (Tenebrio molitor).
The female beetle lays about 500 to 1000 white bean-shaped sticky eggs. In about 7 days these hatch into tiny worms that moult their exoskeletons as they grow. At about 90 days the larvae, now about 2cm, become pupae. About 14 days later the pupae metamorphose into beetles.
Make your own Mealworm Farm:- Into a plastic container (a washing-up bowl or bigger) place about a 5cm layer of bran and/or oatmeal.
There is no need to put a lid on the container, as the beetles cannot fly and the worms cannot crawl out. However, if a lid is used, it must have plenty of air holes. Put a halved potato or gem squash, cut surface down, onto the bran layer. The vegetables must be replaced if they begin to go mouldy. Over the top place 2 or 3 layers of a cotton material and on top of that a sheet of plain cardboard that covers about half of the surface area. The beetles need a piece of old wood on which to lay their eggs. With very little effort from you, there will be an ongoing cycle producing healthy mealworms that will be a delight for bushbabies, birds, lizards and for the more adventurous, fried mealworms are delicious....!
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