Gauteng Smallholder Dec 2016 / Jan 2017 | Page 15

Although the rainy season has now come with a vengeance ( as we go to press the East Rand is having one of the wettest Novembers in the past 20 years ) the network of dams feeding Gauteng is not replenishing as fast as would be wished and the call is still out to save water . One of the water-conserving practices being encouraged is the use of grey water for irrigation . While this is a worthy exercise , granted , on many smallholdings it will be wasteful expenditure and the practice could even be potentially harmful to the environment and the family . That ' s because the volume of grey water generated by a water-conscious household does not warrant any great investment in recycling infrastructure , which is

From page 11 we have collected information designed to provide us and our clients with the most potentially viable bat house and integrated pest management programme . “ The key to this success depends primarily on the servicing and monitoring of our bat house programmes . “ During the bi-annual service we check for occupancy , we check bat house condition and replace or repair when necessary . We collect temperature data from data loggers , we collect guano for infrastructure nonetheless necessary if the water is to be
DNA marker analysis which provides us with information on both the bat species who utilise the bat houses as well as the prey species which they consume . “ Where new information has provided us with greater insight into design , location or orientation of bat houses , we implement these improvements during the course of the bi-annual service . The service component is critical in order to facilitate occupancy and to ensure continued occupancy .”

WATER

Dispelling the great grey water myth

Calculate your grey water production before you spend money recycling it , because you probably generate less re-usable water than you think used safely in the long term . A simple set of numbers will help you to calculate your domestic grey water produc-
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BATS & AHS To provide a selection of artificial roosts appealing to both bats of the same species as well as bats from different species , Eco Solutions uses three fundamental designs in their “ bat banks ”. These are the nursery box , the sixchamber box and the Old George box ( an American design ). The positioning of these three designs in parallel allows a greater range of roosting sites from which bats can choose , says Eco Solutions . For more information : Eco- Solutions Tel : 011 791- 7326

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