Why we’re targeting the gardeners’ friend

Wasp Wipeout has acquired a new target, but it needs your help to gain ground against this pest.

The wipeout has always focused on common and German wasps, because those are the ones that really hammer beech forest biodiversity.

However, if you live in an urban area, it is far more likely that the wasps you’ve seen in your garden are a different type of wasp: the paper wasp.

The tricky thing about tackling paper wasps is their refusal to take bait. The only thing these picky eaters go for is other living insects, a habit that got them labelled the gardeners’ friend because of their effectiveness against cabbage moths.

Unfortunately, they are just as effective against monarch caterpillars and butterflies or other beneficial bugs as they are against pests.

The difference between paper wasps and Vespula wasps is akin to different genres of film: Vespula, the common and German wasps dominating New Zealand’s beech forests, are like action movies; while the paper wasp, which prefers a quiet life tucked under your eaves or hanging off the garden fence are maybe more like a thriller.

You never know when you’re going to accidentally stumble across a nest in your garden and rark up some angry, stinging pests.

For Wasp Wipeout to tackle the spreading problem, it’s going to take a community effort.

That’s why Wasp Wipeout is enlisting your help to deal with them one nest at a time.

Wait until twilight, when the wasps have returned to their nest, arm yourself with fly spray or wasp spray with good reach, and after making sure any vulnerable family members like the very young or old, the allergic, or your pets are safely inside, spray the nest.

Wait for the adults to die, then if you can easily reach the nest, snip it off into a bag to freeze overnight to kill any larvae inside.

To reduce the chances of reinfestation, ask your neighbours to check their properties, and offer to help if they need it.

There are three types of paper wasp in New Zealand, and none of them are native: the Australian, Asian, and European paper wasps.

The Australian paper wasp is an orange and black insect found mostly in the upper North Island, and has been in the country for over 100 years after an accidental introduction in the late 1800s.

The Asian paper wasp is a narrow black and yellow wasp with long dangling yellow legs, and arrived in the 1970s.

The most recent introduction sweeping the nation, the European paper wasp, looks very similar to the Asian paper wasp, and was accidentally introduced sometime between 2010 and 2013.

Richard Toft, who developed the revolutionary Vespex bait for Vespula wasps, said paper wasps were ‘‘the number one pest of urban areas’’.

Victoria University insect ecologist Professor Phil Lester said European paper wasps were ‘‘going to be a big issue’’ as they became more established in New Zealand.

‘‘People are just unaware of how much of an issue they’re going to be.

‘‘They’re spreading throughout the country. Last week people spotted them in Alexandra.’’

Until recently, the European wasps had been mostly established in the Nelson Tasman region, while the Asian paper wasp has established a firm grip on the country from top to bottom, being found as far south as Otago.

MARTIN DE RUYTER/ STUFF A nest like this in your letterbox or on your fence is vulnerable to a good fly spray, just make sure to snip the nest off and freeze it overnight once the adults are gone.

LUZ ZUNIGA/ STUFF Monarch caterpillars and butterflies are one of the beneficial insects targeted by paper wasps.