Time to act – unite to wage war on wasps

effect on the insect life in our gardens. They are indiscriminate feeders, and while they may help out by killing pest insects, unfortunately they also attack our native butterfly and moth species, not to mention having decimated the monarch butterfly population.

Because the paper wasp feeds only on live insects it will not take bait. This makes them difficult to trap or poison, but the nests can be dealt with reasonably easily with wasp spray. If the nests are particularly hard to reach, you may need to call a pest controller. Search your property, but also get together with your neighbours to clear your street. A nest can be lurking just over the fence.

Not so easily controlled are the German or common wasp nests. These are usually underground or in a log or tree and can be huge (by huge, I mean as large as a car!). These wasps get angry easily and are aggressive so it’s best to call in the professionals if you come across a nest. Call either your local council or Department of Conservation if it is on public land, or a pest controller for private land.

Stuff’s Wasp Wipeout campaign helps to raise money to combat the German and common wasp, which cause huge problems in our native forests by feeding on honeydew and attacking native insects and birds. They also make life very unpleasant when enjoying recreational activities, joining barbecues and picnics uninvited, and making walking or biking tracks a minefield.

Wasp Wipeout funds the purchase of bait and bait stations which are put out when the wasps switch to a protein diet, usually in February. The bait, Vespex, is carried back to the nest and is 95-99 per cent effective at wiping it out. In baited areas, trampers have reported an increase in bird song and an absence of that low-level hum which was pervasive on any bush walk.

Best of all, the bush smells different as the honeydew is no longer stripped out by wasps.

So how can you help improve New Zealand’s biodiversity? Check your own and neighbours’ properties for wasp nests and destroy them where you can. Donate to the Wasp Wipeout campaign, or register as a volunteer to help put out the bait in February. Together we can make a difference.

* Wasp Wipeout is a collaboration between Stuff, the Department of Conservation, the Tasman Environmental Trust and Conservation Volunteers New Zealand. Donations to the campaign can be made at givealittle.co.nz/cause/ wasp-wipeout