Air NZ pitches in to clip wasp wings in Abel Tasman

Having stifled stoats in the Abel Tasman, our national carrier now has its radar set on reducing the wasp population in the top of the south.

As part of a long-standing partnership with Department of Conservation to support the Totaranui biodiversity project, Air New Zealand will fund 250 new wasp bait stations, and bait for 283 further stations along the Abel Tasman Coast Track.

Following heavy rainfall throughout the area this week, DoC will commence wasp control in Abel Tasman National Park next week, with operations scheduled for the coastal track between Marahau and Totaranui.

From Marahau to Onetahuti the wasp control will be funded from the Abel Tasman Foreshore Scenic Reserve fund which is jointly managed by DoC and the Tasman District Council and funded from a foreshore activity levy paid by local water taxi and kayak operators.

From Onetahuti to Totaranui the Vespex wasp baiting will be funded by Air New Zealand.

‘‘The Totaranui campground is DoC’s busiest, welcoming 17,000 overnight visitors every year. Our conservations efforts alongside iwi are working to restore the dawn chorus to the campground and encourage native bird life throughout the park,’’ said Air New Zealand head of sustainability Lisa Daniell.

‘‘Wasps are one of the most damaging pests in New Zealand and adding wasp baiting to the existing pest control network will help conserve vital food sources and support our native insects, bats and birds.’’

Previous pest control tools the airline has supported included a stoat trapping network of 458 double-set traps over 2659 hectares of northern Abel Tasman National Park, 122 self-resetting rat traps over 125 hectares of the Totaranui headland, plus a line of traps to control and slow possum reinvasion in the northern area of the park.

In a joint effort with iwi, the airline also supports five biodiversity projects across the Great Walks network, working to help restore native wildlife and enhance our great outdoors for visitors experiencing our world-renowned national parks.

That partnership enabled more than 23,000 hectares of native bush nationwide to be laid with predator traps.

DoC’s Takaka senior biodiversity ranger Hans Stroffregen welcomed the latest wasp control measures.

‘‘This will help people to have an enjoyable time on the track without being pestered by wasps,’’ he said.

Testing for wasp activity in the Totaranui headland had been carried out by DoC in recent weeks. However, this was shown to be below the threshold for instigating Vespex bait wasp control.

Additional wasp control was also planned for the Falls River area, an intensive management site where possums, rats and stoats were being controlled to very low levels as part of the partnership between DoC and privately funded trust Project Janszoon to restore the Abel Tasman ecology.