Wasps are back – so are we

Summer is here, and with it comes the scourge of campgrounds, national parks and mountainbike trails – the wasp. Here at the Nelson Mail, we are continuing to support wasp control programmes and bring you the information you need to see if you can help.

Now embarking on its third season, Wasp Wipeout has expanded to include the West Coast. DOC rangers had reported big problems with wasps last year, so it was an easy decision to move into that region. We’re also welcoming Conservation Volunteers New Zealand to help with the installation of bait stations and laying of bait.

It is crucial that we continue to give our native species a reprieve from these predators of the bush, not just in terms of the food they remove, like honeydew, but the devouring of invertebrates and attacks on other larger native mammals.

The Nelson region has been a huge supporter of this project, from individuals to school, recreational and community groups – thank you.

This year, though, we don’t want the focus only on the German and common wasp varieties. We also want you to focus in your own backyards on the paper wasp. There are commercially available sprays from your local hardware store that can help stop these guys in their tracks. Get together with your neighbours, find the nests and spray them – the monarch butterfly caterpillars will thank you for it.