Ingenuity wins wasp war
An environmental catastrophe on the Chatham Islands has been averted thanks to some good old Kiwi ingenuity.
Environment Canterbury biosecurity officers based on the islands have successfully wiped out a population of German wasps – the first ever established on the Chathams.
Rather than the traditional Kiwi number 8 wire, Robin Seymour and Kerri Moir used cotton, which they tied to the wasps to track them to their nest.
Moir said a resident reported seeing a wasp in March, and a large-scale surveillance operation was planned. But when lockdown meant they couldn’t implement it they had to come up with an alternative.
A beekeeper in the Far North suggested the cotton trick, the only obvious difficulty being catching a wasp and tying something to it.
The wasps were not hard to find as they were raiding a beehive belonging to Abby Biltcliff and Nick Cameron. With their help, Seymour captured the wasps, cooled them down in the fridge to make them docile and tied the cotton in place.
‘‘You only need a couple of centimetres, just enough to create a drag which slows them down so you can follow them,’’ Moir said.
‘‘The trick is to tie it up under their wings so they can still fly.’’
The plan worked – a wasp nest bigger than a netball was located and destroyed.
Moir said the work had been a team effort and she was grateful for help from SPS Biosecurity, Brad Windust and the beehive owners.
Department of Conservation (DOC) director-general Lou Sansom said they had ‘‘averted a near certain environmental catastrophe’’.
‘‘These two deserve a huge thanks from all Chatham Islanders and everyone that loves our threatened species. Incredible work.’’
The pair were finalists in last year’s New Zealand Annual Biosecurity Awards for their work, which includes keeping rats, skinks and marine pests at bay.