Biosecurity New Zealand North Commissioner Mike Inglis.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
More than a hundred traps and genetic testing are some of the latest tools Biosecurity New Zealand is using to hit back against the threat of yellow-legged hornets.
A total of six hornets have been found, including four queens and two males. Three of the queens were found in Glenfield, and the other was in nearby Birkdale in Auckland.
There are fears the hornet could impact the agriculture sector, including the honey industry, as it hunts honeybees.
In response, Biosecurity New Zealand North commissioner Mike Inglis said authorities had put out about 120 traps in the local area.
“We’re going to assess them and look at them every day, and then we’ll continue to assess that and get technical advice and manage it so that phase is very, very important.
“We’ve got vast experience of working with the communities and our partners when we respond to things like that. We’ll follow our methodology, we’ll work our way through it, and then we’ll continue to adapt it where necessary,” he said.
RNZ went with Biosecurity staff to Kaipātiki Park in Glenfield where they’d placed four bait traps. They all contained a sugary liquid mixture that’s hoped will attract hornet queens in search of energy to fuel their nest building.
While those lures didn’t yield any results, the hornets they’ve previously captured have proven vitally important through genetic testing.
Biosecurity New Zealand is using traps and genetic testing to hit back against the threat of yellow-legged hornets.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
So far, Inglis said evidence suggested the specimens were all related and likely came from the same original nest.
He said it’s a promising start as it meant there’d only been one breeding event.
“However, some of that genetics [is] not 100 percent, I just want to be clear because there might be a mix of different species, etc.
“But that’s what we feel at the moment and that’s why, again, looking at the genetics that we’ve targeted the region, we’ve got messaging out to everybody. I’m engaging the bee industry every single day in terms of honey industry.
“We’ve got a governance group set up and a technical advisory group that’s not only got national expertise, it’s got international expertise from the USA and France who have dealt with this before,” said Inglis.
He said the response from the local community had been fantastic and Biosecurity had received thousands of calls from people who’d seen suspicious flying insects.
So far the nests that have been identified have been under the eaves of houses and garages.
While encouraging local residents to be vigilant, he also urged the public to take a cautious approach to using traps at home and asked people follow advice from the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI).
“I think we need to get that balance right between being specific and using methodology and science to understand. So getting up to 120 traps today, we think at that stage in the grid and where we’ve found them and that’s based on evidence and public awareness.
“But we’re also conscious that we want to get that message out to everybody in New Zealand so if there is a suspicious trap then pick up the phone.
“We’re focusing on this region, it’s based on that evidence, it’s based on our genetics that we’ve found so far through the four queens we’ve found.
“Those traps we’ve got in place at the moment are sufficient,” said Inglis.
One of about a hundred traps laid by Biosecurity New Zealand.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
While at Kaipātiki Park, RNZ spoke to other North Shore residents like Ryan, who lived in the suburb of Chatswood.
He said he thought he’d come face to face with the pest, which is described as a gnarly insect.
“It was bigger than a normal wasp, darker, faster, pointier tips.
“I tried to swat it on the window but it went out the window before I could get to it,” he said.
Kaipātiki Local Board member Danielle Grant said she was concerned about the arrival of the invasive pest in Glenfield.
Grant said the board had been in constant contact with MPI about the situation.
“We have a large number of beekeepers in the community who are obviously concerned about the impact of hornets on bees.
“We’ve got 23 schools in our community and a hornet sting, as I understand it, is significantly worse, it’s more painful than a bee and a wasp. It’s definitely the kind of insect that we do not want and we want to try and eradicate it, ideally, from our community but from New Zealand.”
She asked residents to be vigilant especially considering there was about 30 percent canopy cover in Kaipātiki, meaning there could be potential nests in trees also.
“We really appreciate our community wanting to be engaged. What we discussed with MPI is that there is no perfect hornet trap and so there’s a lot of advice.
“MPI have got some excellent resource internally and they are going to be clarifying and that information should be coming out a little bit more around. It gets a bit confusing if everybody is creating a trap if it’s not necessarily being checked. The main thing is that if you sight the hornets, if you see a nest to contact MPI.”
Inglis said anyone who found a hornet should take a picture and report it to MPI.
He said while no hornet stings had been reported yet, he warned people not to antagonise the pest.
“Nobody’s been stung yet as far as I’ve been made aware which is good and again from a health point of view similar to wasp stings just first aid and make sure you do what’s correct in that phase.
“I think a sting from a female hornet is similar to a wasp sting, it can be sore and nasty and I think you seek medical advice within that space that’s how it’s important not to be going and prodding nests and stuff just step back, take a picture, bring it in the house and we’ll send our expert staff out to deal with it,” said Inglis.
The public could report a specimen or send a clear photo of a suspect hornet or nest to Biosecurity’s website or the pest and disease line on 0800 80 99 66.
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