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Biosecurity New Zealand is stepping up its search for yellow-legged hornets (Vespa velutina) after several detections on Auckland’s North Shore, Biosecurity NZ North commissioner Mike Inglis says.
“We have staff working fulltime on the response, including incursion investigators, laboratory staff and field workers who are engaging with the community and carrying out surveillance alongside the public’s great efforts to date,” he says. “We’re adding to our response work on the ground to methodically track the hornet.”
So far, 142 traps have been laid in areas where female hornets have been found. Each trap is checked daily, and none have caught hornets to date. Surveillance has also increased in areas where queen hornets have been detected, with staff inspecting trees, roof eaves, fences and other likely nesting spots.
A trial using protein bait traps will begin soon, and a Technical Advisory Group of independent experts has been formed to advise on future work. Public engagement is continuing, with Biosecurity NZ staff attending local markets and providing updates to industry groups.
Inglis says protein traps will be used more over summer when hornet activity is expected to rise. “We will continue to adapt our work as we gather more information about the hornets movements.” Since the end of October, Biosecurity NZ has found and safely removed five queen hornets and their nests, four in Glenfield and one in Birkdale, about 1.3 kilometres from the first detection. One additional queen was confirmed in the past week following a public report. A queen and two males are suspected based on photographs, but not confirmed.
Inglis said the agency is aware of social media posts using old photographs of the hornet, which makes confirmation from photos alone unreliable. “We encourage people to notify us of finds and we’ll come to try to collect a sample,” he says.
Staff have also been visiting local businesses that receive international cargo to share information about the hornet.
Reporting from the public remains key, Inglis says. “We’ve had an incredible response from the public so far, with more than 2500 notifications. We’re asking everyone in New Zealand to keep an eye out. While detections are currently limited to Auckland’s North Shore, nationwide vigilance gives us confidence these hornets are not elsewhere.”
Suspected hornets or nests should be reported only if there is a specimen, a clear photo, or a possible nest location. Reports can be made at report.mpi.govt.nz or by phoning Biosecurity NZ’s pest and disease hotline on 0800 809 966.
